Sources of Wealth

Lessons

Senior 1 · English

Sources of Wealth

5 lessons

Lesson 4 of 5

Writing a Short Report on Resources, and the Economic Mosaic Expo

30 min

Let's begin

Opinions are easy; evidence takes work. When S1 C at a secondary school in Nyamagabe was asked to write about "resources in Rwanda", their teacher sent them out with a clipboard first: every student had to ask one question to forty classmates and turn the answers into a report. A report is not a story and not an argument. It tells the reader what was found, as clearly and fairly as possible, and it lets the numbers speak.

Before you read: If you asked your class "What is the most important resource in our district?", what do you think the most common answer would be?

Reading: a student's report

RESOURCES IN NYAMAGABE DISTRICT: WHAT OUR CLASS THINKS
by Irakoze Sandrine, S1 C

Introduction. This report presents the results of a short survey on the resources of Nyamagabe District, in the Southern Province. In October, forty students in S1 C were asked one question: "What is the most important resource in our district?" Each student gave one answer.

Findings. The most popular answer was tea, chosen by 14 students, just over a third of the class. Many students' families pick tea or work in the factories near Kitabi, and several said that tea "pays for our school fees". Tourism came second, with 9 students, almost a quarter of the class. These students mentioned Nyungwe National Park and its canopy walkway, which bring visitors and jobs to the district. Water and hydropower were chosen by 7 students, who pointed out that the rivers flowing from Nyungwe are used for drinking water and electricity. Six students chose crafts and skills, such as basket weaving and carpentry. Only 4 students chose minerals, because few mines are found in our area.

Conclusion. In summary, most students see the land and the forest as the district's main sources of wealth: tea, tourism and water together were chosen by thirty students, three quarters of the class. However, the survey had only forty people and one question, so it shows our class's opinions, not official facts.

Recommendation. Next term, the class should compare these opinions with official information, for example from the district office or the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda.

Understanding the report

What question was asked, and to whom?
Which answer was the most popular? Give the number and a fraction of the class.
Why did several students choose tea?
Which two places are connected with tourism in Nyamagabe?
Why did so few students choose minerals?
The writer says the survey "shows our class's opinions, not official facts". Why is this an important sentence?

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"What is the most important resource in our district?", asked to forty students in S1 C.
Tea: 14 students, just over a third of the class.
Their families pick tea or work in tea factories, and tea pays for school fees.
Nyungwe National Park and its canopy walkway.
Few mines are found in their area.
It is honest about the limits of the evidence: forty students and one question can't prove what is true for the whole district, so readers are not misled.

How a report is organised

Section	Purpose	Useful language
Title	states the topic exactly	Resources in …: what … thinks
Introduction	says what was studied, when, how and with whom	This report presents … In October, forty students were asked …
Findings	gives the results in order, largest first, with numbers	The most popular answer was … came second, with … Only …
Conclusion	sums up the main pattern and its limits	In summary, … However, the survey …
Recommendation	says what should happen next	… should … Next term, …

Reports use a formal, impersonal style. Notice how often the writer uses the passive (were asked, are used, are found) to keep the focus on the results, not on herself.

Vocabulary: reports and data

Word	Meaning	Example sentence
survey	a set of questions asked to many people	We carried out a survey of our class.
findings	the results of a study	The findings are shown in a chart.
data	facts or numbers collected for study	The data came from forty students.
majority	more than half	The majority chose land resources.
minority	less than half	A small minority chose minerals.
proportion	a part of the whole, compared with the whole	A large proportion chose tea.
official	from a government or other authority	Official statistics come from NISR.
summarise	give the main points briefly	The conclusion summarises the findings.
recommend	advise that something should be done	We recommend a second survey.

Definition

Quantifier: a word or phrase that tells us how many or how much: most, many, some, a few, few, none, half, a third, the majority.

Approximator: an adverb that shows a number is not exact: about, almost, nearly, just over, just under.

Grammar: describing numbers in words

Number out of 40	Fraction or phrase	Example sentence
40	all (of the students)	All the students answered.
30	three quarters; the majority	Tea, tourism and water were chosen by three quarters of the class.
20	half	Tea and crafts together were chosen by half the class.
14	just over a third	Tea was chosen by just over a third.
9	almost a quarter	Tourism was chosen by almost a quarter.
4	one in ten; a few	Only a few students chose minerals.
0	none; no one	No one chose fishing.

A few or few? A little or little?

	Positive meaning (some)	Negative meaning (not enough)
Countable nouns	A few students chose minerals.	Few mines are found in our area.
Uncountable nouns	There is a little gold in the river.	There is little flat land.

Worked example

Turn a number into a good report sentence: 9 of the 40 students chose tourism.

Find a simple fraction. A quarter of 40 is 10. 9 is just under 10.
Choose an approximator. almost or nearly (a little less), not just over (a little more).
Keep the exact number too. Readers trust a report that gives both.
Use the passive to keep the focus on the answer. Tourism was chosen by 9 students, almost a quarter of the class.

