Literature

WRITING WORKSHOP PART 1

Research Report

Prewriting and Drafting

When you gather information about a topic and write up your findings, you

produce a research report. Writing a research report will help you think

about the Unit 5 Big Question: Is progress always good? As you write your

research report, refer to the Writing Handbook, pages R21–R24.

Prewriting

Get Ready to Write

Progress comes in all different forms and all different ways. As you choose

a topic and begin researching, think about how progress is related to your

research topic.

Gather Ideas and Choose a Topic

List topics that interest you and that you want to learn more about. If you

need help thinking of ideas, follow these suggestions:

• Look through the selections in this unit and identify some of the ideas
  about progress.


• Watch the news or scan some newspapers, magazines, or books for ideas.


• Skim your science and social studies textbooks and look for topics that
  interest you.


• Search the library’s electronic card catalog or look on the Internet.


• Brainstorm a list of topics with a partner.

Choose two or three topics from your list and brainstorm a list of questions

about each topic. As you write, one topic may emerge as your favorite. If

that happens, you’ve found your topic! If you’re still not sure which topic to

choose, don’t worry. You can do some general reading about a few ideas

and then choose your topic.

Shape Your Topic

Select one of the questions you wrote and read about it in an encyclopedia

or another general reference book. Use the information you read to narrow

or widen your topic. Find a focus that you can cover thoroughly in a short

report. If you decide that you’re no longer interested in the topic, choose

another question to read about until you find a topic you like.

ASSIGNMENT Write a

research report

Purpose: To learn about

a topic that interests you

Audience: Your teacher,

your classmates, and

others who are interested

in this topic

Writing Rubric

As you work through this

writing assignment, you

should

• write a research report
  with an introduction, a
  body, and a conclusion


• develop a thesis state-
  ment and support it with
  evidence and details


• use a cause-and-effect
  text structure


• document sources accu-
  rately in a bibliography or
  a list of works cited


• use graphics and concepts
  of design
  See page 599 in Part 2 for a
  model of a research report.

552 UNIT 5 Is Progress Always Good?

Objectives (pp. 552–555)

Writing Use the writing process:

draft • Write a research report

• Include main ideas and supporting
  details • Use a cause-and-effect
  structure
  Grammar Use main and subordinate
  clauses