Explanatory synthesis

(copied and pasted instructions)

Minimum of 5 paragraphs, including an introduction, 3+ body paragraphs, and a conclusion
• A well-developed introduction, which provides relevant background information on the issue and the authors’ names and titles of their articles
• A clear, specific, and provable thesis statement that addresses BOTH sources; the thesis should consist of a topic + comment; the thesis MUST be located in the introduction, preferably at the end of the introduction
• Clear and consistent organization of the body paragraphs (by point or by source)
• Topic sentences at the beginning of each body paragraph that mention the point discussed and that state the relationship between sources
• Quotes and summary from sources that support your synthesis; 4 quotes max ; (you MAY use more summaries/paraphrases–in fact, you will have to, since a synthesis essay does NOT contain your opinion)
• Use of synthesis words (agrees, disagrees, concurs, contradicts, illustrates further, goes further, etc.)
• Proper MLA in-text citations for quotes, summaries, etc. . … anything borrowed MUST be cited. No exceptions!
Use page numbers of the textbook for all in-text citations. Do not use paragraph numbers of the articles for in-text citations since both articles are in textbook.
• Correctly formatted Works Cited page with entries for each source-alphabetized, double-spaced and with hanging indents
• the 2 articles must be from the same topic section

Reminder: Do NOT include:
–1st person (I, we, us, our, etc.) or 2nd person (you) pronouns; the synthesis must be written in 3rd person only (Schulman, Gregory, people, individuals, students, guards, readers, etc.)
-your opinion or comments; like summaries, explanatory syntheses only focus on the original content of the essays discussed, NOT the synthesizer’s viewpoint or opinion.
You will pick one topic, and you will do the following:
1 Read the articles. Pick two to write your synthesis essay on.
2. Discuss the common themes found within each article. Remember, in order to discuss at length in your body paragraphs, you must find themes that are similar or different but that all touch on the same overall topic.
3. Use what you’ve learned in the textbook chapter over synthesis and in the supplemental material to create a thesis statement.

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