KEY CONCEPT SYTHESIS BY HELLEND

The Lexile Framework for Reading in Action

____________________________________________________________
Key Concept Synthesis
Pre-Reading
During Reading
Post Reading
Task Suggestion: For Hellend utilize the resource titled, ‘The Internet Enters a Bold Second Act
(1100L) and ask students to complete a Key Concept Synthesis activity.

Description: Key Concept Synthesis is an effective strategy for allowing students to identify the
central concepts of a text, and to put those concepts into their own language while making
connections to other concepts.

How It Works: Key Concept Synthesis helps students to determine the key concepts in a piece
of text and then relate those concepts to broader ideas. Key Concept Synthesis requires students
to first use textual clues to determine the key concepts in a piece of text. These include looking
for divisions or sections within the text, determining which sentence in each paragraph is the
topic sentence, and learning to ‘forecast’ the main idea. Once a student is able to identify the
central concepts of a text, they can restate those ideas in their own words, and then make even
broader connections between those concepts and other ideas or knowledge. The practice of
restating the idea in their own words allows teachers to spot fallacies and misunderstandings in
the student’s representation of an idea.

How It Can Be Used: Key Concept Synthesis can be used across multiple content areas and is
particularly useful with science and mathematics instruction.
♦ Key Concept Synthesis is best used with text that is at or below the student’s Lexile
measure.
 ♦ Some students may prefer to use an artistic or graphical device, like a mind map, to
establish the key concepts.
♦ Once students have completed the graphic organizer, they can share their ideas with
other students and identify how they determined the key concepts and how they
determined the relevant connections.
♦ Upon completion, it is advisable that students share their efforts with their peers.
Students are advised to discuss the methods they used to establish the key concepts
and how the identified the primary connections.

Purpose
Struggling readers often have difficulty focusing on the key concepts within a text. Using the
Key Concept Synthesis strategy helps students identify the important ideas as they read, use their
own words to express the ideas, then explain why the ideas are important and make connections
to other ideas.
Procedure
1. To model the strategy, choose a short passage of text to share with students and provide copies
of the handout to guide students as they learn the strategy. Guide students through each step
of the process, then allow them to try it on their own.

2. Explain to students that they will need to use textual clues to determine the important ideas in
the reading passage.

􀂂 Preview the passage and look for headings, subtitles, bolded words or phrases, and
graphics that give a clue as to important topics within the reading.
􀂂 While reading, look for topic sentences within each paragraph. Tell students that
often the topic sentence can be found at the beginning of the paragraph, but as text
gets more sophisticated, topic sentences can be found anywhere within the
paragraph.
 􀂂 Examine the summary statements at the end of chapter sections or at the end of the
chapter.

3. Students write down the main ideas, then paraphrase the ideas from the text, using their own
words.

4. Finally, students explain why they think the idea is important and note connections to other
ideas from that reading selection, or from previous learning.
Purpose:

The purpose of this activity is for students to be able to find the main idea of a text, topic, setting,
purpose, conclusion and generic structure of the text.

Description: Key Concept Synthesis is a reading strategy that helps students to comprehend the
text clearly.

Directions:

1. Teacher delivers the text for students, the text are free should be descriptive, narrative,

recount, or hortatory. It depends on the context that is teaching in the classroom.

2. The students are asked to read the text carefully, that activity under the guidance of the

teacher.

3. In reading, all of students obligated to be care and fluently in understanding the text from

the beginning up to the end.

4. write the main idea of a text, topic, setting, purpose, conclusion and generic structure of

the text

a. Topic is the title of the text, if the readers choose narrative may she/he choose the

fable

b. Setting the readers need to analyze the setting, it is about the place and time. Where

and when the story of the event happened.

c. Purpose is the objective of the text, it may persuade or entertain the readers

d. Conclusion give the clarification that the story in the certain ending by regulating

from the beginning up to the end.

e. Generic structure is the component of narrative text

5. Next, read the main idea of a text, topic, setting, purpose, conclusion and generic

structure of the text in front of the class.

Summarizing and Synthesizing: What's the Difference?

Summarizing and synthesizing are two important reading comprehension strategies. They’re also
skills that students struggle with and often confuse despite the differences. In this article, we
review the two skills, discuss the differences between them, and highlight activities that can be
used to support students as they develop proficiency with them.

