Written Report - What You Must Hand In: 

1. A Written Report in a Folder: The report must have a title page. It may be typed (in a plain font) or handwritten in cursive. The report must be organized with topic headings as shown in class. You must use at least three sources of information. Only one source may be a book.

2. Index Card Notes: Make sure your name is on the cards and they are bundled with a rubber band. Follow the guidelines below for index card format.

3. A Time Line: The timeline should be the last page of your report. It should be complete and neat. We will discuss different timeline formats. You can be creative. Illustrations are welcome. (How to make a timeline, try another making a timeline page, or try the Timeline Maker)

.Grading: 

I will grade for completeness of information. Organization is important. The major parts of the exploration(s) should be included in a logical order. You should KNOW all of the details about your explorer's major expeditions. Neatness (which will give extra credit), language, spelling, and following guidelines will also be part of the grade. 

Points Off: Reports handed in late will be marked off one letter grade for each day late. I will deduct major points for presenting information word-for-word from your book. 

To Get a Zero: Don't do anything. Getting a zero is easy.

To Get a D or an F: Hand in the report late. Don't have a title page or folder. Write sloppily and misspell a lot of words (especially the name of your explorer). Forget about paragraphs and headings. Don't worry about punctuation. Ignore due dates. Use sentence fragments and run-on sentences. Don't bother to rewrite your report. Copy the information word-for-word. Don't have complete information. Have incomplete index cards or none at all. Ignore the guidelines. Don't learn much about your person. Fake reading your sources. Don't bother making a timeline or do the timeline at the last minute and include just a few dates.

To Get an A or a B: Take notes on index cards first. Follow the guidelines and due dates exactly. Have complete information about the important parts of the explorer and exploration on index cards and in your report. Make sure everything is in your own words. Rewrite your report. Spell carefully and write neatly. Use correct paragraph structure. Include an opening and a closing. Watch your punctuation and capitalization. Get rid of sentence fragments and run-on sentences. Include a well-done, neat, and complete timeline.
 

You must use index cards to write your report. They help you to organize your information. Limit the topics to about eight. The index cards may be used during your oral report. You should have at least forty! cards when you're done, but you may need more for an A or B grade. Put your initials and number on the back of each card. Put a rubber band around the cards!!!