A Guide to S.I. Synthesis Papers

WHAT IS AN S.I.

SYNTHESIS

PAPER?

TIMED WRITE

GUIDELINES AND INTRODUCTION

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SYNTHESIZE?

synthesize

[

s

i

n

-

t

h

u

h

-

s

a

h

y

z

]

verb (used with

object), 

syn·the·sized,

syn·the·siz·ing.

1.

to form (a material or abstract entity) by combining

parts or elements.

2.

to combine (constituent elements) into a single or

unified entity.

•

A 

3-5 paragraph

essay that argues or explains a point and provides

evidence to support that argument.

•

The essay can be 

timed

OR 

untimed

.

•

You 

must annotate

 1 or more 

articles before your begin writing.

•

You will 

use the information from the articles in your paper

to

support your argument or opinion.

•

The essay will be in 

MLA format

. It may be hand written or typed.

These may vary depending if the essay is timed or un-timed.

1.

Dissect/Annotate Prompt

2.

Annotate Article(s)

3.

Find Quotes to use in your paper

4.

Write your thesis statement

5.

Complete a Prewrite Worksheet

6.

Write Rough Draft

7.

Edit

8.

Final Copy

COVER PAGE &

PRE-WRITE

SHEET

COVER PAGE

•

Background:

–

Information about the subject

–

Can contain directions

•

Prompt:

–

The question you will be responding to

•

Sources

–

Check to find the most reliable

•

New date?

•

Legit publication?

–

Which one is the visual

ADVERTISING ARGUMENT

SYNTHESIS

ADVERTISING: ARGUMENT

, SYNTHESIS

ESSAY

How do you know it is an argument essay?

BACKGROUND

: The use of advertising plays a huge role in society and is readily

apparent to anyone who watches television, listens to radio, reads newspapers,

uses the Internet or social media, or simply looks at billboards on streets and

buses. Advertising has fierce critics as well as staunch advocates. Critics claim

that advertisement is propaganda, while advocates counter that advertising

fosters free trade and promotes prosperity.

PROMPT

: 

Synthesize

 information from at least two of the following

sources and incorporate it into an essay in which you 

argue for or

against

 the use of advertising.

PRE-WRITE SHEET

•

Argument?

–

You are taking a stand for or against

something

•

Explanatory?

–

Explain the topic by analyzing the sources

•

What is the subject?

–

Hint: Whatever you’re writing about

•

Who is the audience?

–

A paper written for a school newspaper will

be formatted differently than something small

business owners will read.

•

Outline your ideas

–

No need to write in full sentences)

–

Use parenthetical citations

–

Your conclusion must relate back to your

hook!

ADVERTISING PROMPT

•

Argument

Taking one side of the issue and defending it

–

What are the two sides? What do the sources support?

–

Don’t forget your counterclaim

•

What is the subject?

–

Hint: Whatever you’re writing about

–

Advertising

•

Who is the audience?

–

A paper written for a school newspaper will be formatted differently than something small business

owners will read.

–

Teacher

•

Outline your ideas

–

No need to write in full sentences

–

Use parenthetical citations

–

Your conclusion must relate back to your hook!

–

Fill out the pre-write sheet

ANNOTATING

an·no·tate

/ˈanəˌtāt/

verb

•

1. add notes to (a text or diagram) giving explanation or comment

"documentation should be annotated with explanatory notes" synonyms:

comment on, add notes/footnotes to

–

AKA: Mark up the page with MEANINGFUL comments

•

The following are NOT annotations:

–

This is sad

–



–

I think so too!

–

Random highlights/underlining without explanation

FIRST STEPS OF ANNOTATING

1.

WRITE

: Number the paragraphs or

“chunks” of text

2.

THINK: 

Take a look at the

title/author/publisher/date of

publication

–

Do you recognize the author’s name?

–

Was this article published a long time

ago?

3.

THINK: 

Make predictions

–

Based on the title, what could this be

about?

4.

THINK: 

Question Reliability of Source

–

If it is from Wikipedia or Ask.com etc. it is

NOT reliable! Run away from this source!

5.

WRITE: 

Begin to annotate using the

abbreviation codes on your bookmark

Forbs is a well known/reliable magazine

This source is only 2 years old-it should

still have fairly recent information.

Prediction-the author will probably

say that 3D printing is okay.

SUGGESTED CODING

•

V=Vocabulary word

–

You need to look it up OR it is a great Tier 3 word

•

?=Question

–

This question could be answered in another source

•

*=Information that supports the thesis statement/author

–

This info will back up their opinion

•

Underline

=Details that are against the author’s position

–

A counterargument they include

•

TT=Text to Text

–

Another article, book etc connects to it

•

TW=Text to World

–

Connects to a current event

•

TS=Text to Self (use sparingly!)