SUMMARIZING

What does summarizing mean? Into the Book, a reading strategies web site for teachers and
students, explains that when readers summarize, they “identify key elements and condense
important information into their own words during and after reading to solidify meaning.” The
site offers a simpler definition for students: “Tell what’s important.”

Why is summarizing difficult for students? For starters, it requires students to apply the skill of
determining importance in text and then express the important ideas in their own words. Many
times, as students learn to summarize, their first attempts are a collection of details, rather than
the main ideas of the passage. Other student-produced summaries are too vague and do not
include enough detail. Teachers need to devote time to explicit instruction and modeling on both
determining importance and summarizing to help students become proficient with both
strategies.

The following resources can be helpful for teaching students to summarize:

Summarizing
This article provides an overview of summarizing as a reading comprehension strategy, and how
it can be taught and assessed in an elementary classroom.

Into the Book: Summarizing

This section of the Into the Book web site provides definitions of summarizing for teachers and
students, learning objectives with videos, lessons, and a wealth of additional resources. The
student area (which requires a key to access) has interactive activities for each of the featured
comprehension strategies.

Guided Comprehension: Summarizing Using the QuIP Strategy

This lesson plan, for grades 3-6 from ReadWriteThink, teaches students to summarize
information by graphically organizing information in response to questions, then reorganizing
their answers into paragraph form.

Lesson 8: Summarizing Information

In this lesson, students practice summarizing by extracting the Five Ws (who, what, when,
where, why) and the H (how) from feature stories in local newspapers. The lesson could be
adapted for use with other texts as well.
SYNTHESIZING

Synthesizing takes the process of summarizing one step further. Instead of just restating the
important points from text, synthesizing involves combining ideas and allowing an evolving
understanding of text. Into the Book defines synthesizing as “[creating] original insights,
perspectives, and understandings by reflecting on text(s) and merging elements from text and
existing schema.” For students, the site provides the simpler “Put pieces together to see them in a
new way.”

As with summarizing, this higher-order thinking skill needs explicit instruction and modeling. In
her book Comprehension Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading, Tanny McGregor provides
examples of instructional sequences for synthesizing using common objects (nesting dolls),
prompts or sentence starters, and a spiral-shaped graphic organizer inspired by the notes written
and passed by her students. These activities provide the scaffolding needed to support students as
they become familiar and then proficient with the skill and can be used with all types of text.

The following resources can be helpful for teaching students to synthesize:

Synthesizing
This article provides an overview of synthesizing as a reading comprehension strategy and
describes approaches for teaching and supporting students as they develop proficiency.

Into the Book: Synthesizing

This section of the Into the Book web site provides definitions of synthesizing for teachers and
students, learning objectives with videos, lessons, and a wealth of additional resources. The
student area (which requires a key to access) has interactive activities for each of the featured
comprehension strategies.

Classroom Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading

Tanny McGregor’s book includes chapters devoted to six reading comprehension strategies:
schema, inferring, questioning, determining importance, visualizing, and synthesizing.
Heinemann’s page also includes links to web seminars about various strategies (click on
Companion Resources).

This article was written by Jessica Fries-Gaither. For more information, see the Contributors
page. Email Jessica at [email protected].

Copyright June 2010 – The Ohio State University. This material is based upon work supported
by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0733024. Any opinions, findings, and
conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. This work is licensed under
an Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons license.
 KEY CONCEPT SYTHESIS BY MARTHA GODFROY, DIANE MELLO, DEBRA
PELLERIN,KATY WALTHER, KAREN WATSON

Directions:

1. Readers monitor overall meaning, important concepts and themes as they read

2. Readers retell what they have read as a way of to comprehend the text

3. Readers make conclusion to understand more clearly what they have read

4. Readers extend their synthesis of the literal meaning of a text to the inferential level

5. Readers capitalize on opportunities to share, and criticize answered the other reader have
read
● Pembaca memantau keseluruhan makna, konsep dan tema penting saat mereka membaca
● Pembaca menceritakan kembali apa yang telah mereka baca sebagai cara untuk memahami teks
● Pembaca membuat kesimpulan untuk lebih memahami apa yang telah mereka baca
● Pembaca memperluas sintesis mereka dari makna literal sebuah teks ke tingkat inferensial
● Pembaca memanfaatkan kesempatan untuk berbagi, dan mengkritik jawaban yang pembaca lain telah
baca

