Synthesising across multiple texts · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Weaving three texts into one

English · Reading Comprehension · ages 10-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Your little brother asks what synthesising means. Which explanation should you give him?

    • Read a few texts about one topic, then write about all their ideas together in your own words
    • Find one really good book and copy its best page
    • Read as fast as you can so you finish all your texts

  2. Leo has three texts about owls. He wants to write one paragraph that synthesises them. What should he do first?

    • Write his paragraph before he opens the texts
    • Pick his favourite text and close the other two
    • Read all three texts and note a key fact from each

  3. Amina read three texts about frogs. Which paragraph shows she synthesised them?

    • Frogs are the most interesting animals in the pond.
    • Frogs lay their eggs in water, their skin stays wet and smooth, and they catch flies with their long, sticky tongues.
    • The first text was about frog eggs. The second text was about frog skin. The third text was about how frogs eat.

  4. You are making a fact sheet about sharks using three articles. What makes it a good fact sheet?

    • It lists facts from only your favourite article
    • It brings together key facts from all three articles
    • It copies each article word for word

  5. Tom is giving a talk using facts from two books. Which sentence best credits his sources?

    • Bees make honey.
    • One book said bees make honey, and another explained how they store it.
    • I read a book.

  6. Aya wrote key facts from three texts on cards. Before she writes 'one article explained...' in her paragraph, what must she check?

    • That her cards are all the same size
    • That she knows the longest word in each text
    • Which text each fact came from, so her credit is correct

  7. Nadia read three texts about the wind: one about sailing boats, one about wind turbines, one about how wind spreads seeds. She wrote: 'Wind pushes sailing boats across the sea, and one article explained that wind spins turbines to make electricity.' What is wrong with her paragraph?

    • She left out the text about wind spreading seeds, so one text is missing from her paragraph
    • She used too many texts for one paragraph
    • Her sentences are too long for a paragraph

  8. Ben asks: 'Why can't I just copy the best sentences from my three texts into my report?' What is the best answer?

    • Copying takes too much time
    • Your own words are always shorter than the text's words
    • Copied sentences are the writer's words, not yours; using your own words shows you understood the ideas

  9. Two students give talks about rain using the same three texts. Mia says: 'Rain fills rivers, one article explained that it waters crops, and another source noted it is part of the water cycle.' Theo says: 'Rain fills rivers, waters crops, and is part of the water cycle.' Whose talk shows stronger synthesis?

    • Theo's, because a good talk is always short
    • Both talks are equally strong, because both used three facts
    • Mia's, because she blended facts from all three texts and said where the facts came from

  10. A text about camels says: 'Camels store fat in their humps.' In her report, Priya wrote: 'Camels store fat in their humps, and they can go many days without water.' What should Priya fix?

    • She copied 'Camels store fat in their humps' word for word, so she should say that fact in her own words
    • She used two facts, and a report should only ever use one
    • Nothing, her report is already a good synthesis
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Weaving three texts into one W1-mt_kJ4xXKL_nO-s1

  1. Read a few texts about one topic, then write about all their ideas together in your own words · Synthesising means combining ideas from several texts into your own words.
  2. Read all three texts and note a key fact from each · Synthesis starts by reading every text and collecting a key fact from each, so there is something to blend.
  3. Frogs lay their eggs in water, their skin stays wet and smooth, and they catch flies with their long, sticky tongues. · A synthesised paragraph weaves facts from every text into the writer's own words, not opinions or a text-by-text list.
  4. It brings together key facts from all three articles · A synthesised fact sheet draws its facts from every source, not just one.
  5. One book said bees make honey, and another explained how they store it. · Naming where each fact came from is how you credit sources while speaking.
  6. Which text each fact came from, so her credit is correct · A credit phrase promises the fact really came from that text, so Aya must match each fact to its source first.
  7. She left out the text about wind spreading seeds, so one text is missing from her paragraph · A synthesis covers every text. Nadia's paragraph uses only two of her three texts.
  8. Copied sentences are the writer's words, not yours; using your own words shows you understood the ideas · Your own words prove you understood the facts. Copied sentences only prove you can copy.
  9. Mia's, because she blended facts from all three texts and said where the facts came from · Blending facts is good. Blending them and naming their sources is stronger, because listeners can tell where each fact came from.
  10. She copied 'Camels store fat in their humps' word for word, so she should say that fact in her own words · Copying a sentence word for word is not synthesis. The fact stays, but the words must be Priya's.
Worksheet · LightMySky