–

Connects to your own life

•

Highlight important info that you might use as evidence in

your actual essay

LOOK AT YOUR ANNOTATED SOURCES

•

Did you 

just

 highlight or underline?

•

Do you have regular and thoughtful marginal

notations?

•

Did you annotate according to the prompt?

•

Take a before shot of the first page of your sources

•

We will compare “before’s and after’s”!!!

GROUP PRACTICE FOR ANNOTATING:

•

Look at the article “The Social and Cultural Effects of Advertising?”

•

Number every paragraph

1.

THINK

: Take a look at the title/author/publisher/date of publication

–

Do you recognize the author’s name?

–

Was this article published a long time ago?

2.

THINK

: Make predictions

–

Based on the title, what could this be about?

3.

THINK

: Question Reliability of Source

•

Be prepared to share your annotations by paragraph. We will combine info as a

class and add to our annotations.

**Write in a different color than you originally did!**

TAKE AN “AFTER” SHOT!

Did you improve on your annotations?

HOW DO I ANNOTATE SOMETHING

THAT I CAN’T WRITE ON?!

•

Fill out the

“Analyzing

Visuals”

paper

•

Good for:

–

Videos

–

Photos

–

Paintings

etc.

ORGANIZING

THE OVERALL

ESSAY

ESSAY ORGANIZATION

•

4 paragraphs:

–

Introduction

–

Body

–

Body

–

Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

•

This paragraph introduces the topic and provides a roadmap for

the rest of the paper. Introduction is 2-4 sentences in length.

•

What do you need to include?

–

Attention Grabber- 

The first sentence to “hook” your audience

–

Thesis Statement 

– 1 sentence that explains…

•

Your topic

•

2 sub-topics

HOOK/ATTENTION GRABBER IDEAS

•

Tables 1 and 5: Shocking statements 

– a startling statement can attract people easily to

join the conversation.

•

Tables 2 and 6: Scene hook 

– the scene hook instantly instructs the mind of the reader to

picture the scene.

•

Tables 3 and 7: Literary quote hooks 

–Certain quotes from popular works such as 

Romeo

and Juliet 

could become really nice hooks especially when the theme of the essay is a

utopian one.

•

Tables 4 and 8: Humorous hook 

–You can use some humor in your essay by simply

providing a statement that is ridiculously funny or absurd. Adding humor into your work

makes the article more exciting and develops the reader’s interest into the topic.

AVOID THESE ATTENTION GRABBERS

•

Have you ever wondered…?

•

 The definition of ____ is…

•

In this essay I will tell you about…

•

SHOW ME, DON’T TELL ME!!!

WRITE YOUR ASSIGNED HOOK FOR

THE FOLLOWING PROMPT:

Do violent video games make people more

violent in real life?

Be prepared to share!

THESIS STATEMENT

•

A THESIS STATEMENT…  

It is one complete sentence that answers the prompt

and contains two main ideas to support the response.  It proves that your opinion is

right!

•

How to Generate a Thesis Statement:

–

Almost all assignments, no matter how complicated, can be reduced to a single

question.

•

For example, if your assignment is, “Write a report to the local school board

explaining the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class.”

•

Filter it to: 

“What are the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-

grade class?”

ANSWER THE QUESTION

Turn your answer to the question into a complete sentence…then you have your thesis!

•

Q: “What are the potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class?”

•

A: “The potential benefits of using computers in a fourth-grade class are . . .”

OR

•

   A: “Using computers in a fourth-grade class promises to improve . . .” (better option)

•

The answer to the question is the thesis statement for the

essay.

FORMULA FOR THESIS STATEMENTS

T +O+R

Topic + Opinion+ Sub topics

(reasons/prongs) (2)

•

Take a look at your underlined thesis statement in

your essay

•

Do you have two sub topics?

•

In other words, do you inform your reader as to what

your body paragraphs will cover?

•

If not, it is too vague, general, and confusing

THESIS STATEMENT TEMPLATE

“Advertising 

(topic) 

is/is not 

(opinion/stance)

beneficial because ________________

(reason for body paragraph 1) 

and

________________”. 

(reason for body

paragraph 2).

GROUP PRACTICE THESIS

STATEMENTS

•

With your group, write a good 2-prong thesis statement for this essay

using the T+O+R method

•

Brainstorm the benefits and negatives of advertising.

