Grade 9 · Rhetoric and Synthesis · Rhetorical Analysis
Synthesising Multiple Sources
Map agreements and tensions across sources.
Learning objectives
- Map agreements and tensions across sources
- Write a synthesis claim
- Cite three sources in one paragraph
AERO English Language Arts alignment
AERO.ELA.9.RI.9
Analyse two or more texts on the same topic, comparing how each shapes its presentation of key information and interpretation of facts. Grade 9 / MYP 4 emphasis: sustain analysis across complex texts, integrate several sources and control academic register.
AERO.ELA.9.RI.7
Integrate and evaluate information presented in different media and formats, including charts, maps, infographics and video, as well as in words. Grade 9 / MYP 4 emphasis: sustain analysis across complex texts, integrate several sources and control academic register.
AERO.ELA.9.RI.10
Read and comprehend a wide range of informational and digital texts, including texts about the Gulf region, independently and proficiently. Grade 9 / MYP 4 emphasis: sustain analysis across complex texts, integrate several sources and control academic register.
AERO.ELA.9.RI.3
Analyse how a text introduces, illustrates and elaborates key individuals, ideas or events, including through examples and anecdotes. Grade 9 / MYP 4 emphasis: sustain analysis across complex texts, integrate several sources and control academic register.
AERO.ELA.9.RI.5
Analyse the structure an author uses to organise a text, including how major sections and paragraphs contribute to the whole and to the development of ideas. Grade 9 / MYP 4 emphasis: sustain analysis across complex texts, integrate several sources and control academic register.
MYP criteria
- Criterion A — Analysing
- Criterion B — Organizing
ENGAGE
One Question, Different Answers
Imagine that your school is considering how to make outdoor walking routes more usable during warm weather. A student survey, a facilities report and a chart may all provide relevant evidence, but they may not tell exactly the same story. Synthesis means placing these sources in conversation rather than summarising them separately. In this lesson, you will identify agreements and tensions, examine how format and purpose shape information, and build one controlled paragraph that cites three sources.
Think about it
- When might reliable sources disagree?
- What can a chart reveal that prose may hide?
EXPLORE
Read a Three-Source Mini-Dossier
Source A — Student council proposal: Outdoor routes connect the library, sports hall and main classrooms, yet many students avoid them at midday. In our survey of 180 students, 68% said that additional shade would make them walk between buildings more often. Covered paths would support movement, reduce crowded indoor corridors and make the campus more welcoming. Because students experience these routes every day, their responses should guide the school's first priority: installing shade along the busiest path.
Source B — Facilities manager's briefing: Shade can improve comfort, but construction should follow a full review of route use, airflow, maintenance and cost. The student survey records opinions rather than observed behaviour, and it does not show whether respondents use the same paths. Before selecting a route, the school should conduct pedestrian counts at several times of day. A pilot canopy near the library would then allow the school to test its effect before extending the project.
| Source C: observed route | 07:15–07:30 | 12:30–12:45 | Total walkers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Library path | 96 | 38 | 134 |
| Sports hall path | 61 | 49 | 110 |
| Garden path | 44 | 17 | 61 |
Read across the sources
Source A uses survey responses and inclusive language to advocate action. Source B qualifies the proposal and requests further testing. Source C presents observations without explaining why the numbers vary.
Think about it
- On what main point do Sources A and B agree?
- What tension exists between Source A's survey and Source B's reasoning?
- How does Source C support or complicate the proposed focus on the library path?
EXPLAIN
How to Build a Synthesis
1. Synthesis is more than summary
A summary reports what each source says. A synthesis explains a relationship among sources and uses that relationship to support a claim. Instead of writing three separate mini-summaries, organise your paragraph around an idea such as agreement, qualification, tension or limitation.
| Relationship | Question to ask | Useful language |
|---|---|---|
| Agreement | Which conclusion do sources share? | Both sources indicate; similarly; supports |
| Qualification | Which source adds a condition or limit? | However; qualifies; only if; although |
| Tension | Where do evidence or interpretations differ? | In contrast; challenges; does not establish |
| Extension | Which source adds a new dimension? | Furthermore; extends this view; reveals |
2. Evaluate how each source shapes information
Consider purpose, evidence and medium. Source A advocates immediate action, so it foregrounds a persuasive percentage and student experience. Source B advises decision-makers, so it emphasises uncertainty and procedure. Source C uses numerical observations, allowing route comparisons but giving no explanation of causes. These choices shape interpretation even when the sources discuss the same issue.
