WRITING REPORTS

Book reports, magazine articles and newspaper columns are all examples of the essay, a type of composition originated by French writer Michel de Montaigne in the 1500s. Montaigne’s essays were informal comments about his personal experiences. Essays can also be informative, humorous or persuasive. Want help with all types of writing projects, from book reports to research papers? Use the direct links on The Times Launch Point Web site.

https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/

LEVEL 1

Book Reports: A teacher and two students share their advice on how to write a great book report. Includes questions that will help you focus your writing.

https://talk.startribune.com/cgi-bin/WebX.cgi?homework-13@^15549@.ee6b7ed

The Looney Bin: Simple tips on how to take notes and write reports.

https://www.geocities.com/Athens/3843/index.html

Hillside Elementary--Writing Reports: Using a paper about a U.S. president as an example, this site gives detailed instructions and ideas. It offers writing and editing tips that would be useful for a report on any topic, and it includes helpful note-taking charts.

https://hillside05.sowashco.k12.mn.us/96-97/main.html

LEVEL 2

Book Nook: Want to know a good book for a school report? Read what kids from kindergarten through high school have to say about their favorites.

https://i-site.on.ca./booknook.html

LEO--Literacy Education Online: Common questions and concerns about writing are answered in this user-friendly writing resource.

https://leo.stcloud.msus.edu/

Research Paper Online: Brief sections describe the steps involved in writing a research paper. Included are questions to consider when writing and suggestions for note-taking. Of special interest is a section on how to cite sources in a bibliography, including materials from CD-ROMs and information from the Internet.

https://www.liverpool.k12.ny.us/Annex/research%20paper/research.html

LEVEL 3

Research Room: Online exercises and many examples distinguish this site, which takes you through the process of writing a research paper.

https://www.esc.edu/htmlpages/writer/menu.htm

The University of Victoria’s Writing Guide: A comprehensive site describing the many aspects of writing. It includes everything from the different types of essays to proofreading and common problems.

https://webserver.maclab.comp.uvic.ca/writersguide/MasterTOC.html

The Purdue Online Writing Lab--Research Papers: How do you know when to quote, when to paraphrase and when to summarize source material? This site explains all of that. It also gives tips for developing outlines.

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/Files/Research-Papers.html

Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This week’s column was designed by Stan Woo-Sam and Anna Manring.

EXPLORER’S QUEST

Free Times T-shirt

The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.

A political document, a letter, a speech or a work of fiction is an example of what type of source?

Clue: See Research Paper Online--Glossary.

How It Works: Answer three questions correctly in the Explorer’s Quest Web Challenges by Sept. 29, and you’ll get a free T-shirt. Just clip and fill out the form on Page B5, or make up your own handwritten form. You can also find the form on The Times Launch Point Web site, https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/

Answer to last week’s Quest: Antarctica is the one continent on which grassland is not found.