•

Label each portion: Topic/Reasons (why it’s good or bad)

•

After you finish, ask yourselves the following questions:

1. Did we follow the T+O+R format?

2. Is it clear what we will cover in each body paragraph?

3. Come up to the board and write down your thesis statement

Once all tables have gone, assign one person to take a picture of all

thesis statements for later.

THESIS STATEMENT THROWDOWN!

Round 1

Tables 1/5: Do shows like 16 and Pregnant promote or

discourage teenage pregnancy?

Tables 2/6: Is online learning as good as face-to-face classroom

instruction?

Tables 3/7: When one attends Prom at school, much time, effort,

and money is spent making it happen; is Prom worth it?

Tables 4/8: Why does society like to watch rich people on TV and

in the movies?

THESIS STATEMENT THROWDOWN!

Round 2

Tables 1/5: Is formal dating a thing of the past?

Tables 2/6: Should women be allowed to fight on the

front lines with men?

Tables 3/7: Should the United States stop using the

death penalty?

Tables 4/8: Should students be banned from taking cell

phones to school?

BODY PARAGRAPHS

Topic Sentence

: 

Statement that clarifies your focus

for the paragraph

SEE Set

: 

Statement/example/explanation

of your first piece of evidence

SEE Set

: 

Transition--

Statement/example/explanation of your

second piece of evidence

Closing Sentence

:

Commentary that ties these SEE

sets back to your topic sentence

BODY PARAGRAPHS

•

2 body paragraphs

•

Use SEE sets

•

**

IMPORTANT: Use transitions between SEE sets!

Writing SEE Sets: Writing Made Visible

SEE set is for argument or explanatory essays.

•

S

—Statement about your topic that you are going to prove and explain.

•

E

—Evidence that proves your topic (facts/quotes from the sources)*

•

E

—Explanation or Elaboration of that evidence that connects it back to

your original statement.

_____________________________________________________________

*Source Evidence-This is evidence taken from a text.  It must be

punctuated AND cited appropriately.

Example:

S: Many people who need organ transplants die

before a suitable organ can be obtained.

E:Russon shares that a U.S. company “designs and

creates living human tissue…that can grow into

human organs.”

E: Technology advancements such as this can only

serve to radically increase the critical dearth of

transplantable organs.

Statement

Evidence

Explanation/Elaboration

Basic Paragraph Structure

Impressive Writing Is

Clear Thinking Made Visible

•

A well-developed paragraph is two or more SEE sets expanded; however, you

need to use a TOPIC SENTENCE at the beginning and a CONCLUDING

SENTENCE at the end.

•

Topic Sentence

-Statement that clarifies your focus for the paragraph

•

SEE Set

-Statement/example/explanation of your 1st piece of evidence

•

SEE Set

-Statement/example/explanation of your 2nd piece of evidence

•

Concluding Sentence

-Commentary that ties these SEE sets back to your topic

sentence.

•

Total of 8-11 sentences

BREAKDOWN OF PARAGRAPH

SENTENCES

1.

Topic Sentence

2.

Statement

3.

Evidence

4.

Explanation

5.

Statement (serves as a transition too!)

6.

Evidence

7.

Explanation

8.

Conclusion Sentence

CHECK YOURSELF…

•

Check your body paragraphs in your essay

•

Do they have two “SEE sets”/quotes?

•

What are you missing?

•

Why do you think using the SEE set format will help

the development of your paragraphs?

•

Remember this when you re-write your synthesis

essay

WHO HAS BETTER POWERS? SPIDERMAN

OR SUPERMAN?

•

Together as a group, make a SEE set poster in response to the question.

1.

Statement

—Take a side

2.

Evidence

—”For example…” “For instance...” (

identify 

one

super power that makes them better)

3.

Explanation/elaboration

—specifically how does the ability

of this 

one

 super power make the super hero better?

•

Write large enough letters to be read on the doc-cam

•

When your group is finished, you will be presenting them to the class

THE COUNTERARGUMENT

What is a counterargument?

Why is a counterargument needed in

argument writing?

COUNTER ARGUMENT

•

Shorter essay: Single SEE set within your second body paragraph

•

Longer essay: 5 paragraph or larger gets it’s own paragraph



There is a reason your argument could be wrong…what is it?

•

Example: If you think 4

th

 grade classrooms should get

computers…why would someone think they shouldn’t?

–

Too expensive

–

Should focus on handwriting

–

They can do everything out of a book

COUNTERARGUMENT SEE SET

•

On the other hand, the use of 3D printing poses some

daunting challenges.  

One such concern is the Illegal

production of guns.

In 

NPR

, ATF assistant director Marianos

observes that “when these 3-D firearms are manufactured,

some of the weapons can defeat normal” (Johnson). 

3D

printing makes it significantly easier for criminals to obtain

weapons that can be used to commit crimes.

