1. Summarize
then
Synthesize

2. Connect to the Text Summariz e
Summarizing aids text comprehension and the reader’s ability to “Connect to the text.”
Connect to the Text

3. Who? What? When? Where? How? Why?
Be a News Reporter
Who? What? When? Where? How? Why?
After students have read one of the suggested texts mentioned on the previous slide, some type of modeling and follow-up activity is needed. Teachers need to model key elements related to summarizing by use of the overhead or chart paper. The following are critical components to students’ understanding of the overall process of summarizing text: 1) pulling out main ideas, 2) focusing on key details, 3) using key words and phrases, 4) breaking down the larger ideas, 5) writing only enough to convey the gist, and 6) taking succinct but complete notes.
Answering the basic questions – Who? What? When? Where? How? Why? is a strategy to assist students in developing the concepts above.
Of particular importance in summary is, “Who did what?” Pointing out that students should pay attention to introductions and last paragraphs of a text, first and last sentences of paragraphs, and bold-faced words may help in summarizing.

4. The most important ideas in this text are… This book was about…
First… Next… Then… Finally…
This story takes place…
The main characters are…
The problem occurs when…
When using the strategy of reciprocal teaching, the teacher and students take turns modeling summarization. With this technique, students are provided with many opportunities to observe others summarizing and also to participate in creating their own summaries. Students are encouraged to use the prompts listed in this slide to guide their summaries.

5. Steps to identify the topic ~
Look at the title. Look at the first and last paragraph. Ask yourself: “What is discussed through the whole section?” Look at captions, pictures, words in bold, and headings for clues to the topic. What do they all have in common?
In order to teach students how to identify the topic, Jeffrey Wilhelm, in his book Improving Comprehension with Think-Alouds Strategies, recommends the steps listed on the slide.
In addition, remind students that the topic must include all the major details and events from the selection and what they have in common.

6. Identify All Details/Major Events
Authors often plant important ideas in:
 Details that reflect the title
 Details at the beginning of text
 Details at the end
 Surprises or revelations
 Repetitions
 Lots of attention given to a detail
 Subheads and italicized text
 Changes in character, tone, mood, setting, plot
 A question near the beginning or end
Allow time for participants to read slide.

7. Students Evaluate Summaries
1. If you have not read the text yourself, would you be able to understand what it was about from the summary? Why or why not? 2. Is there anything important that should be added? What is it? 3. Is there anything unimportant that should be left out of the summary? What is it?
It is critical for students to be able to evaluate the effectiveness of their summaries. These sets of questions are taken from Teach Them ALL to Read by Elaine McEwan.

8. First text Fourth text chunk chunk Third text Second text chunk chunk
Key word (s)
Summarizing
First text
chunk
Key word (s)
Summarizing
Fourth text
chunk
Title
of Text
to be
Summarized
Key word (s)
Summarizing
Third text
chunk
Key word (s)
Summarizing
Second text
chunk
This graphic is also taken from Teach Them ALL to Read: Catching the Kids Who Fall Through the Cracks. It forces students to limit themselves to only a few words, asking them to weigh the significance of various facts.

9. Reading Skills Important
Somebody/Wanted/But/So Then
Reading Skills Important
to Summarization
Conflict/Resolution
Character Differences, Goals,
and Motivations
Main Ideas and Details
Making Generalizations
Another instant organizer is the technique called Somebody Wanted But So – or - Somebody Wanted But So Then. This technique allows the reader to recognize the relationship between the main character and the problem in the story. It also aids in understanding the conflict and resolution – important to summarization.

10. Excerpt from The Necklace
Mrs. Loisel wanted to be rich and wanted to go to the dance. BUT she didn’t have the right clothes and jewelry. SO she shamed her husband into buying her a dress and she borrowed a necklace. THEN Mrs. Loisel wanted to give back the necklace after she wore it. BUT she had lost it. SO she and her husband had to find a new one and THEN borrow money to buy it so she could return the replacement to her friend.
Beers in her book, When Kids Can’t Read, offers this example, taken from “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant. Take a moment and read the passage. Allow time for participants to read slide.
Notice how this technique calls the students’ attention to critical details that lead them through the process of summarization.
There is a handout that gives further information about this technique. Give participants the appropriate handout. There is one for elementary and another for secondary.

11. 3 Things You Found Out 2 Interesting Facts 1 Question You Still Have
3 – 2 – 1 Strategy
3 Things You Found Out 2 Interesting Facts 1 Question You Still Have
One website with exceptional ideas is <
The technique could be modified to reflect your subject content. For example, in a social studies classroom, the teacher could instruct students to find 3 differences between feudalism and nation-states, 2 similarities, and 1 question they still have.

12. What does the curriculum say? - Year 5
Present a point of view about particular literary texts using appropriate metalanguage, and reflecting on the viewpoints of others.
Clarify understanding of content as it unfolds in formal and informal situations, connecting ideas to students’ own experiences and present and justify a point of view.
Use comprehension strategies to analyse information, integrating and linking ideas from a variety of print and digital sources.
Navigate and read texts for specific purposes applying appropriate text processing strategies, for example predicting and confirming, monitoring meaning, skimming and scanning.

13. What does the curriculum say? – year 6
Understand how authors often innovate on text structures and play with language features to achieve particular aesthetic, humorous and persuasive purposes and effects.
Analyse how text structures and language features work together to meet the purpose of a text.
Use comprehension strategies to interpret and analyse information and ideas, comparing content from a variety of textual sources including media and digital texts.
Analyse strategies authors use to influence readers.

