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This instructional strategy helps students organize their thinking about source information across various documents. Nearly every advanced-level course that students take asks them to synthesize information from various sources and create an original argument. The process of writing this sort of complex synthesis involves students’ ability to first apply a variety of academic thinking skills to various texts and then to articulate their unique understanding of the content. Depending upon the content or the specific writing prompt, the questions that students answer may vary. Nonetheless, students need to practice quickly evaluating evidence from texts to produce a coherent and powerful argument in a limited period of time.
PREPARATION:
Clarify the academic task and/or the end product for students. What will they be creating after they are informed by their sources?
Before engaging in this instructional practice, students will need to have obtained access to the texts they will use to complete the academic task
STEPS:
READ: Involve students in the reading of each text by modeling appropriate “engage” strategies that will help them successfully interact with the texts as they read them.
TAKE NOTES: After the first read of each source, or during the first read if time is limited, have students use Student Resource: Document Assessment Table to take notes on each source.
FOLLOW TEMPLATE: Once students have taken notes on each source using Student Resource: Document Assessment Table as a guide, instruct them to use the structure from Student Resource: Synthesis Venn Diagram to consider how each source informs the writing prompt or purpose of the final product.
APPLY VENN DIAGRAM: Using the ideas generated from Student Resource: Synthesis Venn Diagram, students can then move on to outlining their response to the writing prompt or another provided academic task.
VARIATIONS:
Have students collaborate as they practice this strategy.
Modify this activity for timed-writing situations.
Have students reflect on how they can use a similar process when time is limited.
EXTENSIONS:
If time allows, ask students to present their Synthesis Venn Diagrams so that they can see various models.
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