Synthesizing

2. Synthesizing

3. Synthesizing is a personal, creative process that involves YOU as a reader taking all the strategies you’ve used, taking all that you know, and all that you think and forming a big picture of what you’ve read. What is Synthesizing? • Synthesizing is both a process and a final product: • Synthesizingis a process because readers merge new information with existing background knowledge toform a new idea, perspective, opinion or insightas they read. • Synthesizingis also a final product because it involves reflecting on all that a reader knows and thinks to form an opinion on what you’ve read.

4. As a skilled reader, I synthesize as I read … • I stop to collect my thoughts and ask “what does it all mean to me”? • I identify the main idea and respond to it • I put the information into my own words and respond to it • I combine what I have just learned with what I already know and then respond to it • I add my own thinking to what is important • I notice my changing thoughts • I add my thinking and background knowledge when summarizing • “I used to think…but now I am thinking….” • “Oh! This changes everything!” • “This is way different than I thought it was going to be…” • “Now I am thinking…”

5. Reading:The Pearl – John Steinbeck

6. …And when they came to the water’s edge they stopped and stared out overthe Gulf. And then Kino laid the rifle down, and he dug among his clothes, and then he held the great pearl in his hand. He looked into its surface and it was gray and ulcerous. Evil faces peered from it into his eyes, and he saw the light of burning. And in the surface of the pearl he saw the frantic eyes of the man in the pool. And in the surface of the pearl he saw Coyotito lying in the little cave with the top of his head shot away. And the pearl was ugly; it was gray like a malignant growth. And Kino heard the music of the pearl, distorted and insane. Kino’s hand shook a little, and he turned slowly to Juana and held the pearl out to her. She stood beside him, still holding her dead bundle over her shoulder. She looked at the pearl in his hand for a moment and then she looked into Kino’s eyes and said softly, “No you.” Creating Sensory Images Making Connections Fix-up Strategies Determining the importance of ideas Inferring and Predicting Asking questions If I just concentrated on one of these strategies, I’d be missing out on a LOT. Hence synthesizing!

7. Synthesizing: like baking a cake • Synthesizing is like baking a cake. You gather all the ingredients that make up a whole cake. The eggs are just eggs, the flour is just flour, and the sugar is only sugar. But when you mix it all together and add your own special touches, these details add up to a wonderful whole cake of your own creation. • The more experience you have baking, the more delicious your creation will be. The more questions you concentrate on how you’re baking, the better the results will be.

8. Journal Entry

9. What Readers Say About Synthesizing … • “As you collect information from your book, you need to notice your changing thoughts.” • “Synthesizing helps you pick out big details and respond to the story.” • “Synthesizing helps you create a brand-new world in your mind.” • It’s your thinking and background knowledge added to the summary. It helps you understand more about the book.” • (Zimmermann and Hutchins, 2003, p. 133).

10. What strategies do I use when I synthesize? Make Inferences Synthesizing Ask Questions Determine Importance Make Mental Images Fix-up Strategies Making Connections