SYNTHESISE INFORMATION

HARIATI OTHMAN
NURUL FARHANA MOHAMED SAAT
WAN NUR SURYA WAN RAHIN
SITI ZUNAIRAH ABD AZIZ

Summary of Synthesis
An advanced reading technique.
Pulls together information not only to highlight the
important points, but also to draw your own conclusions.
Combines and contrasts information from different
sources.
Not only reflects your knowledge about what the original
authors wrote, but also creates something new out of two
or more pieces of writing.
Combines parts and elements from a variety of sources
into one unified entity.
Focuses on both main ideas and details.
Achieves new insight

 variety of strategies to synthesize information and

ideas
a.Questioning
b.Connecting
c.Predicting
d.Visualizing
e.Summarizing
f.Inferring
g.Clarifying
h.Word Analysis

Try the following stages:

Read and understand the texts.
Find the relevant ideas in the texts. Mark them in some way - write them down, take
notes, underline them or highlight them.
Make sure you identify the meaning relationships between the words/ideas - use colours
or numbers.
Read what you have marked very carefully.
Organise the information you have. You could give all similar ideas in different texts the
same number or letter or colour.
Transfer all the information on to one piece of paper. Write down all simiar information
together.
Paraphrase and summarise as necessary.
Check your notes with your original texts for accuracy and relevance.
Combine your notes into one continuous text.
Check your work.
Make sure your purpose is clear
Make sure the language is correct
Make sure the style is your own

 Synthesis
A synthesis is a combination, usually a shortened
version, of several texts made into one. It contains
the important points in the text and is written in
your own words.
To make a synthesis you need to find suitable
sources, and then to select the relevant parts in
those sources. You will then use your paraphrase
and summary skills to write the information in your
own words. The information from all the sources
has to fit together into one continuous text.

The following stages may be useful:

Find texts that are suitable for your assignment.
Read and understand the texts.
Find the relevant ideas in the texts. Mark them in some way - write them down, take notes,
underline them or highlight them.
Make sure you identify the meaning relationships between the words/ideas - use colours or
numbers.
Read what you have marked very carefully.
Organise the information you have. You could give all similar ideas in different texts the same
number or letter or colour.
Transfer all the information on to one piece of paper. Write down all simiar information together.
Paraphraseandsummariseas necessary.

Check your notes with your original texts for accuracy and relevance.
Combine your notes into one continuous text.
Check your work.
Make sure your purpose is clear
Make sure the language is correct
Make sure the style is your own
Remember toacknowledgeother people's work

Synthesizing Information: Stepby-Step Instructions For Learners

1.Make photocopies or printouts of all of the articles you gather,
so you can write on them. Be sure each item has the information you
need to cite it in your final report and bibliography (author, title of article,
title of publication, pages, date) or (URL, title, author, date of web page,
date accessed).
2.Read through each article. Highlight the main facts, concepts,
and ideas. You may need to read some articles several times.
For a long scientific study, begin by reading the abstract, introduction, and
conclusion. Then go back through the article again and read the heading
and first paragraph of each section of the study. When you understand
the general "story" of the research project, go back and read it again for
details.
Newspaper stories put most of the facts and ideas into the first few
paragraphs. Read beyond these for interesting, relevant details.

 If you are working in a group, now is the time

to share what you learned with others in the
group. Ask questions about what you don't
understand from your reading. Teach each other
so everyone becomes an "expert" on the topic.
If you are working on your own, make a list
of words or topics you don't understand well
enough to explain to someone else. Use
dictionaries or encyclopedias, or ask people to help
you understand these parts that are difficult for
you.

 4.Post-Its.*
Create Post-It notes for the highlighted parts of each article.
The highlighted parts let you review the key points of the article.
Upon rereading, you can see if these are still key points, you can
put these ideas into context and into perspective, and you can
summarize complex issues or ideas into 3-5 words.
One idea per Post-It.
3-5 words. PRACTICE WORD ECONOMY.
Write big
. If you don't have many articles, you can use the same color of
Post-It note for all the highlights from the same article. That way
you can tell by looking at the Post-It note which article the note
came from. If you have a lot of articles and need more colors, add
a symbol or colored mark so that you will know which article the
Post-It note represents.

5. "Cluster".
just a few Post-Its, then add more. Don't try to cluster
all of the Post-its at onceit's overwhelming.

6.Name the clusters.Think of a nickname that

describes the cluster..
The name must fit every Post-It in the cluster.
If the name doesn't fit, you may need to
Try several different names to get one that fits all of the PostIts.
Move some Post-Its to different clusters.
Create a new cluster (related to, or more specific than the
original one).

 .7. Review the information.

Looking at the clusters can give you a quick visual picture of where
you have a lot of information and have probably covered the issue,
and where you have only a little information and need to decide
your next move.
If you have dominant clusters with a lot of information, you might
choose to narrow your original topic to one of the cluster topics. Or,
you can select one or all of these as the main themes of your paper.
If you have very minor clusters with one or two Post-Its, think about
whether you can drop these minor aspects of the subject, or
whether you want to return to your library research to find more
information on these specific topics that have emerged from your
first round of library research. Having about the same number of
Post-Its in each cluster will enable you to write a more balanced
paper on your topic.

8. Find a sequence that works with the kind of story you want to tell.

9.Conclusionof this process.

When you read the articles and highlighted them, you were analyzing and evaluating
information.
When you met in "expert" groups and discussed the articles, you were evaluating and
synthesizing information.
When you clustered the facts and concepts on the Post-It notes and named them, you
were analyzing, synthesizing, and organizing information.

10.Write the story in your own words.The way you have clustered facts and
concepts, the sequence in which you present them, your new comparisons, ideas, and
conclusionsthis is all your own original work. Be proud. But remember: you need to
attribute facts, ideas, and quotations to their original sources. Give credit to the work that
inspired you.

11.Practice.Research and writing are both lifelong skills that improve with practice and
feedback. The more you do, the better skilled you become. You will also be able to work
faster and enjoy the process more each time.

ACTIVITIES

Invent Something New

Invent a simple machine to lift a heavy box. Think of a
sequence of moves to accomplish the task. Gather all of
the information you learn from websites or other
sources to design it. Summarize the important
information, including what the machine can do; think
about what it takes to lift a heavy box by reflecting on
your own experiences lifting something heavy; imagine
machines needed in sequence to design your own
invention. For example a pulley will lift the box, and a
lever will operate the pulley. Continue thinking in
reverse to machines needed to operate each successive
machine. Use what you learned from the research and
what you already know to design your invention

"Reading" Cookies
Show kids a recipe for chocolate chip cookies.
Relate making cookies to synthesizing by
explaining that you must mix all ingredients
together, reflect on it, and then put it together to
create something delightful. When you synthesize,
you take all the information an author includes in
his text and mix it together to create something
new in your head. As you read a story, have
students write important pieces of information
about the story on sticky notes. When you finish,
take all the notes from the class and put them
together to see what the kids came up with.

"Caring" Activity
Brainstorm social issues with the class
while students reflect on why certain
issues are important to them. The class
will read and respond to a story about
making a difference with small acts of
thoughtfulness. Students will write down
two compassionate acts and a specific
plan for carrying out each of them that
will make a difference. Have them record
their learning and reflections in a journal

Read a Passage
Have students read a passage from a text or from
a handout. To synthesize as they read, students
will first collect their thoughts, then identify the
main idea. Next, they put the information into their
own words, and react to it by reflecting on what
they read and questioning things they may not
understand or details about which they are
curious. Finally, they blend what they already know
with what they have just learned, and respond to it
by writing a summary of the outcome.