Scaffolding the Writing of Synthesis through Students

1
Scaffolding the Writing of Synthesis through
Students Home Literacies
Brooke Nicolls Grant High School Sacramento

• Betsy Gilliland
• School of Education
• UC Davis

Area 3 Writing Project
2
Context

• The course pre-freshman composition at San José
  State University
• The students
• Recent immigrants and international students
• Generation 1.5 (all education in CA schools)
• Monolingual English speakers
• The challenges
• Academic reading and writing
• Summaries and argumentation

3
The assignment

• Service Learning Project
• Introduction to the problem
• Professional views synthesis
• Response to the literature analysis
• Personal reflections experience
• Solution to the problem argumentation

4
My Question

• How can I scaffold students writing process so
  they are able to synthesize readings from
  multiple sources in support of a thesis question?

5
Synthesis The Literature Review

• Essential skill for college writing
• Rarely taught, but always expected
• Represents higher level critical thinking
• Advanced feature of language
• Needs to be broken down for students
• Teacher modeling of process essential

6
Reading to Write

• Start with a Thesis Question
• Read for answers to the question(s), highlighting
  key information and making notes of relevant
  details
• Fill in the graphic organizer (handout p. 4) for
  each article

7
Synthesis Reading Organizer
Is Sex All that Matters? Keeping Teens Ignorant US Could Use a Lecture For Teens, the Issue is Trust My Views
Statistics about teens having sex
Statistics about teen pregnancy
Teen attitudes to sex
Facts about sex education
Authors view on sex ed.
Authors view on
Other
8
From Notes to Paragraphs

• Each line (or group of lines) of the organizer
  becomes a paragraph
• Begin with a topic sentence stating the main idea
  of that paragraph
• Use reporting verbs to show which author(s) wrote
  which statements
• Compare and contrast different ideas
• Use a variety of sentences to convey information
• Cite your sources!

• Useful reporting verbs
• Agree (disagree)
• Argue
• Believe
• Claim
• Describe
• Explain
• Feel
• Imply
• Propose
• Question
• Recommend
• Warn

9
Introducing Synthesisto Students

• Use well-constructed organizers
• Select appropriate organizer for texts to be read
  and written
• Provide models of organizers used in context
• Talk students through creation and use
• Allow collaborative practice

the value is not in showing my students the
Grecian urn a final polished model the value
is in showing them the process, step-by-step,
that is used to construct the urn. --Kelly
Gallagher, Teaching Adolescent Writers (p. 52)
10
Classroom Modifications Fathers

• Song synthesis Father of Mine and Dance with
  my Father
• Categories to listen for
• Highlight key evidence in lyrics
• Pair share fill in grid as you talk
• Share with group

11
Fathers Student Work 1
12
Fathers Student Paragraph 1

• In both songs the artists have lost their fathers
  in different ways. According to the song Dance
  with my Father his dad passed away and is
  showing grief. As he says in the song, he wishes
  to get one more chance of being with his father.
  Unlike Father of Mine the artists believes his
  father just left without any closure. Similar to
  the previous song, he wishes to see his father
  again, but only to ask the questions left
  unanswered. Even though both artists miss their
  fathers in different ways, they felt secure when
  they were with them.

13
Fathers Student Work 2
14
Fathers Student paragraph 2

• Emotions can affect many people, some ways good
  and in some ways bad. Similar to the song Dance
  with my Father, Father of Mine misses their
  father deeply. On the contrary in Father of
  Mine the writer sounds as if he is mad at his
  father for leaving him, where as in Dance with
  my Father the writer sounds sad and prays for
  his father to come back. According to Father of
  Mine the Father use to beat up his wife, but in
  Dance with my Father the father loved his wife
  and she loved him.

15
Success Survey and Synthesis

• Gets kids out on campus, talking with adults
• Doesnt require much reading of complex text

16
Success Model Transitions

• A)There are many different definitions of what it
  means to be successful. Sean says that it is
  being able to be an example or role model.
  Similar to Ms. Nicolls, Sean also believes that
  its important to be responsible and work hard.
  On the other hand, Ms. Providence and Michael
  state that to be successful is to live a happy
  life and to be content.

17
Success Model Attribution

• B) There are many different opinions of what it
  takes to be successful in todays world. Sean, a
  Grant High custodian, says that to be successful
  it is important to be an example or role model.
  Similar to Ms. Nicolls, a teacher at Grant High,
  Sean also believes that its important to be
  responsible and to work hard. On the other hand,
  Ms. Providence, another Grant High teacher, and
  Michael, a student at Grant High, state that to
  be successful is to live a happy life and to be
  content.

18
Problem-Solution Synthesis

• Students talk with adults, other people on campus
  to get answers to questions
• Groups compare answers, write up paragraphs
  showing results

19
Problem on Campus SW 1
20
Problem on Campus SW 1
21
Problem on Campus SW 1

• There are a lot of problems on the campus of
  Grant High. According to Andre, a campus monitor,
  he says that one of the problems is cutting
  class, disobeying rules, and trash. The cause of
  that is that some students are badly influenced
  and theres a lack to campus security. Similar to
  that, Mr. Jones, an Administrator, says the
  students not on task and skipping class due to
  lack of studies and the integrety towards
  education. Ms Martin, teacher, also states that
  the problem is cutting class.

22
Problem on Campus SW 1

• Unlike the campus monitor, administrator, and the
  teacher. Mr. Shepard believes that its the
  tarties thats the problem. On the other hand,
  Mark, Kaysy, and Xue say that its drop-outs,
  fights and the lunchline. The probability cause
  is are exit exam, gang affairs, and the entering
  ID number while lunch is handed out.

23
Problem on campus SW 2
24
Problem on campus SW 2
25
Problem on campus SW 2

• A variety of problems come to mind to many
  different people on school grounds. Whether its
  students, teachers, campus monitors and even
  Administrators. Andre agrees with Mr Sanchez that
  one of the biggest problems on campus is students
  being late to class. As for Mr. Purcell and Mrs.
  Huynh they both agree that lack of organization
  is a big problem for students on Campus. One of
  the students that attend grant says that drugs
  and Gangs are the problem, but as for Geraldo
  and Anthony, two other students that attend
  grant, they state that students are bad and
  teachers dont know how to teach.

26
Evaluation

• Students can help evaluate each others work
• Groups pass writing to other groups for
  evaluation
• Teacher types up paragraphs for whole-class
  evaluation and discussion

27
Extensions and Adaptations

• Compare-contrast essays graphic organizer with
  just two articles/ideas
• Organizing results of surveys
• Keeping track of informational research
• Reading notes from textbook

28
Your feedback, please!

• What is something new you learned in this
  session?
• What will you commit to trying?
• What questions do you still have?
• When you are finished, please stick your post-its
  to the chart paper in the back of the room.