Synthesizing Text
 Unit of Study

+ + +

Keene Study Group

May 24, 2011

Martha Godfroy, Diane Mello, Debra Pellerin,

Katy Walther, Karen Watson

Wayland Public Schools

“The worth of a book is to be measured by what you carry away from it.”
James Bryce
Key Understandings

● Readers monitor overall meaning, important concepts and themes as they

read, understanding that their thinking evolves in the process
● Readers retell what they have read as a way of synthesizing
● Readers synthesize to understand more clearly what they have read, pulling
all of their strategies together
● Readers extend their synthesis of the literal meaning of a text to the
inferential level
● Readers capitalize on opportunities to share, recommend, and criticize books
they have read

(From Debbie Miller as adapted from Keene and PEBC)

Unit Outline

Focus Lessons:
The following are essential focus lessons for teaching Synthesis.
Select those lessons that are most appropriate for your grade level.

1. Introducing synthesis: What is synthesis? How does it help you as a reader?

2. Modeling synthesis: How is synthesis different from summary?
3. Synthesizing Fables – grade 1-2
4. Synthesizing Fables – grade 3-5
5. Synthesizing Nonfiction – grade 3-5
6. Applying Synthesis to a Chapter Book (small group lesson) grades 2-5

Appendix:
7. Template for additional lessons
8. Synthesis journal entry options
a. Chart with spaces for post-its, notes, drawings of thinking as it changes
b. Strategy sheet with increasing ripples and lines to write on
c. Readers notebook entry
d. Book review lesson and form from Read Write Think.org
e. Kidblog.org
9. List of text for modeling synthesis
10. References
1. Introducing Synthesis

Focus Lesson
What is synthesis?
Topic

Chart paper and markers or laptop with projector/smart board.

Materials

Tell students we are beginning a new unit on a comprehension

strategy. This unit incorporates all other comprehension strategies
lntroduction we use. The strategy we are going to learn about is called synthesis.

Define synthesis: Synthesis takes place during and after reading. It

is the process of creating a mental plan-a blueprint-for what we’re
reading, experiencing, or learning-and then continually revising the
Explicit plan as we recall or encounter new information. (Mosaic of Thought
by Keene and Zimmermann) This means think about the order of
Instruction
important events and how they come together to create meaning.
5-10 minutes
Our thinking changes as our understanding changes. When you
synthesize, you are taking all the information you have read and
recreating it in an organized way.

We synthesize both in reading and in our everyday lives. You have

been doing it since you were very young. For example, at the end of
the school day, you might go home and get asked what happened at
school today. When you answer this question, you think about what
was important, tell it in a way that makes sense, and try not to tell
too much. When you do this, you are synthesizing.

Ask a student or another teacher to role play with you.

Use this script: Let me show you how we do that. I’m going to have
a conversation with ________ about what happened in school today.

Adult: “What happened at school today?”

Child:” In math today we learned about adding and subtracting
fractions. At first I thought you just had to add the numerators and
keep the denominator the same. Then I learned that when the
denominator is not the same, I need to use equivalent fractions to
 make the denominator the same before adding the numerators.”

In this example, the student synthesized his/her learning in math

that day. The child shared what they learned in math by first stating
the general topic and what he/she thought was the whole point of
the lesson. Then the child added his/her revised learning by the end
of the lesson.

Guided Practice
Now we are going to try to synthesize together. Let’s think about
what we did yesterday in...
5 minutes

Confer with individual students. Meet with at least one student with
whom you can guide to make a synthesis of what they are reading.
Send Off This is likely to take significant scaffolding and possibly reteaching
since this is the intro lesson. Prepare the student to be able to
explain his/her synthesis and any change in thinking/understanding
[For Independent reading]
that they had while reading.

Tell students, “Your classmates are going to teach you how they
synthesized this text and how it helped them as readers.” Call upon
Group Share the student or students with whom you conferred with to share
their synthesis with the whole class.

