7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
1/25
Combining information
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
2/25
Learning objectives
By the end of this lesson, students
should be able to :
Analyze the steps to create a basic
synthesis.
Develop a simple synthesis.
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
3/25
What is a synthesis ?
A combination of ideas and information
from several sources.
Academic research involves
synthesizing i.e. the ability to select
information from more than one sourceand blend it smoothly into a unified,
coherent entity.
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
4/25
SYNTHESIS
Example 1: Switzerland
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
5/25
STEP 1:
As you read select only the most important,
relevant information:
Select the most important information from
Source A
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
6/25
Source A:
Switzerland is a great example of linguistic diversitybecause there are three different national languages.People in the central and northern areas speakGerman. People in the western area speak French.
People in the southeastern area speak Italian. MostSwiss can speak more than one language. Oneinteresting fact is that the name of the country on itscoins and stamps is not any of these languages.Instead, Helvetia,the Latin name for this country, is
used.
Claudio Acevedo, Argentina
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
7/25
The main ideas from Source A:
Geographical areas of the country speak 3
different languages
German = Central and Northern regionFrench = West
Italian = Southeast
Helvetia (Latin : Switzerland)used on coinsand stamps
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
8/25
Source B:
You might think that most people in Switzerland speak
the same language because it is rather a small
country. However, you would be wrong. Yes, the
country is tiny, but there are four national languages.
German is spoken by more people than any otherlanguage. The second most commonly spoken
language is French, and Italian is third. A very small
percentage of the people speak Romansch.
Najmuddin bin Faisal, Malaysia
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
9/25
The main ideas from Source B:
Small country with 4 national languages
German = majority of population
French = 2ndmost common languageItalian = 3rdlanguage spoken
Romansch = spoken by very small % of
the population
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
10/25
STEP 2:
Find a unifying theme i.e. an idea that connects
the two texts,
What is it?
Several languages are spoken in Switzerland
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
11/25
STEP 3:
Using your paraphrasing skills, combine
the ideas from each source into
sentences e.g.
German is the most widely-spoken
language in Northern and Centralregions.
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
12/25
STEP 4:
Organize the sentences into a logicalparagraph, using transitional
expressions. Make sure there is:
and include any original ideas you may
have.
A conclusionA bodyAn Introduction
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
13/25
Synthesized text regarding
Switzerland taken from Source A & B:Although Switzerland is a small country, it has fournational languages. German, which is used in theCentral and Northern regions, has the highestpercentage of speakers. French, used in the west,is the second most-widely spoken language. Thethird language, Italian, is spoken in the southeast.Switzerlands least-used language, Romansch, isthought to have a Latin origin. This may explain
why Helvetia, the Latin name for the country, isused on coins and stamps.
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
14/25
SYNTHESIS
Example 2: Fire Triangle
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
15/25
Step 1: Select from Source A
The Fire Triangle or Combustion Triangle is asimple model from the science of firefighting, tounderstand the components necessary for mostfires. The triangle illustrates the rule that in orderto ignite and burn, a fire requires 3 elements:heat, fuel and an oxidizing agent, usuallyoxygen. The fire is prevented or extinguished byremoving any one of them. A fire naturally occurs
when the elements are combined in the rightmixture e.g. more heat is needed for ignitingsome fuels, unless there is concentrated oxygen.
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
16/25
Source Amain points:
Fire Triangle is a teaching tool
Symbol illustrates 3 elements required to
produce fire: Fuel, Heat, Oxygen or otheroxidizing agent
Removal of one element prevents or
extinguishes fire
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
17/25
Select from Source B:
For many years the concept of fire was symbolized bythe Triangle of Combustion and represented fuel, heatand oxygen. Further fire research determined that afourth element, a chemical chain reaction, was also a
necessary component of fire. The Fire Triangle waschanged to a Tetrahedron to reflect this fourthelement. A tetrahedron can be described as a pyramidwhich is a solid having four plane faces. Essentially allfour elements must be present for fire to occur: fuel,
heat, oxygen and a chemical chain reaction. Removalof any one of these elements will result in the firebeing extinguished.
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
18/25
Source Bmain points:
Fire Tetrahedron replaced Triangle.
Symbol became pyramid or solid with 4
plane faces
Recognition of 4thcomponentachemical chain reaction
All elements must be present for fire to
occur
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
19/25
Step 2 - Identify
Find a unifying theme or an idea that
connects the 2 texts,
What is it?
Symbols illustrate the concept of fire
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
20/25
Step 3 - Combine
Using your paraphrasing skills, combine the
ideas from each source into sentences e.g.
The symbols reflect the number of elements
present to create a fire.
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
21/25
STEP 4:
Organize the sentences into a logicalparagraph, using transitional
expressions. Make sure there is:
and include any original ideas you may
have.
A conclusionA bodyAn Introduction
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
22/25
A synthesis of the Fire Triangle taken
from Source A & B:
For a number of years symbols have illustratedthe concept of fire. Previously, the FireTriangle conveyed the idea that three
elements: fuel, heat and oxygen, producedfire. The Fire Tetrahedron, a solid with fourplane faces, replaced the triangle with therecognition that a chemical reaction is the
fourth component of a fire. The elimination ofone of these elements prevents orextinguishes a fire.
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
23/25
Review
What are the steps to create a basic
synthesis ?
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
24/25
A review of a basic synthesis
Select important ideas from each source as
you read
Identify a unifying theme that connects thetwo texts (sources)
Combine ideas that are linked and support
each other into sentences
Organize these sentences into a logical order
using transition words
7/25/2019 Week 5 Synthesizing
25/25
Thank you