Teaching Resources
Center
Want to learn more or plan a lesson? Check out these links!
- Reading Comprehension Home
- Making Connections
- Fluency
- Determining Importance
- Inferring
- Metacognition
- Questioning
- Synthesizing
- Visualizing and Imagery
- Vocabulary and Word Identification
- Writing Across the Curriculum
Important UNCG Links
Synthesizing
- About Synthesizing
- Professional Books to help you develop lesson plans
- Children’s Books to use in lesson plans
- Some Helpful Web sites
- Some Useful Magazines
Synthesizing:
Synthesizing is when new knowledge is applied to old knowledge and the reader starts to understand a new perspective and new patterns (Harvey and Goudvis, 2000). The difference between inferring and synthesizing is that synthesizing occurs when many inferences are tied together to form synthesis. When students are inferring, they are interpreting the text. When students synthesize they are combining the different conclusions to see patterns (Hoyt, 2005). The ultimate goal for using synthesizeing is for students to take their text interpretations and look at the big picture and draw conclusions that change their current perspective (Harvey and Goudvis, 2000).
Reference: Harvey, S. and Goudvis, A., (2000). Strategies That Work. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
Hoyt, L. (2005). Spotlight on comprehension: Building a literacy of thoughtfulness. Portsmouth, N.H.: Heinemann Books.
Quotes:
Synthesizing is bringing together pieces of information within a text during or after reading for a specific purpose.
1(Annandale, K., as quoted in Hoyt, L., 2005, p. 48)
At its best, synthesizing involves merging new information with existing knowledge to create an original idea, see a new perspective, or form a new line of thinking to achieve insight.
2(Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A., 2000, p. 143)
2Harvey, S. & Goudvis, A. (2000). Strategies that work: Teaching comprehension to enhance understanding. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.
1Hoyt, L. (2005). Spotlight on comprehension: Building a literacy of thoughtfulness. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Books.