(Draft lesson by Diane Mello and Karen Watson)

2. Modeling Synthesis: How is it different than summary?

Focus Lesson Readers synthesize as we read through a story to help us understand

the story.
Topic

Smoky Night, by Eve Bunting

Poem of your choice with four stanzas
Materials Chart paper and markers or laptop with projector/smart board.

When readers synthesize a story we begin by retelling what we read

along the way and combine the words in the text with our background
lntroduction knowledge to create a new understanding of the story. In order to
do this, we think to ourselves and
■tell what’s important,
■in a way that makes sense,
■without telling too much
■describe what we think the text is about

*Say, “Watch me as I show you how I synthesize as I read the story

“Smoky Night” by Eve Bunting.” Read through the first two pages,
Explicit Instruction
then stop and point to your head saying, “I’m thinking this is going to
be a story about people rioting in the streets.” (Record your thinking
5-10 minutes on chart)
*Read a few more pages and say, “Now I’m thinking this is about how
this family is not friendly with Mrs. Kim because she is different
from them.” (Record your thinking)
*Read a few more pages and say, “But now I’m thinking that this is
really about a fire and they’re worried about their lost cat.” Move to
guided practice. (Record your thinking)

*Say, “Now you try with a partner. I’m going to read aloud and when
I finish, you will share your thinking with your partner. Be sure to
Guided Practice
sit eye to eye and knee to knee so that you can take turns sharing
your thinking.”
5 minutes *Call for one pair to share their thinking. Then read the final
section of the book. Pair/share and then ask for one more pair to
share. (Chart your thinking to read through the complete synthesis.)
*Read the chart to review how you synthesized together. Say, “It
 helps us to synthesize as we read through the text so we can
understand what the story is about.”

*Provide a copy of a poem with 4 stanzas for students to practice

with during independent reading. Provide students with post-its or a
Send Off response sheet to record their thinking.

*Say, “Now that we have practiced synthesizing together, today in

[For Independent reading]
reader’s workshop I want you to practice synthesizing with your
partner. You are going to read a poem together with your partner.
As you read each stanza, stop and retell what you read and capture
your thinking on your response sheet.
Notice how synthesizing along the way helps you to understand the
poem better. Notice how your thinking changes as you read through
the poem. “I will be meeting with each pair to hear how it is going. “
Confer with pairs of students or pull small groups based on need.”

Select at least one pair of students from your conferences to share

their synthesis with the whole class. Tell students, “Your classmates
Group Share are going to teach you how they synthesized this poem and how it
helped them as readers.”

(Draft lesson by Deb Pellerin adapted from Debbie Miller, “Reading with Meaning.”
3. Synthesizing Fables: Grade 1-2
Focus Lesson Students will synthesize while listening to and discussing a fable to
understand the important parts as well as the moral of the story
Topic

The Lion and the Mouse An Aesop Fable retold and illustrated by
Bernadette Watts, chart paper for recording thoughts, paper for
Materials illustrations of synthesis

Today we are going to read a fable called The Lion and the Mouse.
In a fable there is a lesson being taught or a moral. We will learn to
lntroduction synthesize while listening so that we can understand the moral of
the story.

*Children should sit with their turn and talk partner while listening
and thinking during the read aloud. The teacher will begin by
Explicit reading the title and think aloud that this book will be about a lion
Instruction and a mouse and records it on the chart paper.
*The teacher continues reading the first and second pages and says
“I think this book is about how lions act in the hot weather because
5-10 minutes the first two pages are about this”, then records it on the chart.
*Then the teacher reads the third page and says “Ok, now I am
thinking that the lion is going to be really mad at the mouse for
waking him up because I know that lions can be mean”, records it on
chart.
*Then the teacher reads the next three pages and says “At first I
thought the lion was going to be mean and now my thinking has
changed again because the lion was nice to the mouse and let him
go”, writes on the chart.
*The teacher reads the next three pages and says turn and talk to
your partner about how your thinking changed about this fable.

After the teacher has read the next 3 pages including page 9 have
the students turn and talk (after page 9). Say, now you try with a
Guided Practice partner. Be sure to sit eye to eye and knee to knee so that you can
take turns reading and sharing your thinking.
Have 2 or 3 groups share their thinking and what they discussed.
5 minutes
Write their thoughts on the chart as well. The teacher can continue
reading the remainder of the story. Have students turn and talk
about their synthesis of the ending of the fable as well as the moral.
 Listen to the small groups discuss and if anyone is off track you can
model your thinking for the end of the story as well. “Now I’m
thinking that you shouldn’t judge someone by their size, all things
can help no matter how big or small.” Discuss as a whole group and
write down shared synthesis.

