1Session 3

Synthesizing

the

Non-Fiction Way

2

Chatting about Classroom Inquiry

• Post the artefacts you brought from your classroom inquiry activity around the room.

• As you do a gallery walk, look for answers to the question:

What big ideas about literacy instruction are you synthesizing from this work?

• Share insights with the other members of your table group

High-Yield Strategy: Gallery Walk

3Let’s Review

• Synthesizing involves combining information such as details from the text and background knowledge/experience to arrive at new and different thinking.

• Synthesizing requires one to summarize important information from text.

• The gradual release of responsibility helps students to effectively learn to synthesize big ideas from text.

4Summarizing or Synthesizing?

“While summarizing brings together information from the text, synthesizing involves taking that information and creating newly organized and formed understandings that are different from the text and also different from the reader’s previous understandings.”

Fountas and Pinnell, 2000, p. 362

High-Yield Strategy: Say Something

5Learning Goals

This session is intended to:

• connect the process of synthesizing to inquiry and report writing

• demonstrate the importance of graphic features to the construction of knowledge

• model how media instruction can be incorporated into reading when students deconstruct media texts (i.e., reports and photo essays)

• introduce high-yield strategies for accountable talk

• make connections to professional readings

6Synthesizing

Across Texts

Within Texts

7

Synthesizing and the Model of Inquiry

• Turn to page 36 of Literacy for Learning

What are the characteristics of the Model of Inquiry? … Synthesizing?

• Record your group’s thinking on a Venn Diagram

• Use the arrow and starburst to record the BIG IDEA

High-Yield Strategy: Using graphic organizers SynthesizingModel of Inquiry

BIG IDEA

8

Demonstrating Synthesizing through a Culminating Task

• During guided and independent reading, students have been exploring concerns about the environment.

• As a culminating task, students will synthesize their ideas in the form of a four-panel photo essay to empower people to be more environmentally conscious.

9Placemat

• Complete a placemat activity in your table group to answer the question:

What aspects of this photo essay demonstrate an understanding of the big idea of environmental stewardship?

High-Yield Strategy: Co-operative Learning

10

We the EnvironmentARE

11What choices have WE made?

12

How have our choices

impacted world?OUR

13

It’s time to makeBETTER

choices!

14Graphic Features

“Non-fiction is full of features, text cues, and structures that signal importance and scaffold understanding for readers. These features, specific to non-fiction, provide explicit cues to help readers sift essential information from less important details when they read expository text.”

Harvey and Goudvis, 2007, p. 156

High-Yield Strategy:Think-pair-share

15

Non-Fiction Text Features

Text looks different (i.e., titles, section headers, different fonts and type sizes, bold and italics signal important words)

Graphic aids are used (i.e., maps,

charts, diagrams, photographs summarize information; captions or labels provide relevant details)

Vocabulary is different (more unfamiliar words and technical language)

16

How have our choices impacted our world?How have our choices impacted our world?

What impact does colour type, SIZE, and location of the font have when you read this question?

17

A Big Idea about Non-Fiction Text Features

The way information looks can change the

meaning that is conveyed

18

Constructing Understanding of Effective Media

Constructing Understanding

of Effective Media

Time: 16:19

19

Deconstructing Text

• At your table, complete a text deconstruction of the sample photo essay using the rubric and focus questions provided

• As you deconstruct the level two media text:

(i) look for alignment within the categories on the rubric,

and

(ii) fill in the appropriate descriptors and qualifiers

High-Yield Strategy: Co-constructing Rubrics

The Environment

It’s up to us.

20

Exploring Volume Seven – Media Literacy

With a partner, complete the scavenger hunt found on Teacher Resource 24 to familiarize yourself with Volume Seven – Media Literacy.

21

Exploring Volume Seven- Media Literacy

With a partner, read the following sections of Volume Seven – Media Literacy:

1) The Five Key Concepts of Media Literacy

2) The Media Triangle

What evidence of these two frameworks do you see in the Media Creation Lesson #4 –Designing A Movie Poster?

22Classroom Inquiry

How do you plan to use the resources from this module to teach synthesizing in your classroom?

• Bring an artefact to the next session to illustrate what you learned.