SELF-LEARNING MATERIAL 3

ENGLISH
QUARTER 4 EPISODE 3
Grade 8

Name: ________________________________________ Date of Airing: __________

Grade and Section: _____________________________

Competency: Synthesize essential information found in various sources

Sub-task: Noting details

Activity 1: What I Know

Directions: Read each item carefully then encircle the letter of your best
answer.

1. You are tasked to synthesize information from a given text, which will be your first step?

A. Organize the ideas of the text C. Synthesize the information

B. Read the text several times D. Identify relevant information

2. Ana gathered details for her paper mostly from the internet. Which of the following should she
consider?

A. The content of the text C. The time the text was published
B. The length of the text D. The name of the author

3. Student A is done gathering information from different sources. What would be the next step?

A. Cite the sources C. Organize the ideas

B. Synthesize the text D. Review the content

4. Why is there a need to note important details?

A. To help you remember things that could help you for future reference.
B. To help you build up vocabulary on the process.
C. To help you select the ideas and concepts needed for your paper.
D. To help you read and review the content before submission.

5. Your teacher in Arts gave you an assignment to synthesize the information with the topic
‘Kulintang in The Philippines.’ You then resorted to search on the internet and found multiple
responses. Do you think you are doing the process of synthesis correctly?

A. Yes, because the first step in synthesis is to search the net for information.
B. Yes, because the first step in synthesis is to gather information from sources.
C. No, because the first step in synthesis is to gather a summary of the information needed.
D. No, because the first step in synthesis is to acknowledge the authors properly.

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Basic Concept:

To synthesize information entails the learner to become a wide reader and to have
patience in gathering factual information. This skill is critical and falls under higher order
thinking skills since one needs to undergo a process to come up with a good result.

A learner cannot directly synthesize information without passing through a

process. In addition, the learner must have a background knowledge on citing sources
since this plays a significant role in synthesizing information. Whenever you gather
details, factual or not, you must always review the sources and annotate them as well to
avoid plagiarism (when one uses the idea of another without proper citation).

Main idea vs. Significant details

In synthesis, there is a need to refrain from unwanted ideas. One must know how
to distinguish the main idea from the supporting details. Usually, we only get the main
idea to include in our paper.

The paragraphs in a selection or composition present ideas that can be considered

either as main ideas or significant details. The main idea is the topic of the paragraph and
answers the Wh-questions. It controls all other sentences in the paragraph. It is often
found at the beginning of the paragraph. It could also be found in the concluding part of
the paragraph. Whereas the significant details are the facts, examples, incidents,
reasons, procedures or other specific points that back up or elaborate the main idea. They
are considered to be supporting details or body of the story.

Noting details

Noting details is a skill that a learner should develop. It is an important reading,

writing and study skill. When a learner masters noting details, he/she can perform more
difficult comprehension skill like summarizing and synthesizing.

Noting details is a brief record of something. Usually it is written down in a paper.

It could be a statement, a quote or anything that one may have written down in order to
remember. The details noted may be used for any future reference. It could later be used
for speech, to write an essay, to deliver a news report or any other type in oral or written
form. In this module you will use this skill as a tool for your synthesis. Take note only of
the important details to avoid overloaded ideas.

Sources of information

There are different types of sources of where we can get information. In your
previous module, you have learned two of the different sources of information.
1. Primary Sources display original thinking, report on new discoveries, or share
fresh information such as journal, articles, speeches.
2. Secondary Sources often try to describe or explain primary sources, such as
textbooks, research works.

Synthesizing Essential Information

Synthesis is a process of gathering information from different sources, reviewing

their reliability, citing sources, summarizing and writing them down to come up with a
desired result.
To make a synthesis, first you need to find suitable sources, and then select the
relevant parts in those sources. You will then use your paraphrasing and summarizing

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skills to write the information in your own words. The information from all other sources
has to fit together into one continuous text. Remember, though, that when you
synthesize work from different people, you must acknowledge it.

4 Steps to synthesize information from different sources

Step 1: Organize your sources

One way to begin synthesizing the literature is to put your notes into a table. Depending
on your topic and the type of literature you’re dealing with, there are a couple of different
ways you can organize this.

Step 2: Outline your structure

Now you should have a clear overview of the main connections and differences
between the sources you’ve read. Next, you need to decide how you’ll group them
together and the order in which you’ll discuss them. For shorter papers, your outline can
just identify the focus of each paragraph; for longer papers, you might want to divide it
into sections with headings.

Step 3: Write paragraphs with topic sentences

What sets a synthesis apart from a summary is that it combines various sources. The
easiest way to think about this is that each paragraph should discuss a few different
sources, and you should be able to condense the overall point of the paragraph into one
sentence.

Step 4: Revise, edit and proofread Checklist for Synthesis

✓ Do I introduce the paragraph with a clear, focused topic sentence?
✓ Do I discuss more than one source in the paragraph?
✓ Do I mention only the most relevant findings, rather than describing every part of the
studies?
✓ Do I discuss the similarities or differences between the sources, rather than
summarizing each source in turn?

Modelling

Study the news report below then note the important details you will find.

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 ACTIVITY SHEET
SELF-LEARNING MATERIAL 3
ENGLISH
QUARTER 4 EPISODE 3
Grade 8

Name: ____________________________________________ Score: ___________________

Grade and Section: ________________________________ Date: ____________________

Competency: Synthesize essential information found in various sources

Sub-task: Noting details

Directions: Note the important details in the paragraph below and summarize them.

Clouds can be used to protect weather because different types of clouds signal different
kinds of weather. Cirrus clouds are generally wispy and elongated in form. They are made of ice
crystals and they usually appear before a storm. Stratus clouds (i.e., stratified clouds) are heavily
layered and often appear in a sheet-like formation. They are low, dark clouds which may indicate
snow or rain. Cumulus clouds are billowy. They are white and may appear during good weather.
Nimbus clouds are dense, dark, rain-producing clouds. The identification of cloud types is an
important skill for aviator meteorologists because clouds present variable icing hazards. Ice
formation can drastically reduce the effectiveness of airfoils (wings, flags, rudder, ailerons,
elevators) and may destroy the control of an aircraft.

List of important details found from the text:

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Summary:

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