The partners will go off to illustrate their synthesis of the story.

You can provide copies of the book for children who are able to read
Send Off it independently. You can provide a variety of supplies for writing as
well as illustrations. Children should also demonstrate their
understanding of the fable’s moral and how their thinking changed
[For Independent reading]
throughout the story.

Call upon a student or pair of students to share their synthesis of

the Lion and the Mouse with the whole class. Choose students to
Group Share share during conference. Tell students, “Your classmates are going
to teach you how they synthesized this text and how it helped them
as readers.”

Draft Lesson by Katy Walther

4. Synthesizing Fables: Grades 3-5
Focus Lesson Readers synthesize when reading fables to determine the moral (or
author’s message).
Topic

The Hippopotamus at Dinner and The Lobster and the Crab by Arnold
Lobel (typed version attached at end of outline) - copies of each for
Materials entire class chart paper and marker, with same synthesis response
chart (if using) reading journal or synthesis response sheet.

Today we are going to read two fables to practice synthesizing. A

fable has a lesson or moral that it is teaching. We will learn to
lntroduction synthesize the lesson/moral of a fable.

Every student should be given a copy of The Hippopotamus at Dinner.

Teacher reads first paragraph and thinks aloud, “I think this is going
Explicit to be about a hungry hippo,” and records this on the chart. Students
Instruction copied in their journals/on the response sheet. Teacher continues
reading the second and third paragraph and then shares, “Now I am
thinking it is about a greedy hippo because the size of the portions
5-10 minutes
requested are so excessively larger.” Teacher records on the chart
and students record as well.

Continue reading until the end of the paragraph with “He could not
budge.” Have students turn and talk (knee to knee, eye to eye) to
Guided Practice discuss any change in thinking at this point in the fable. Have 2 or 3
students share what they discussed and then have students record
their thinking in their journals/on sheet. Continue reading the
5 minutes
remainder of the fable. Have students turn and talk again to
determine their final synthesis about the moral/lesson of the fable.
Then discuss. Students record their final synthesis in their
journal/on the response sheet and teacher records it/theirs on the
chart.

Provide fable (The Lobster and the Crab by Arnold Lobel) for
students to practice with during independent reading. They should
Send Off record their (progressing) thinking in their reading journals or on a
synthesis response sheet, ending with what they think the moral of
the fable is.
[For Independent reading]
 Confer with individual students or pull small groups based on need.

Call upon a student or pair of students to share their synthesis of

The Lobster and the Crab with the whole class. Have others share
Group Share their synthesis as well. Discuss how and why they could be different,
if relevant.

Draft lesson by Diane Mello and Karen Watson

5. Synthesizing Nonfiction: Grade 3-5
Focus Lesson Topic Readers synthesize when reading nonfiction
(informational) text to help us understand the text
better.

Toolkit Texts; Stephanie Harvey & Anne Gouvdis (Heineman)

Teaching for Synthesis of Informational Texts With Read
Materials Alouds; Sunday Cummins & Cate Stallmeyer-Gerard, The
Reading Teacher, March 2011

lntroduction 1. Explain and review with students what synthesis means

using cake baking analogy (see attached template, taken from
Teaching for Synthesis, Cummins & Stallmeyer-Gerard).
2. Have students list ingredients to bake a cake and sketch
on white board. Explain that when you mix ingredients you
are synthesizing to make the cake. Compare this to the way
you think when you are synthesizing information from
nonfiction text.

Explicit Instruction Introduce nonfiction short text to be used for guided

instruction. Example: Queen Alliquippa, Seneca Leader (taken
from Toolkit Texts; Harvey & Gouvdis)
5-10 minutes 1. Elicit prior knowledge about Seneca American Indians or
other Native American History so students can make
connections.
2. Have students “skim and scan” text underlining any new
vocabulary words, discuss words.
3. Have students partner read text and fill in ingredient
template or utilize reader response journal.