SEE Set Paragraph

Topic Sentence

Statement

Evidence

Explanation

Statement

Evidence

Explanation

Concluding Sentence

THE CONCLUSION

•

This paragraph does not merely repeat what has already

been said. Instead it offers new insight and leaves the reader

with something to think about. This paragraph is 2-3

sentences in length.

•

What do I need to include?

–

Restate your thesis using different words

–

Tie it back to your hook

–

Think: So what?

TIER 2 VS.

TIER 3 WORDS

NOTICE THIS PAPER:

TIER 2 AND TIER 3 WORDS

•

Highlight in the essay you write

•

Be sure to provide the grader with a key! They

need to know if a yellow highlight means Tier 2

or Tier 3

POWER VERBS

•

Jargon--check the Word Wall!

•

Serve as a way to introduce a quote

•

You can use these in ALL of your writing on demands

•

Examples:

–

Acknowledges

–

Justifies

–

Qualifies

–

Questions

–

Clarifies

BAD TIER 2 WORDS!

•

Says

•

Writes

TIER 3 WORDS

•

Specific to whatever the topic is

•

You will only use these Tier 3 words on this

essay

•

Examples for the GM Foods Essay:

–

GM

What other Tier 3 words can we think of?

HOW TO CITE

CITATIONS

•

You have to give the author credit for his/her ideas

•

Requirements:

–

Put their words in “quotation marks” in order to

show that they are the one who came up with it

–

Include their name…

TYPES OF CITATIONS

•

2 types of citations

–

Parenthetical citations: last name of the author is in

parentheses at the end of the sentence

OR

–

Embedded citations: In the lead in of a sentence

include the author’s

•

You must have a lead in to your quote

•

Use a power verb (NOT “says” or “states”)

•

Don’t QUOTE DUMP!!

•

Don’t START or END a paragraph with direct quotes

•

Don’t use quotes in

•

Introduction

•

Conclusion

•

Keep quotes short

RULES to remember:

RULES CONTINUED:

•

Your quote must make sense in your sentence.

–

Bad

: John Patrick Pullen, writer for 

Entrepreneur 

likes 3-

D printers “3-D printers can't print money, but they can

produce prototypes for almost anything else.”

–

Good

: John Patrick Pullen, writer for 

Entrepreneur

,

knows there’s limitations to 3-D printing, 

but also

recognizes the merits of it when he clarifies that

,

“3-D printers can't print money, but they can produce

prototypes for almost anything else.”

PARENTHETICAL CITATIONS

Citations that give the “quote and credit the

author in parentheses” (Author Last

Name).

  Parenthetical Method 1

Tier 2

Word or

Transitional

Phrase

Author’s

last name

Parenthetical

Citation

Notice that the only period is after the parentheses.

Parenthetical Method 2

Author’s

last name

QUOTE

Parenthetical

Citation

that

Tier 2

Word or

Transitional

Phrase

RULES TO REMEMBER:

•

The first time you reference a source, you need to

introduce the author with their first and last name

–

If you bring up that same author, you will be able to

parenthetically cite.

•

You should refer to the author by his/her last name ONLY!

–

This is, of course, after you introduce them the first

time

EMBEDDED CITATIONS

Citations that introduce the author’s name in

the lead in and then “give the quote so there are

no parentheses required.”

Notice that the period goes 

inside

 the

quotation marks.

  Embedded Method 1

Tier 2

Word or

Transitional

Phrase

Author’s

Full

name

Author of

the article

“Article

title”

Citations that introduce the author’s name in the lead in and then “give the quote so there are

no parentheses required.”

Notice that the period goes inside the quotation marks.

  Embedded Method 2

Tier 2

Word or

Transitional

Phrase

Author’s

Full

name

Author of

the article

“Article

title”

SOME EXAMPLES OF SIGNAL PHRASES

FOR LEAD INS

•

Pullen 

believes that 

“...”

•

In 

Forbes

, author Jack Dawson 

asserts that  

“...”

•

In his chart, Columbus visually 

demonstrates the

“reasons for pursuing 3D printing.” *Quote

finishes the thought.*

WHAT IF I DON’T KNOW PART OF THE

SOURCE?

•

Know the author’s name?

–

Use their name

•

Don’t know the author’s name?

–

Use the “Article Title” in quotation marks

•

Don’t know the “Article Title?”

–

Use the publication in 

Italics

•

Don’t know the publication?

–

Is this even a reliable source?!

