Synthesis — combining ideas from multiple sources into original analysis

Compare 2 paragraphs on the same topic. Version A lists sources sequentially ('Smith says X. Jones says Y. Wong says Z.'). Version B synthesizes ('Although Smith argues X, Jones and Wong both find Z, suggesting that...'). Which is stronger? Why?

• Listen for: synthesis weaves; list-style enumerates
• Note: list-style is the most common G7 first-draft pattern
• Tee up: today we name the move from list to synthesis

SYNTHESIS means combining ideas from MULTIPLE sources into ORIGINAL analysis. A paragraph that lists sources one after another is NOT synthesis — it's a summary of separate sources. A paragraph that COMBINES their insights into YOUR analytical claim IS synthesis. The connecting moves: BUILDING-ON ('Building on this, Source B also finds...'), QUALIFYING ('However, Source C qualifies that...'), CONTRASTING ('Source A argues X; Source B challenges this view by arguing Y'), CORROBORATING ('Sources A and B independently confirm...'). The TEST: if you remove the sources, does the paragraph still work as a statement of YOUR claim? If yes, you have synthesized. If the paragraph collapses, it was list-style. RI.7.9 names this — analyze how authors emphasize different evidence or advance different interpretations.

• List-style FEELS like research but isn't synthesis.

  model No analytical claim connecting them. Three summaries side by side. The reader is left to find the connection.

  prompt LIST-STYLE (weak): 'Nakate says Africa contributes 4% of emissions but suffers 17% of climate deaths. Coates says historical injustice creates compounding harm. Aronson and Budhos document how sugar built global trade through coercion.' What's missing?
• The claim FRAMES the sources. The sources SUPPORT the claim. That's synthesis.

  model Analytical claim ('Climate impact follows historical patterns of disadvantage') opens. Each source supports the claim. Final sentence synthesizes.

  prompt SYNTHESIS (strong): 'Climate impact follows historical patterns of disadvantage. Nakate documents that Africa, generating only 4 percent of global emissions, bears 17 percent of climate-related deaths (47) — a disparity that mirrors what Coates calls the 'compounding interest' of historical injustice. Aronson and Budhos extend this pattern further back, showing how the sugar trade established a centuries-long pattern of extraction from the Global South (23). Three sources, three eras, one pattern.' What changed?
• Note the BUILD-ON move ('while Sharer describes...') — sources extend each other.

  model [Varies by topic. Sample for Maya astronomy: 'Maya astronomy was not isolated calculation but cultural integration. Aveni documents the calendar's interlocking 260-day, 365-day, and Long Count cycles (23-34), while Sharer describes how astronomical observations dictated agricultural and religious schedules (147-152). The Maya did not separate astronomy from daily life.']

  prompt Build a synthesis with 2 of your own sources. Start with YOUR claim. Then weave 2 sources.

• Pair-share: name 2 connecting moves you'll use for your own synthesis.
• Cold Call: what's the TEST for whether a paragraph is synthesis or list-style?
• Thumbs: I can write a synthesis paragraph (up) / I need re-explanation (down)

• Draft a synthesis paragraph using 2-3 of your sources. Start with YOUR claim. Weave sources with connecting moves.

  scaffold Synthesis connectors card; MG-34 video for reference
• Pair-edit: read partner's synthesis. Mark whether each source supports the claim or just appears next to it. Suggest one stronger connector.

  scaffold Pair-edit rubric: claim leads? Each source connects? Connectors named?

M-7-F-RES-11-B Chart

Synthesis connectors card: 4 connector types with stems. BUILDING-ON ('Building on this...' / 'Similarly...' / 'In the same vein...'). QUALIFYING ('However...' / 'Yet...' / 'Nevertheless...' / 'Although ___, ___ qualifies...'). CONTRASTING ('In contrast...' / 'Source A challenges this view by...'). CORROBORATING ('Both A and B independently confirm...' / 'Three sources converge on...'). Print-ready 8.5x11.

• Hand in your synthesis paragraph. I will check: analytical claim leads? At least 2 sources cited? Connecting move used?

• Restate: synthesis weaves; list-style enumerates. Connector moves named.
• Preview: research-paper drafting workshop

• Draft a second synthesis paragraph from a different sub-claim. Bring tomorrow.