Now you try with a partner. Be sure to sit eye to eye and
knee to knee so that you can take turns reading and sharing
Guided your thinking
Practice/Discussion Discussion Questions:
*How did your thinking change?
*What did you learn that was new from the text?
5-10 minutes
 1. Provide short non-fiction passage for students to practice
with during independent reading. Possible text: Riding for
Send Off Freedom (taken from Toolkit Texts; Harvey & Gouvdis
Heinemann) or another short non-fiction text.
2. Also provide each student with ingredient template to fill
[For Independent reading] out independently during independent reading time.
3. Confer with individual students or pull small groups based
on need.

Call upon a student or pair of students to share their

synthesis with the whole class. Choose students to share
Group Share during conference. Tell students, “Your classmates are going
to teach you how they synthesized this text and how it
helped them as readers.”

Draft lesson adapted by Martha Godfroy

6. Small group: Synthesis of a Chapter Book
Focus Lesson Applying synthesis to reading a chapter book

Topic

Materials Small group text at instructional reading level for the group. (Be
sure to provide controlled choice to maximize student motivation).

lntroduction (This is a follow up lesson that you have modeled in small group or in
read aloud.) Refer to chart from reading a modeled text such as,
Smoky Night” by Eve Bunting” or another book from the synthesis
basket. Remind students of the model of synthesis as ripples in a
pond. Provide students with recording sheets to record their
thinking as you read aloud from the small group book. Tell students
“Now that we have learned how to record our synthesis with a
picture book, we are going to learn how to do it with our chapter
books.” Watch as I read and record my synthesis in my notes.

Explicit As you share your reading of chapter 1, stop to think aloud at the
beginning, middle of the chapter. Using the recording sheet, share
Instruction your summary and thinking as the first step in process of synthesis.
5-10 minutes Say, “Now that you have seen me read and record my thinking in the
beginning and middle of the chapter, it’s your turn to try this with
your reading partner. Together you will finish this chapter and
record your synthesis after reading in your notes.

Guided Practice Have students complete the chapter with a partner and
discuss/record their synthesis after reading. Confer with pairs and
10 minutes
then have them share back with the group to see how each pair’s
synthesis evolved. If they are different, discuss why one pair might
have a different synthesis of the same chapter. Say, “notice that
our synthesis may be different because our background knowledge
may be different.”
 Send Off
Assign next section for independent reading in preparation for next
For Independent reading
reading group. Begin the next group with students sharing their
ongoing synthesis of the story. Tell students, “lets share what you
have synthesized from this text and discuss how it helps us as
readers.”

Draft lesson by Deb Pellerin

 Focus Lesson Template/Planning Sheet
Focus Lesson
Topic

Materials

lntroduction

Explicit
Instruction

5-10 minutes

Guided Practice Now you try with a partner. Be sure to sit eye to eye and knee to
knee so that you can take turns reading and sharing your thinking.
5 minutes

Send Off Provide fable, poetry, picture book, or short non-fiction passage for
students to practice with during independent reading. Confer with
[For Independent reading]
individual students or pull small groups based on need.

Group Share Call upon a student or pair of students to share their synthesis with
the whole class. Choose students to share during conference. Tell
students, “Your classmates are going to teach you how they
synthesized this text and how it helped them as readers.”
My Synthesis
Title:_______________________________ By:___________________

I’m thinking Now I’m thinking

And now I’m thinking But now I’m thinking

Oh, now I’m getting it So this is really about...

Name______________________________________ Date________________
Synthesizing Nonfiction Text

+ + + =

_______________________ _________________ ________________

_______________________ + _________________ +________________
_______________________ _________________ ________________

___________________________________
= ___________________________________
___________________________________
Short Text for Modeling Synthesis
* (Indicates text is available in book room strategy bin for Synthesis)

The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni*

Charlie Anderson by Barbara Abercrombie*
Fables by Arnold Lobel*
Frederick's Fables by Leo Lionni
Oliver Button Is a Sissy by Tomie de Paola
The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills*
See the Ocean by Estelle Condra
The Story of Jumping Mouse by John Steptoe
The Table Where Rich People Sit by Byrd Baylor*
Tea With Milk by Allen Say*

(Adapted from Debbie Miller, “Reading with Meaning”)

