1. Synthesizing Sources: Main Ideas and Supporting Evidence
Informational Text
Synthesizing Sources: Main Ideas and Supporting Evidence
Feature Menu
Informational Text
Connecting to the Literature
Introducing the Informational Text
Vocabulary
Informational Reading Focus: Synthesizing
Synthesizing
Steps for Synthesizing
Assignment

2. Connecting to the Literature
At the end of “Contents of the Dead Man’s Pocket,” Tom has decided to spend more time with his wife instead of overworking. In the articles “Double Daddy,” “Diary of a Mad Blender,” and “The Child’s View of Working Parents,” different people comment on the difficulties of balancing time at work with time at home in today’s busy world.
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3. Introducing the Informational Text
“Double Daddy”
“Diary of a Mad Blender”
“The Child’s View of Working Parents”

4. Introducing the Informational Text
“Double Daddy”
What happens when fathers realize that their work causes them to miss out on their families?
To find out how one dad tried mixing work and family, read “Double Daddy.”

5. Introducing the Informational Text
“Diary of a Mad Blender”
Can trying to be efficient actually make you more disorganized and your family more upset?
To learn about one mother’s attempts to juggle work and family, read “Diary of a Mad Blender.”

6. Introducing the Informational Text
“The Child’s View of Working Parents”
What do kids really think when their parents leave for work?
To find out what one researcher learned about children’s attitudes toward parents who work, read “The Child’s View of Working Parents.”
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7. Vocabulary Vocabulary Development
phenomenon n.: observable event, fact, or circumstance.
chronic adj.: constant; habitual.
trekked v.: journeyed.
splicing v.: used as n.: joining by inserting and binding together.
integrate v.: combine, unify.

8. Vocabulary Vocabulary Development colleague n.: fellow worker.
conviction n.: strong belief.
maximizes v.: increases as much as possible.
autonomy n.: independence.
poignant adj.: emotionally moving; touching.

9. Vocabulary Vocabulary Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct Word Bank words.
chronic colleague poignant trekked maximizes
1. Perhaps if Paul bought a watch, he wouldn’t suffer from __________ lateness.
2. During our visit to the Grand Canyon, we __________ from the North Rim to the South Rim.
3. Sharing the workload __________ productivity, so Jody and her __________ worked on the project together.
4. The __________ story made me cry.
chronic
trekked
maximizes
colleague
poignant
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10. Synthesizing
Synthesizing is a lot like cooking: You take different materials and put them together to make something new. =

11. Synthesis your understanding of the whole subject
Synthesizing
Synthesizing means putting together all the ideas from different sources to gain a better understanding of the whole subject.
Magazine article
Internet research
Synthesis your understanding of the whole subject + =
Newspaper article
Television news story
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12. Steps for Synthesizing
1. Determine the message.
Identify each writer’s main idea.
Take notes on important passages.
Paraphrase difficult passages.

13. Steps for Synthesizing
Quick Check
We asked parents, “How often have you been in a good mood at work because of your children?” Seventy-one percent said that they’d been in a good mood either often or very often at work because of their children. If you look at the people who say they’ve been in a good mood at home because of their work, it’s 37 percent. In fact, kids really energize us for work.
from “The Child’s View of Working Parents” by Cora Daniels (from Fortune, November 8, 1999)
What is the main idea in this paragraph?

14. Steps for Synthesizing
Quick Check
We asked parents, “How often have you been in a good mood at work because of your children?” Seventy-one percent said that they’d been in a good mood either often or very often at work because of their children. If you look at the people who say they’ve been in a good mood at home because of their work, it’s 37 percent. In fact, kids really energize us for work.
from “The Child’s View of Working Parents” by Cora Daniels (from Fortune, November 8, 1999)
What is the main idea in this paragraph?
Children energize their parents at work.

15. Steps for Synthesizing
2. Look for supporting evidence.
facts
statistics
examples
quotations
anecdotes, or brief stories

16. Steps for Synthesizing
Quick Check
We asked parents, “How often have you been in a good mood at work because of your children?” Seventy-one percent said that they’d been in a good mood either often or very often at work because of their children. If you look at the people who say they’ve been in a good mood at home because of their work, it’s 37 percent. In fact, kids really energize us for work.
from “The Child’s View of Working Parents” by Cora Daniels (from Fortune, November 8, 1999)
What supporting evidence does the author provide?

17. Steps for Synthesizing
Quick Check
We asked parents, “How often have you been in a good mood at work because of your children?” Seventy-one percent said that they’d been in a good mood either often or very often at work because of their children. If you look at the people who say they’ve been in a good mood at home because of their work, it’s 37 percent. In fact, kids really energize us for work.
from “The Child’s View of Working Parents” by Cora Daniels (from Fortune, November 8, 1999)
What supporting evidence does the author provide?
The author provides statistics— percentages of parents’ responses.

18. Steps for Synthesizing
3. Compare and contrast.
Note the similarities and differences among sources using a chart like this one.
“Double Daddy”
“Diary of a Mad Blender”
“The Child’s View . . .”
Similarities
Differences

19. Steps for Synthesizing
4. Make connections.
Connect what you read in the different sources with other works you’ve read.
All three passages suggest that parents are struggling to balance work and family.

20. Steps for Synthesizing
5. Put it all together.
Synthesize all that you’ve learned about your topic by writing one of the following:
a research report
an editorial
a speech
a letter
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21. Assignment
As you read “Double Daddy,” “Diary of a Mad Blender,” and “The Child’s View of Working Parents,” take notes about each article. Then, synthesize what you’ve learned in a written report.
Steps for Synthesizing
Determine the message.
Look for supporting evidence.
Compare and contrast.
Make connections.
Put it all together.
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22. The End

23. Steps for Synthesizing
When you paraphrase, you restate a sentence using your own words.
Original sentence: “The image of working parents as jugglers long ago entered the gallery of cultural clichés.”
from “The Child’s View of Working Parents” by Cora Daniels (from Fortune, November 8, 1999)
Paraphrased sentence: The idea that parents have to juggle responsibilities has been part of our culture for years.