Lesson 6 ELA

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How do we synthesize information and communicate findings?

OVERVIEW

In the first part of lesson 6, students will synthesize information by selecting, organizing, comparing, and connecting information from multiple sources. Students are expected to distinguish between summary and synthesis, summarize the state of knowledge relevant to a particular question, and use concept maps to organize information.

In the second part of this lesson, students will use all the research tools they have learned in the first part to complete and present the final synthesis of findings. Students are expected to identify the parts of a thesis statement, and write a thesis statement to communicate their findings.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Distinguish summary versus synthesis
• Summarize the state of knowledge relevant to a particular question.
• Combine and find links between multiple sources to form a new conclusion.
• Derive meaning from information on the topic.
• Use concept maps to organize information
• Write a thesis statement to communicate your findings

KEY TERMS 

Synthesize, selecting, organizing, connecting, summary, concept map

INQUIRY QUESTION 

Is climate change caused by humans (i.e., anthropocentrically caused)?

BROAD AREAS OF LEARNING

Health and Well-Being

• Knowledge of the impact of his/her choices on health and well-being

Media Literacy

• Understanding of media representations of reality

Citizenship and Community Life

CROSS-CURRICULAR COMPETENCIES

Intellectual Competencies

• Uses information
• Solves problems
• Exercises critical judgment
• Uses creativity
• Uses information & communications technologies
• Communicates appropriately

Methodological Competencies

• Adopts effective work methods

Communication-related Competencies

• Communicates appropriately

ELA COMPETENCIE

• C1: Uses language\talk to communicate and learn
• C2: Reads and listens to written, spoken and media texts
• C3: Produces texts for personal and social purposes

WARM-UP SUMMARY VS. SYNTHESIS (5 MINUTES) 

This section explains in more detail what we mean by “summary” and “synthesis” and highlights the difference between the two. Students complete an online activity sorting out the differences. 

PART 1 SUMMARY VS. SYNTHESIS (13 MINUTES) 

In this part, the teacher explains what is meant by “summary” and “synthesis” and highlights the difference between the two using a Venn diagram. Students will revisit the warm-up activity and look at their answers. They will then look at some examples of summary and synthesis, and contemplate what the stronger features of each are.

PART 2 PRIORITIZING EVIDENCE (16 MINUTES) 

This section looks back at an activity students have done as homework. A second activity is also proposed where the purpose is to give a chance to reflect on the articles. Finally, the teacher will explain how to deal with conflicting claims and what evidence is prioritized when synthesizing. 

PART 3 CONCEPT MAPPING (11.5 MINUTES) 

In this activity, students will get an understanding of what is meant by a concept map. The teacher will also tell them about the importance of such a tool, and assist them in applying the guidelines to their articles using Worksheet 6.1. If time allows, the teacher might also present some different online tools used for concept mapping. 

PART 4 WRITING A THESIS STATEMENT (7.5 MINUTES) 

As a final activity of this lesson, students will use all the research tools they have learned in the first part of the lesson to present the final synthesis of findings. The teacher will present examples of topics and claims, and show students how to construct their own thesis statements using a dynamic example. 

Accommodations to come.

The optional Part 4 of this lesson entails asking students to write their own thesis statements using Worksheet 6.2. This can be done depending on the time remaining in the class, during the term, or whether the teacher wants to have an optional activity for evaluation purposes.