Why we report and present
An inquiry is a search for an answer to a question. The search is only useful to others if you share it. Sharing has two forms: a written report and a spoken presentation. Both do the same job: they show your question, how you looked for the answer, what you found and what you think it means.
The four parts of a research report
- Question: what did you want to find out? Write it as one clear sentence.
- Method: how did you look? (survey, reading, measuring, interview). Another person should be able to repeat it.
- Findings: the facts and numbers you got. Use a small table or chart.
- Conclusion: the answer to your question, in your own words, based only on the findings.
Add a short title, a list of sources, and thanks to people who helped.
Keep it short and on topic
You will find more than you can use. Ask of every note: does this help answer my question? If not, cut it. Use your own words. When you use an idea or a number from a book or website, say where it came from. This is called giving credit, and it is part of honest work.
Claim and evidence
A claim is what you say is true. Evidence is the fact that shows it. Write them as a pair: "Most students waste water (claim): 18 of 25 left the tap running (evidence)." Do not claim more than the evidence shows. If 25 students are asked, say "in my class", not "all students".
Turning the report into a presentation
A talk is not the report read aloud. Pick the one main message. Use about three slides: the question, the key finding (one picture or number), and the conclusion. Put only a few words on a slide. Look at the audience, speak slowly, and keep to your time. Practise once aloud before the day.
Answering questions (Q&A)
Listen to the whole question. Say "good question" if it is one. Answer from your evidence. If you do not know, say so: "I did not measure that. I would test it next." That is a good answer, because it shows honest thinking.
Reflecting and asking the next question
Reflection means looking back. Ask: What did I learn? What went well? What would I change? What new question did I find? Good inquiries do not end; they open the next one. Write two or three sentences in your own notebook.
Try it
Pick a small question, for example: how many steps is it from your door to the school gate? Ask 5 people or measure 5 times. Write the four parts (question, method, findings, conclusion) in 4 short lines. Then say it aloud in one minute. In the 3D, tap the numbers to build your own report.
Key formulas and definitions
- Report = Question + Method + Findings + Conclusion
- Claim + Evidence = a strong point
- Talk = 1 main message + about 3 slides + Q&A
- Reflect = learned + went well + change + next question
Worked examples
1. A student asked: "How many students walk to school?" She has 8 notes: the question, 2 on how she asked, 2 with results, 1 conclusion, and 2 about her favourite cartoon. Which notes go in the report?
The first 6 notes go in: question (1), method (2), findings (2), conclusion (1). The two cartoon notes are off-topic and are cut.
2. Her finding: 12 of 30 students walk. She writes: "Everybody walks to school." Fix the claim.
12 of 30 is 40%, so most do not walk. A correct claim: "In my class, 40% of students (12 of 30) walk to school." It names the group and uses the evidence.
3. Make a 3-slide plan for a 2-minute talk on the walking survey.
Slide 1: the question, "How do students reach school?" Slide 2: one bar chart of walk, bus and cycle. Slide 3: the conclusion and the next question, "Why do few cycle?" Each slide has one idea and few words.
Common mistakes
- Putting every note into the report. Only what answers the question belongs.
- Making a claim bigger than the evidence (all students instead of my class).
- Reading the report aloud word for word as the talk.
- Crowding slides with long sentences instead of one idea and a picture.