1. Synthesis Essay: An overview
English 10,11,12
Synthesis Essay: An overview

2. What is it?
A synthesis essay is a formal essay that discusses two pieces of text/film/interviews/or other media.
Has a clear thesis statement at the beginning.
A thesis statement is a sentence that states the authors, titles, and your argument or topic for your essay. ANSWER THE QUESTION you’ve been posed.
You may be asked compare and contrast (find similarities and differences)/discuss/or explore a poem, short story, novel, documentary, essay, or interview.
You may be asked to explore character, theme, metaphor, or issues explored in both texts.

3. Rules This is written in formal style:
NO PERSONAL VOICE (I, I think, I believe)
NO CONTRACTIONS (don’t, can’t, won’t, it’s)
Use appropriate vocabulary that reflects your ability to use the English language effectively
Use quotations from the text to support your arguments—a minimum of two per body paragraph, a total of four quotations INCORPORATED CORRECTLY
4 paragraphs with transitions between each one

4. Outline for the synthesis essay
Title: Creative title that makes reference to the two texts about to be discussed and your thesis.
Paragraph One: Introduction.
Three to five sentences
Includes clear thesis statement: TITLES, AUTHORS, AND TOPIC
Outlines the main points and order of your essay
Paragraph Two: Body One
Elaborates on point one as outlined in your introduction. Discuss both texts in this paragraph
Two quotations included.
Paragraph Three: Body Two
Elaborates on point two as outlined in your introduction. Discuss both texts in this paragraph
Paragraph Four: Conclusion
Includes reference to the texts discussed, summarizes main points and perhaps points to a larger theme/world connection