- Definition
Synthesizing is when your child takes different pieces of information or ideas, from one or more sources, and puts them together to form a new, complete understanding.
After reading an article on bees and another on flowers, you might synthesize that both are needed for pollination to happen.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Synthesizing is like being a detective who combines clues from different witnesses to form a single theory of what happened.
Ask your child: After reading both sources, what's the big idea you can build from them?
Common mix-up: Kids often think synthesizing is just summarizing sources one by one. True synthesis is about weaving ideas from different places together to create a new, bigger understanding of the topic.
Examples
- Combining a textbook chapter and a soldier's letter to form a fuller picture of a historical event.
- Reading a news article and a scientific report to develop a more complete view on a topic.
synthesizing is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