Additional Titles for Teaching Synthesis
(Adapted from Wachusett Regional School District)

Aesop’s Fables selected/illustrated by Michael Hauge

Grade(s): 3-4
Summary: Retellings of classic fables that teach essential life lessons
Teaching Points: synthesizing – lesson/theme

The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni*

Grade(s): 3-4
Summary: The creation of the alphabet from letters to words to sentences told through
nature.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – tracking changes in thinking

An Angel for Solomon Singer by Cynthia Rylant

Grade(s): 5
Summary: A man who lives in New York longs for the things he can’t have and for places
from his past. One night he enters a café “where all your dreams come true.” He
eventually begins to appreciate and enjoy the things in his life.
Synthesizing: synthesizing – changes in thinking

Chicken Soup for the Kid’s Soul by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Hansen, and
Irene Dunlap
Grade(s): 4-5
Summary: A collection of short stories and poems by various authors with important and
inspiring themes.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – changes in thinking

Crickwing by Janell Cannon

Grade(s): 4-5
Summary: Tired of being bullied, a cockroach with a twisted wing begins picking on smaller
creatures. The smaller creatures are not as harmless as they seem, but when they are
threatened, Crickwing becomes an unlikely hero.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – noticing character change/development; see also making
inferences
Diary of a Worm (or Fly or Spider) by Doreen Cronin
Grade(s): 4-5
Summary: A humorous diary of a worm’s experiences.
Teaching Points: Synthesizing – using background knowledge to understand humor; see also
summarizing

Fables by Arnold Lobel*

Grade(s): multiple
Summary: Retellings of classic fables that teach essential life lessons
Teaching Points: synthesizing – lesson/theme

Gleam and Glow by Eve Bunting

Grade(s): 4-5
Summary: The story of a family who is forced to flee their war-torn country. The family’s
beloved goldfish are left behind, but when the family is reunited and returns home they
find that the goldfish, like the family, have survived.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – finding symbolism

Goin’ Someplace Special by Patricia McKissack

Grade(s): 4-5
Summary: Set in segregated Nashville in the 1950s, young Tricia Ann is frustrated by the
Jim Crows that exclude her from many public places but she finds welcome at the public
library.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – changes in thinking about importance of libraries/reading,
effects of segregation

Granddaddy’s Gift by Margaree King Mitchell

Grade(s): 3-5
Summary: Set in Mississippi in the 1960s, an African-American grandfather volunteers to
register to vote. Despite the dangers, he longs for his granddaughter’s life to be better
and for her to have greater opportunity.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – tracking changes in the reader’s understanding of the
“gift” as the story unfolds; see also making connections, asking questions, inferring
Lemonade Club by Patricia Polacco
Grade(s): 5
Summary: Traci and Marilyn love their fifth grade teacher, Miss Wichelman and learn in
her class that if life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Marilyn becomes ill with leukemia,
but together the class is able to support her.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – using multiple strategies, changes in thinking

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

Grade(s): 4-5
Summary: A story about how greed impacts the environment. Includes a strong
conservation theme and teaches that one’s actions do make a difference.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – changes in thinking; cross-curricular connections to science

The Man Who Kept His Heart in a Bucket by Sonia Levitin

Grade(s): 5
Summary: A young man who keeps his heart in a bucket to protect it from being broken
loses his heart in a stream to a beautiful maiden and must figure out how to get it back.
He learns that when his heart is in a bucket, it is useless to him.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – tracking changes in thinking

The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson

Grade(s): 4-5
Summary: A story of friendship across a racial divide.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – finding symbolism as the fence grows in significance,
especially in the last line of the text

My Pig Amarillo by Satomi Ichikawa

Grade(s): 4-5
Summary: Pablito, a Guatemalan boy, loses his beloved pet pig, Amarillo. With the help of
his grandfather, he finds a way to send his lost pet a message.
Teaching Points: symbolism – tracking changes in thinking
Rare Treasure by Don Brown
Grade(s): 4-5
Summary: A biographical account of the life of paleontologist, Mary Anning. Told as a
narrative, this nonfiction book follows the life of a woman scientist who was ahead of her
time.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – the last page of the book demonstrates that synthesis
goes beyond the content of the piece when the reader adds his/her own thoughts or
opinions; see also summarizing