Warning

Write fractions in words in a report sentence: a quarter, a third, three quarters.
Data and findings are plural in formal English: The findings are clear.
Don't turn a class opinion into a national fact. Wrong: Tea is the most important resource in Rwanda. Right: Most students in our class think tea is the most important resource.

Tip

Largest first. In the findings, describe the biggest result first, then go down in order. Your reader can then follow the chart from top to bottom.

Speaking: present the findings

Use the bar chart to present the survey results to a partner in one minute, largest first. Use at least three fractions or approximators.

Show model answerHide model answer

We asked forty students one question. The most popular answer was tea, with fourteen students, just over a third of the class. Tourism came second, with nine, almost a quarter. Seven students chose water and hydropower, and six chose crafts and skills. Only a few, four students, chose minerals. So the large majority see the land and the forest as our main wealth.

Writing: a short report on resources in Rwanda

Carry out your own class survey with one clear question (for example: Which of Rwanda's resources will be most important in 2040?). Then write a report of 120 to 180 words with the five sections above. Include a small table of results, at least three fractions or approximators, and at least three passive sentences. End with one sentence about the limits of your survey.

Show model answerHide model answer

RWANDA'S RESOURCES IN 2040: A CLASS SURVEY

Introduction. This report presents the views of S1 A on Rwanda's future resources. In November, 36 students were asked: "Which resource will be most important in 2040?"

Answer	Students
People and technology skills	13
Tourism and conferences	10
Tea and coffee	8
Minerals	5

Findings. The most popular answer was people and technology skills, chosen by 13 students, just over a third. Several said that minerals are used up, but skills are passed on. Tourism came second with 10, just over a quarter. Tea and coffee were chosen by 8 students, almost a quarter, and only a few chose minerals.

Conclusion. In summary, most students believe future wealth will be made by people rather than dug from the ground. However, this is one class's opinion, not official data.

Recommendation. We recommend repeating the survey with S3.

Unit project: "Rwanda's Economic Mosaic" expo

A mosaic is a picture made of many small pieces. In this project, each group builds one piece of Rwanda's economy as an expo stand, and together the class shows the whole picture to visitors (other classes, teachers or parents).

Stage	What your group does	Time
1. Choose	Choose one resource that no other group has: tea, coffee, the three Ts, hydropower, methane, tourism, conferences, crafts, ICT skills, milk, or another agreed with your teacher.	1 lesson
2. Research	Find out where it is found or produced, how it is processed, who works in it and why it matters. Note every source.	1 week
3. Make	Make a poster with a map or a flowchart, a short fact sheet (100 to 150 words, with at least four passive sentences) and, if possible, a real object (a tea leaf, a coffee bean, a basket).	1 week
4. Rehearse	Each member prepares one minute of speaking, and the group practises answering visitors' questions.	1 lesson
5. Present	At the expo, explain your stand to visitors, answer questions, and visit two other stands to note one new fact from each.	1 lesson

Group roles: researcher (facts and sources), designer (poster and flowchart), writer (fact sheet), presenter (introduction and questions). Every member speaks at the expo.

Assessment rubric

Criterion	4: Excellent	3: Good	2: Fair	1: Needs work
Content	accurate, detailed facts, all with sources	accurate facts, most with sources	some facts, few sources	few or inaccurate facts
Language	at least four correct passives; varied adjectives and adverbs	two or three correct passives; some good description	one passive; simple description	many errors that confuse the reader
Visuals	clear poster with a labelled map or flowchart	clear poster with some labels	poster hard to follow	no clear visual
Speaking	clear, confident, answers questions well	clear, answers most questions	reads from notes; few answers	hard to hear or understand
Teamwork	every member has a role and speaks	most members take part	one or two members do most of the work	little cooperation

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Practice

Write as a fraction in words: 20 out of 40.
Write as a fraction in words: 10 out of 40.
Choose almost or just over: 21 out of 40 is ___ half.
Choose a few or few: ___ students chose fishing, but they gave good reasons.
Choose a few or few: ___ people in our area work in mines, so minerals were not popular.
Put the report sections in order: Conclusion, Title, Findings, Recommendation, Introduction.
Rewrite in a formal report style: Loads of kids said tea was the best.
Correct the mistake: Our survey proves that tea is Rwanda's most important resource.

Show answersHide answers

half
a quarter
just over
A few (positive: some)
Few (negative: not many)
Title, Introduction, Findings, Conclusion, Recommendation
Many students chose tea as the most important resource.
Our survey shows that most students in our class think tea is the most important resource. (One class cannot prove a national fact.)

Sources and credits

Report "Resources in Nyamagabe District" (the student and her class survey are invented; the numbers are illustrative, not official statistics), bar chart, comprehension questions, report and grammar tables, project plan, rubric, practice and model answers written by Ganzaa. For official figures, see the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (statistics.gov.rw).
Photo: Agaseke keza by Honorine Umutoni, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

1Reading: a student's report

2Understanding the report

3How a report is organised

4Vocabulary: reports and data

5Grammar: describing numbers in words