14. Connect to the Text Synthesize
Synthesizing information aids text comprehension and the reader’s ability to “Connect to the text.”
Connect to the Text

15. Synthesizing in Action
“When readers synthesize, they use a variety of strategies to build and enhance understanding. They summarize the information, listen to their inner voice, and merge their thinking so that the information makes sense and is meaningful to them.
They connect the new to the known, they ask questions, they pick out the most important information – all of these strategies intersect to allow us to synthesize information and actively use it.”
Harvey & Goudvis, 2007, p. 180

16. SYNTHESIZE – Beyond Summary
together
The putting
of parts or
so as to
form a whole
Keene states, “I combine new ideas with what I already know to get something new and different.”
elements

17. 1. How did you figure out to which group you belonged to?
Text match
Use the card that you have been given to find the other members of your table group.
Once you have formed your table group, discuss the following questions:
1. How did you figure out to which group you belonged to?
2. What reading comprehension strategies were you using in this activity?

18. The Process of Synthesizing
Use the shapes given to create a graphic representation or mind map illustrating the thinking you did to put together your table group.
Take a walkabout to see how other groups represented their thinking
Picture of Teacher Resource 3
Before: Extending the Conversation – What Is Synthesizing?
Materials Preparation: one half sheet of chart paper, one set of shapes from Teacher Resource 3 for each table group, markers
Ask participants to use the shapes provided on Teacher Resource 3 to create a visual representation of the thinking they were doing when they were engaged in the process of synthesizing to form their table groups. The shapes are labelled “My Thoughts and Experiences”, “Important Details from the Text” and “Big Ideas, New Thinking”.
Review how the participants needed to draw on their background knowledge about cooking and the details from the photographs and captions found on the cards to help them know which ingredients could be put together to create the food items or the big ideas. Encourage the groups to use arrows, lines, or other symbols to indicate the nature of their thinking during the first activity.
Once the groups have finished “mapping” their thinking, encourage them to take a “walkabout” to see how the other groups have represented their thinking.
For more information about walkabout, please see p. 155 in A Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction, Volume One.
For more information about mapping, please see p. 136 of A Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction, Volume One and “Making Thinking Visible” by Ron Ritchhart and David Perkins on pp. 57–63 in Educational Leadership (February 2008, Volume 65 No.5).
High-Yield Strategy: Mapping

19. Kids say… “Synthesizing is like inferring, only super-sized!”
“When you synthesize you say
in your head, I used to think this, but
now I’m
thinking this.”
“When I
synthesize, my
mind is changing, my ideas are changing, my
thinking is
changing.”
Let’s hear student descriptions about synthesizing from noted authority Debbe Miller. (Allow participants to read the slide.)
Wording such as:
“Now I understand that...”
“I have learned that…”
“This gives me an idea…”
means synthesizing is taking place.

20. Independently read (a thought- provoking article).
Two-Word Strategy
Independently read (a thought- provoking article).
In silence write only two different words that reflect your thinking about a passage.
After selections, tell others the words, why you chose them, and how they relate to your life.
Linda Hoyt suggests this technique in her book, Revisit, Reflect, Retell.

21. Save the Last Word for Me
Select a quote from the article you’ve read. Write your thought/ idea/question about the quote.
2. In a small group, give your quote and allow all others to respond.
3. At the end, share your comments.
Short, Harste & Burke describe this technique in their book – Creating Classrooms for Authors and Inquirers. It has been around for awhile but continues to be an effective synthesis. This experience requires the reader to select an important idea and then respond with some ownership of the statement.

22. Ask student various questions about his/her author’s book.
Author Hot Seat
Ask student to sit in a chair in front of the room and assume the character of the author from their book.
Ask student various questions about his/her author’s book.
Move to a higher level and ask his/her opinion on different subjects clearly important to that book and why they were included.
Drama is a wonderful avenue for synthesis. Out of the facts and reading, a character is created. You as a teacher can encourage the “actor” to talk in the dialect of the character, using the imagined mannerisms and appropriate responses.

23. Power Notes Giving Notes a Power Rating
Power Notes were shared as an effective strategy earlier in the year. We are emphasizing this strategy again because it has so much potential as we work with our students to synthesize information.
You may choose to share the handout on Power Notes at this time. It gives more information on the technique.

24. corresponding details and examples
Power Notes
Power 1 ~
main point or category
Power 2’s, 3’s, and 4’s ~
corresponding details and examples
Read Slide.

25. An example of Power Notes
1. Penalties in Football 2. On Offense Holding Clipping 2. On Defense Off Sides Pass Interference Grabbing Face Mask 2. On Special Teams
Start by modeling Power Notes with categories familiar to the students. Point out how the powers relate to each other: power 2’s offer examples or elaboration of power 1’s, power 3’s provide examples or elaboration of power 2’s, and so on.
As you model Power Notes, show how indenting helps you recognize how the powers relate to each other, as demonstrated in the example on the slide.

26. Power 1 Power 2 Power 2 Power Notes Power 3 Power 3 Power 3 Power 3
Allow time for participants to view the visual or graphic representation.
Power 3
Power 3
Power 3
Power 3

29. Refer to original PPT for further activities. Slides 28 - 40