Writing a Synthesis Essay

Base XP: 90

Learning Target(s):


  • Select and apply appropriate strategies in a variety of contexts to comprehend written and visual information to guide inquiry and to extend thinking.

  • Think critically, creatively, and reflectively to analyze ideas within, between, and beyond texts.

This quest connects loosely with the Nature Imagery quest, but you don't necessarily need to have done it first.

Synthesis refers to a written discussion that draws on one or more sources.

It follows that your ability to write syntheses depends on your ability to infer relationships among sources such as poems, essays, articles, fiction, and also non-written sources, such as lectures, interviews, observations. In this case, students will answer the following written-response synthesis question based on three poems. Synthesis writing involves persuading your reader that your interpretation or claim is accurate based on support from the assigned readings.

The purpose of a synthesis essay is to make insightful connections between parts of a work, or multiple works, with the goal of ultimately presenting and supporting a claim about a topic. Use this guide to read about synthesis essay writing.

Follow this mini-lesson on writing a synthesis essay. Use these tips to build your thesis statement.

Writing a thesis statement is the main idea of an essay. It is stated in the opening paragraph and the topic sentences of each proceeding paragraph support the idea it expresses.

A thesis statement should be broad enough to include all the subtopics, information, or arguments in the essay. However, it should be narrow enough to allow you to deal with it thoroughly in the space available.

  • It should be expressed as a statement in sentence format.

  • It should not be simply a self-evident fact “Many animals live in the forest” but more specific “The forest is a self-sustaining environment”.

  • The thesis should not be a statement of personal preference “I like forests”. Do not use the first person point of view (I) or 2nd person point of view (you) in a formal essay.

  • The thesis should state the writer’s opinion on an issue that includes more people than just the writer. “British Columbians should do more to sustain our forests”. But it should NEVER say "In this essay, I will discuss" or "This essay is about" or "in the following essay, I will show" or "In my opinion" or "I believe".

  • Avoid using extreme terms like "never" or "always".

In interpreting poetry and literary prose, students will be expected to comprehend at the literal, inferential and critical levels. As well, they should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the terms and devices relevant to the discussion of the work and be able to support a position or interpretation by citing specific details, features and information from the poem.

Students should be able to support a position or interpretation by citing specific details, features and information from the texts. They should be able to generate and shape their ideas using varied sentences and an appropriate level of diction. They should also demonstrate an understanding of the conventions of standard written English by monitoring their spelling, grammar, punctuation and syntax.

Task:

Construct a well-written multi-paragraph expository composition responding to the prompt which follows. Your essay should have an introduction with a clear thesis, well-developed body paragraphs and a clear conclusion. Your essay should be three to five paragraphs long about 500 words. Each paragraph should be five to eight sentences. Be sure to provide specific examples from the poems to support your thesis. You must discuss the 3 poems in your essay.

PROMPT: Discuss the ways in which poets use descriptive language to to show how nature parallels life.


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