Avoid a false conflict
A survey of preferences and a count of behaviour measure different things. Their results can create tension, but they do not automatically contradict one another. Name exactly what each source measures.
Build your paragraph in this order: make a defensible synthesis claim; connect Source A to the claim; introduce agreement or tension from Source B; integrate the chart from Source C; then explain the combined significance. Example claim: Although the sources support improving outdoor routes, they suggest that the school should test shade on the library path before committing to a campus-wide project.
Three-source citation model
Source A's survey suggests strong support for additional shade, while Source B qualifies this demand by distinguishing stated preferences from observed behaviour. The route counts strengthen the case for a library pilot because this path had the highest total use, although its midday count was lower than its morning count (Source C). Together, the evidence supports targeted testing rather than immediate campus-wide construction.
MYP_PRACTICE
Write a Controlled Synthesis Paragraph
Use Sources A, B and C to write one paragraph of 120–160 words. Decide whether the evidence supports immediate construction, a limited pilot or further investigation. Your paragraph must map at least one agreement and one tension, cite all three sources and maintain a formal academic register.
- Create a three-column source map: key evidence, rhetorical shaping and relationship to other sources.
- Write one synthesis claim that is arguable, qualified and broad enough to connect all three sources.
- Select one precise detail from each source; include at least one number from Source C.
- Draft one paragraph using transitions that signal agreement, qualification or tension.
- Check that your final sentence explains what the combined evidence establishes.
EXIT_TICKET
Before you close this lesson
Think about it
- How did comparing the sources change or qualify your initial claim?
- Which sentence in your paragraph most clearly synthesises rather than summarises?
Watch
How to Read a Scholarly Article
Western University · 3 min
Learn how to navigate the sections of a scholarly article and locate its central findings efficiently.
Before you watch: Which parts of a scholarly article would you examine before reading it closely?
- What information can you usually find in an abstract?
- How would you decide whether an article is relevant to your research question?
Watch
Check Yourself with Lateral Reading: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #3
CrashCourse · 14 min
Learn to investigate online claims by leaving a page and checking what reliable external sources say about it.
Before you watch: Why might studying only one webpage give you an incomplete picture?
- What is lateral reading, and how is it different from reading vertically?
- Which outside sources would you consult to verify an unfamiliar website?
Interactive practice · source synthesis grid
Map, Claim, Connect
Complete the source map before drafting. Record what each source contributes, how it shapes information and where it agrees with or challenges another source. Then use the frame only if needed and check that your paragraph integrates all three sources.
Rows to complete
Check your answer
Task
Your aim is to make the sources converse around one defensible claim.
Moves to try
Sentence frames
Your answer
This draft stays in this tab only. Copy anything you want to keep into your learning log below.
Key vocabulary
- synthesis
- Combining sources to develop a new, supported understanding.
- tension
- A meaningful difference between sources' evidence, emphasis or conclusions.
- qualify
- To limit or refine a claim by adding conditions.
- rhetorical shaping
- How presentation choices influence an audience's understanding.
Practice questions
0/3 correct
Level 1 · Criterion A
How does Source A shape its presentation of the issue?
Level 2 · Criterion A
Which statement best describes the relationship between Sources A and B?
Level 3 · Criterion B
Which is the strongest synthesis claim for a paragraph using all three sources?
MYP criterion tasks
Level 2 · Criterion A
Explain one way Source C supports Source A and one way it complicates Source A's proposal.
Level 3 · Criterion B
Write a 90–120-word synthesis paragraph that cites Sources A, B and C and explains their combined significance.
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