Module 5: Report Writing

This module focuses on writing documents reporting various school or class events.

Objectives

After this module, learners will be able to

1. Gauge the appropriate level of formality for a report.

2. Choose the most important information to include in a report based on specifications.

3. Be formal and direct in their writing.

4. Quantify results with facts and statistics.

5. Write reports about school and class events more confidently.

Learn

Reports must be written in line with specifications or expectations that have been set. For example, say a boss tells you to write a report about the average day at school as a teacher, with a focus on limitations to learning. You are expected write a report that addresses that question. Additionally, since your boss is asking for this report, it should be formally written and include details that support the main events.

To write such a report, start off with the context:

Ex 1: Today, June 17th, all students were present. Their first class of the day was mathematics at 8:30 AM, in which they learned how to write geometric proofs. Some students struggled because they did not have a compass instrument. Perhaps having a few more school-owned compasses that these students could use would be helpful to them.

In the above example, the teacher has given the context of the day at school and the students' first class, before giving details about what they learned and a possible future consideration. Because your boss specifically asked for limitations to learning that the students may have been facing, this is an appropriate topic to include in your report.

Once you have continued to speak about your day at school, you can conclude by having a few key takeaways. Adding a summary at the end of the report can also be helpful for your boss.

Ex 2: Overall, I noticed that many students lack some school materials that make it difficult to keep up with the class. They often have to ask their friends for materials and their learning gets delayed. Another barrier to learning I noticed was that many students are tired and tend to sleep during class. I spoke to two students who said that their fatigue was due to late nights spent doing homework.

Practice: Try writing a report to this prompt keeping in mind the above examples- Your class of 20 students has taken a field trip to a historical site of your choice. Write a fictional report about what happened during the trip. Remember to include the context, details, any issues you faced, and your takeaways from the trip.

Helpful Books

Exercises

Answer questions about the following report:

On Thursday last week, our school celebrated our Annual Sports Day with great enthusiasm. On this special day, our district’s DSO (District Sports Officer) Mr. Ujjwal Kumar Sahu was our chief guest. The program started with a prayer at 9:00 AM. The students and teachers were energetic that day; they were all visibly excited. Our chief guest arrived at 9:15 AM and inaugurated our sports program by lighting the lamp. Various sports programs were organized by the school's Sports Department for the day. Students could participate in whichever sport they preferred. All the games took place on the school playground. There was a stage set up behind the playground so that senior teachers, the principal, and our chief guest could sit and watch. The first sport was cricket, in which both students and teachers participated in a match. After this many other sports were played including football, kho-kho, volleyball, etc. After all the games were over, there was an awards ceremony in which all the members of the winning teams were given prizes by Mr. Sahu. At the end of the day, our chief guest gave the students a motivational speech, in which he advised everyone to participate in sports and also talked about the benefits of playing sports.

1. What position is Mr. Ujjwal Kumar Sahu? Why is he the chief guest at this event?

2. What time did the event start?

3. Were students assigned to sports or could they choose what sport to participate in?

4. Where did the games take place? Where did the teachers, principal, and chief guest sit?

5. What are some of the sports that were played during the day?

Conclusion

After this module, students should be more comfortable writing documents reporting about various school and class events. Formal writing for the workplace is an important skill, and one that is honed with experience, so students should take time to write on their own about a variety of subjects.