RULES FOR CITING

•

Example of Parenthetical Citation – Known Author

According to the website

 The People for the Ethical

Treatment of Animals

, the author of the article argues

,

 “One

reason may be that animals are routinely given growth-

hormones, antibiotics, and even pesticides, which remain in

their flesh and are passed on to meat-eaters” (Smith 2).

RULES FOR CITING

•

Example of Parenthetical Citation – Unknown Author, Use Article Title in Quotes

According to 

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

website, an article dedicated to improving  animal treatment

argues,  “One reason may be that animals are routinely given

growth-hormones, antibiotics, and even pesticides, which remain

in their flesh and are passed on to meat-eaters”

(“Vegetarianism”).

CHECK YOURSELF…

Step 1

: Look at your thesis statement. Circle your first “prong”.

Step 2

: Find two quotes that support your first prong (i.e. health

risks, impacts on the environment).

Step 3

: Write out the quotes word for word on your pre-write

sheet in the 1

st

 body paragraph box.

Step 4

: Make certain you cite them correctly (Author’s last name

or “article title”). 

Use these quotes in your re-write.



Begin drafting your Intro and Body paragraph, using your notes.



Make sure that you are using the SEE set format!

   Let’s practice

1.

Use your Synthesis essay

2.

Examine each quote/evidence in your essay

3.

Reformat each quote/evidence to be sure that each has:

a.

author / source

b.

Power verb

c.

parenthetical citation (if needed)

HOW I GRADE

YOUR PAPER

PRETEND YOU ARE GRADING WITH ME,

AND FIX YOUR OWN ERRORS.

STEP #1: BASIC CONVENTIONS ETC.

•

Needs correct grammar, word choice, sentence fluency

•

On your paper: Fix any convention errors

•

Should have 2 pieces of evidence in each body paragraph.

•

On your own paper: <BRACKET> ALL of your evidence.

–

Every. Single. Fact.

–

No matter how it is cited or formatted.

•

A sentence can NOT just be a quote

–

Bad example: At the age of five or 6 children have trouble distinguishing fantasy

from reality” (O’Sullivan).

•

Use the word wall for power verbs

•

Make sure it flows as a full sentence.

–

NO: Advertisements are bad, “At the age of five or 6 children have trouble

distinguishing fantasy from reality (O’Sullivan).

–

Yes: O’Sullivan argues that advertisements harm our children when he found

that, “At the age of five or 6 children have trouble distinguishing fantasy from

reality.”

•

On your paper: circle where you need a lead in but do not have one

STEP #4: CITATION FORMAT

•

All of your facts should have citations

–

In-text citation

•

Example: A lead in including the author or title of the article, “interesting quote.”

•

According to the chart, “To what extent do you trust the following forms of

advertising?” 92% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know.

OR

–

Parenthetical citation

•

A lead in phrase using a power verb from the word wall, “Quote word for word

from the source” (Author Last name OR “Title”).

•

Example: A study found that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from

people they know (“To what extent do you trust the following forms of

advertising?”).

•

NO:

–

Source A, B etc.

•

Use the citations from the front page of the packet!

•

On your paper: fix your citations

•

4 paragraphs total

•

8 sentences in each paragraph

•

On your paper: Write the number of paragraphs

you have at the top

•

On your paper: Write the number of sentences you

have in each paragraph in the left margin.

STEP #6: BODY PARAGRAPHS SEE

SETS

•

Topic Sentence

•

SEE Set

•

SEE Set

•

Conclusion Sentence

•

On your paper in the left margin: Have more or less than 8

sentences? Write down what type of sentences you are

missing or have too much of.

–

IE: Missing 1 evidence

•

Attention grabber

–

NO!

•

Have you ever wondered…?

•

Did you know…?

•

Advertisements are everywhere

•

Lots of people see advertisements

•

Background

–

Lead up to if your thesis is going to support advertisements or not

•

Thesis

–

Effect

–

Two reasons

•

On your paper: Re-write your attention grabber and thesis (if necessary)

STEP #8: TITLE

•

Creative!

•

NO:

–

“Synthesis Essay”

–

“Advertising”

–

“Advertising: What’s up With That?”

•

On your paper: if you have any of the above

simple titles, re-write it

STEP #9: FIRST PERSON

•

No I, me, us, our, we

•

On your paper: Cross out any first person words

STEP #10: CONTRACTIONS

•

No contractions

–

Can’t, won’t, don’t etc.

–

Don’t = do not

•

On your paper: Change any contractions to

proper format

BONUS STEP: MLA

•

Always:

–

Header

–

Heading

•

On timed (in class) essays:

•

*Not double spaced!*

•

On untimed (take home) essays:

–

Times New Roman

–

12 point font

–

Double Spaced

–

1” margins

•

On your paper: fix/add your header/heading