Typed reports/narrations: single spaced or double spaced?

[Colleen in NS]

When you start having your grades 5 to 8 kids type reports and narrations and whatnot (as opposed to handwriting), do you have them single space or double space? What size font? Why?

 

Also, when you tell them to, say, "write a half page report on skin" do you mean a half page of handwriting or a half page of ss or ds typing?

 

Thanks!

[Chris in VA]

Depends on how it's published--for a timeline report, I'd have them single space. For more of a paper/research report, it's double spaced, #12 size font. It's a sort of standard approach, but I don't know why. My older kids had to do it that way for ps.

I didn't tell them half a page report, I gave them paragraph parameters--write a 5 paragraph essay on---, for example, or maybe give me 10 facts, or sometimes I just said "short report" and checked their thesis to make sure it could support a paper.

[usetoschool]

Double spaced, 12 point, one inch margins because that is MLA style, the style guide used by most colleges around here. Might as well start doing it the way it will have to be done for college papers. Here is a short recap of some of the MLA style technicalities.

 

And if you want the book for reference, you can buy it at most bookstores. Here is a recent edition from Amazon though there are several versions.

[Guest Dulcimeramy]

Double spaced, 12 point, one inch margins because that is MLA style, the style guide used by most colleges around here. Might as well start doing it the way it will have to be done for college papers. Here is a short recap of some of the MLA style technicalities.

 

And if you want the book for reference, you can buy it at most bookstores. Here is a recent edition from Amazon though there are several versions.

 

Thank you for these links!

[Colleen in NS]

For more of a paper/research report, it's double spaced, #12 size font. It's a sort of standard approach, but I don't know why. My older kids had to do it that way for ps.

 

Thanks! This is helpful to know. Size 12 double spaced seems to be standard (I asked on the h.s. board, too). I never had to type papers for school, always handwrote them - but that was in the mid 80s.

 

Double spaced, 12 point, one inch margins because that is MLA style, the style guide used by most colleges around here. Might as well start doing it the way it will have to be done for college papers.

 

Thank you! Thanks for mentioning margins, too. I have my own way of setting up documents, based on my 1980s typing class and past office jobs, but didn't know what could be expected for students typing papers.

 

One more question. I am going by SWB's recs for 5th to 8th grade for length of narrations/reports (I think I heard them on the writing CD, but I can't remember): 5th = half page, 6th = 1 page, 7th = 1.5 pages, and 8th = 2 pages (and I realize these are approximate). She doesn't mention if this is typewritten or handwritten length expectations - what sounds reasonable to any of you who are more experienced in this?

[Mom22ns]

I have an incredibly reluctant writer (6th grade), yet when I tell him to write a report on x, I am more likely to get two pages than one if I don't specify length. I will tell him I only need a paragraph or a couple of paragraphs for something that should be short, but if he is writing a report, I leave it to him to cover the topic to the depth that he wants to cover it. Now if you find that your dc doesn't take that on, you may have to set expectations, but I would get far less if I told my ds what to write because he often surprises me and rarely disappoints.

 

When I say reluctant, please read: there is nothing he hates more than writing :lol: See what your child does before you set limits on them.

[Colleen in NS]

Now if you find that your dc doesn't take that on, you may have to set expectations, but I would get far less if I told my ds what to write because he often surprises me and rarely disappoints.

 

Reluctant writer, here, too (though things are starting to improve with the hope of typing on the horizon). I more meant, what is sounds reasonable for an expectation to work UP to - half page of written or half page of typed.

[SherryTX]

Thanks for the links for MLA. I was thinking about this myself.

My daughter is only 9, and hates to write things out by hand (though she is getting better), and one of the things I have done to motivate her is tell her she can write her first draft by hand, and then after we go over any corrections (spelling, grammar, etc.), she is allowed to type the final draft on the computer.

 

I don't worry about length yet - I am more concerned she is writing out narration that shows she is comprehending what she is reading etc. For stories she likes to write, there is no length requirement.

 

However, you could always go with word count if you wanted to, though that may be a bit anal retentive for these ages.

 

I personally HATE double spacing, but as others have pointed out, it is often required when submitting a manuscript or with college and high school papers, so I will have her work on that format in the next couple of years.

[ciyates]

IEW has some interesting insight on how to format papers. It has helped my son.