Support your students in gathering and organising their ideas with our Animal Information Report Research & Planning Templates! This versatile resource pack is designed to scaffold both the research and planning stages of writing, helping students to clearly structure their findings and prepare for successful report writing. With a variety of template styles included, it’s ideal for supporting a range of learners in building confidence and independence.

These templates are perfect for use before publishing with our Information Report Booklets or as part of an animal inquiry unit. With options to suit different handwriting needs and writing abilities, students are guided to record factual information under specific subheadings such as Classification, Appearance, Habitat, Diet, Reproduction and Behaviour. The resource includes templates both with and without headings, giving you the flexibility to differentiate as needed.

Animal Information Report Research & Planning Templates make it easy for students to collect, sort, and prepare their notes before beginning their final draft. Whether working independently, in pairs, or as part of a whole-class project, these scaffolded organisers provide the perfect starting point for writing structured, detailed and engaging animal reports.

Key Learning Outcomes:

• ✅ Identify and record factual information using research strategies
• ✅ Organise notes under key subheadings in preparation for writing
• ✅ Develop research, note-taking and planning skills
• ✅ Use visual organisers to scaffold extended writing tasks
• ✅ Build content knowledge about animal classification and behaviour

What’s Included:

• 10 animal icons to choose from for visual support
• Templates in blank, 14mm and 18mm lined versions
• Heading and no-heading versions for differentiation
• Matching research and planning pages for report prep

Materials Needed:

• Printed templates (A4 or enlarged to A3)
• Scissors and glue (for cut-and-paste animal icons)
• Pencils, pens, or coloured markers
• Animal reference books or digital research tools

How to Use:

1. Choose the appropriate template style for your students’ writing level.
2. Students cut and paste their chosen animal icon or draw their animal in the template.
3. Guide students to research their animal and fill in notes under each heading.
4. If using blank templates, students can illustrate with diagrams and images.
5. Students then use the planning page to organise their information into paragraphs ready for publishing.

Ideas for Classroom Use:

• 💡 Introduce during a science or HASS unit focused on animals and habitats
• 💡 Use as a pre-writing scaffold for information report assessment tasks
• 💡 Turn student work into a class animal magazine or published display
• 💡 Provide templates during literacy rotations for independent research projects
• 💡 Compare animals in the same classification group for cross-text analysis

Top Teacher Tips:

• 💛 Play the Information Collector game first to activate background knowledge
• 💛 Enlarge templates to A3 for students needing additional space
• 💛 Encourage the use of bullet points to support note-taking clarity
• 💛 Provide labelled animal books or bookmarked websites to support research
• 💛 Use in small group instruction to model how to extract key information

Animal Information Report Research & Planning Templates are a flexible and effective way to help students structure their ideas before writing. Whether you're working with emerging writers or confident researchers, this scaffolded resource sets every student up for success.

Check out our Information Collector: Animal Information Report Game and Information Report Booklets to support students before and after using these templates.

Available in our basic fun font and all Australian state fonts.