Rules by Cynthia Lord

Grade(s): 5
Summary: Catherine’s brother David is autistic and their family life revolves around his
needs. She is often frustrated and embarrassed by her brother and creates “rules” for
him to live by.
Teaching Points: good interactive read aloud to model using multiple comprehension
strategies and synthesizing thinking, especially about author’s message/theme/point of
view

Smoky Nights by Eve Bunting*

Grade(s): 4-5
Summary: The story of a family’s experiences during the Los Angeles riots.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – tracking changes in thinking

Tough Boris by Mem Fox

Grade(s): 4-5
Summary: Boris is a tough pirate, but he still mourns when his parrot dies.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – changes in perceptions about a character

Tomas and the Library Lady by Pat Mora

Grade(s): 4-5
Summary: Inspired by the childhood experiences of Tomas Rivera who became a chancellor
at the University of California, this book tells the story of the child of a migrant farm
family who discovers the joy and power of the public library.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – tracking changes in thinking about the power of books and
reading
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Grade(s): 5
Summary: The Tuck family gains eternal life after drinking from a magic spring.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – changes in thinking about living forever; see also creating
sensory images

The Worry Stone by Marianne Dengler

Grade(s): 5
Summary: An elderly woman visits the park each day and notices a lonely boy. She is
reminded of her days as a young girl spending time with her grandfather and the stories
that he told her, especially one about the worry stone. The woman shares the worry stone
story with the boy and they begin a new friendship.
Teaching Points: synthesizing – tracking changes in thinking
 The Hippopotamus at Dinner
by Arnold Lobel

The Hippopotamus went into a restaurant. He sat at his favorite table. “Waiter!”
called the Hippopotamus. “I will have the bean soup, the Brussels sprouts, and the mashed
potatoes. Please hurry, I am enormously hungry tonight!”
In a short while, the waiter returned with the order. The Hippopotamus glared
down at his plate.
“Waiter,” he said, “Do you call this a meal? These portions are much too small. They
would not satisfy a bird. I want a bathtub of bean soup, a bucket of Brussels sprouts, and
a mountain of mashed potatoes. I tell you have an APPETITE!”
The waiter went back into the kitchen. He returned carrying enough bean soup to
fill a bathtub, enough Brussels sprouts to fill a bucket, and a mountain of mashed potatoes.
In no time, the Hippopotamus had eaten every last morsel.
“Delicious!” said the Hippopotamus, as he dabbed his mouth with a napkin and
prepared to leave.
To his surprise, he could not move. His stomach, which had grown considerably
larger, was caught between the table and the chair. He pulled and tugged, but it was no
use. He could not budge.
The hour grew late. The other customers in the restaurant finished their dinners
and left. The cooks took off their aprons and put away their pots. The waiters cleared the
dishes and turned out the lights. They all went home.
The Hippopotamus remained there, sitting forlornly at the table.
“Perhaps I should not have eaten quite so many Brussels sprouts,” he said, as he
gazed into the gloom of the darkened restaurant. Occasionally, he burped.
References:

Cummins, Sunday & Stallmeyer-Gerard, Cate. 2011. “Teaching for Synthesis of

Informational Texts with Read Alouds,” The Reading Teacher, Vol. 64 (6), pp.394-405.
International Reading Association.

Gouvdis, Anne & Harvey, Stephanie. 2007. Toolkit Texts; Short Nonfiction for Guided and
Independent Reading. Portsmouth, NH: First Hand: Heinemann.

Keene, Ellin Oliver. 2008. To Understand: New Horizons in Reading Comprehension.

Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Keene, Ellen, and Zimmerman, Susan. 2007. Mosaic of Thought, Second Edition: The
Power of Comprehension Strategy Instruction, Heinemann: Portsmouth, NH.

Miller, Debbie. 2002. Reading with Meaning. Portsmouth, NH:Heinemann

Szymusiak, Karen & Sibberson, Franki. 2008. Day-to-Day Assessment in the Reading
Workshop. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Szymusiak, Karen & Sibberson, Franki. 2002. Still Learning to Read. Portland, ME:
Stenhouse.

Wachusett Regional School District Spotlight on Literacy: http://www.wrsd.net/literacy.