My middle school son has to write a report about an extinct bird. He's the kind of kid who needs a step-by-step breakdown of what you do in a report, or he will turn in just a few sentences and wonder why Mom & Dad say its not good enough. So I went looking for just such a thing. Here's what I found.
Step by step for older kids (This is on E How and has links to other articles, but this one is my favorite.)
Animal Report Graphic Organizer
Report planner/writing guide (I think I will try this one!)