LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET IN ENGLISH 8

Worksheet No. 4, Quarter 4

Learner’s Name: __________________________________________________

Grade Level/Section: _______________________________________________

Date: __________________________________________________________

I. LEARNING SKILLS
A. Most Essential Learning Competency
-Synthesize essential information found in various sources.

II. INTRODUCTORY CONCEPT

What is synthesizing?
The prefix “syn” means together. When we synthesize, we pull together the most
important points from our reading, but we move beyond what’s stated by the author.
We focus on the insights that we gained from reading. We notice how our thinking
changes as we read, so that when we finish, we can put our thinking and learning
together in new ways. Debbie Miller says synthesizing is “the process through which
readers bring together their background knowledge and their evolving understanding
of the book to create a complete and original understanding of the text.
We not only synthesize within a text, but across texts, especially when we are
doing research or inquiry. We take what we learn from various sources and put it
together in original ways.
Learning to synthesize can be challenging for some students, but
there are a few different support strategies that teachers can use
in their lessons.

The REST Method

For upper elementary and junior high school grades, an easy approach to
teaching synthesizing is the REST method.

R – read two different sources about a topic and record ideas.
E – edit notes and combine concepts that are similar.
S – synthesize by combining notes with what you already know about
the topic.
T  – think about your new ideas and connect them to what you already
know.

Synthesizing information is the way that students can take information from multiple
sources and bring the information together. When these sources are combined together, it
creates one cohesive idea. This is typically how students learn new ideas, theories and
information in class. The information can be from primary or secondary sources as long as
ideas from each source are brought together in a cohesive way.

Synthesizing information refers to the way people can learn a single topic from
multiple sources, and it is often required in academic essays. In an essay, the student must find
a range of sources that they can assess. Then, they must compile the information into a logical
argument that supports their thesis statement. 

Synthesizing is different from summarizing because it uses many sources to build

around a single theme. With summarizing, the student is merely recapping the information they
read in the text. During the synthesizing process, the student will discover contradictory ideas as
well as information that relates to their topic. At its most basic level, synthesizing involves
looking for differences and similarities between various sources before combining the
information together.

III. ACTIVITIES

A. Practice Tasks
TASK 1
Directions: Read the passages carefully. Then, answer the questions below. Encircle the letter
of the correct answer.

Celebrating with Piṅatas

Piṅatas are decorated containers hung by a string. People hit them with a stick to break
them open. Everyone shares what falls from inside. Piṅatas have been around for centuries.

In China, piṅatas were used to celebrate the New Year. They were filled with seeds. After the
piṅatas was broken , people burned the seeds. They believed the ash brought good luck.

In Europe, piṅatas were used during church celebrations. The piṅatas were filled with
candies and fruits. When the piṅatas were broken, people filled blessed from heaven.

In Mexico, pinatas also were used to celebrate to celebrate gods. They were filled with
sweets and treasures. But people were blindfolded before they hit the pinata. It was harder to
break.

Today, pinata are often used at children’s parties. The pinatas are filled with candy and
small toys. People are blindfolded when they swing the stick. Pinatas are fun and exciting party
activity.

1. What is the best summary of the passage?

a. Pinatas are the most fun at parties
b. Pinatas are decorated containers
c. Pinatas are used for different seasons
d. Pinatas bring good luck
 2. What ideas can you synthesize to understand the pinatas were about special
beliefs in China and Europe?
a. Filled with candies used during Church.
b. Hung by a string, burned the seeds.
c. Brought good luck, blessed from heaven.
d. Pinata was broken, harder to break.

3. What new idea comes from information in the second, third and fourth
paragraph?
a. Chinese pinatas were very different
b. Only pinatas in Europe were religious
c. All pinatas were filled with sweets.
d. People were always blindfolded

4. What synthesis can you make about pinatas today?

a. They are only for children
b. They are like the Mexican tradition
c. They are religious
d. They are not hung by a string.
TASK 2
Directions: Read the two paragraphs below. Use the underlined phrases and other parts of
the paragraphs to synthesize the information. Then write responses to the prompts below.

Soil and Decomposers : A Perfect Pair

SOIL DECOMPOSERS

Have you ever wondered why soil is Did you know that recycling can happen
important? Soil is necessary for the survival naturally? Decomposers are a part of this
of many plants and animals. It provides heat, process. They recycle the energy from dead
nutrients, and water to plants. In addition, soil plants and animals, giving it back to the
is a part of waste conversion. This happens ecosystem. Chemical nutrients like carbon
when waste is turned into nutrients. Soil and nitrogen are produced. Without
contains nutrients that are necessary for decomposers, this cycle couldn’t continue! As
life and this contributes to the growth of strange as it may sound, living things
animals. Animals eat plants that grow in soil. depend on decomposers to maintain an
Soil is a very important part of the cycle of environment where they can thrive.
life.

Combine the information found in the paragraphs above to show how soil and decompose
contribute to the ecosystem.
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
How are soil and decomposers similar? How are they different?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
TASK 3
Directions: Read each paragraph. Use the space inside each arrow to take notes on each
sources. Then use the information from both paragraphs to synthesize the information from both
sources.
EARTH’S ECOSYSTEM: THE CORAL REEF

CORAL

Look! Beneath the clear blue

PLANTS water is an exquisite coral
reef. A coral reef may appear
You might already know to be only a rock, but it is
about trees and flowers but really a living part of an
underwater plants can be just ecosystem! Coral larvae
as important! In a coral reef
attach to rocks and as they
plants convert sunlight to
energy. Sometimes they are grow the reef expands. As
food for animals such as fish. coral reef helps to remove
Algae produces oxygen, and recycle carbon dioxide.
which is also a necessary part Algae finds a home within the
B. of
ASSESSMENT\
an ecosystem. Many parts reef. Coral also provides a
of the ecosystem rely on the shelter for animals. A coral
work of plants.
reef is both impressive and
vital to the survival of the
organisms.

Directions: Read and understand the text then compose a paragraph combining the evidence
from the text with your inferences.
TOPIC: __________________________________________

SYNTHESIS: Compose a paragraph combining the evidence with your inferences.

Highlights and Recent Updates on COVID-19

Issue 41 | June 8, 2020

• DOH recorded 16,362 active cases as of June 7, with the majority of the patients

exhibiting mild symptoms (15,627; 95.5%).

• A total of 2,736 (12% of all cases) healthcare workers have been affected by COVID-

19, with 1,589 recoveries and 32 deaths.

• As of June 7, a total of 55,859 Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROF) have arrived (Land

based: 17,419; Sea-based: 38,440) in the country. Of these figures, 43,143 have been

released from facility quarantine (Land-based: 11,094; Sea-based: 32,049). Among the

ROFs, 1,376 were confirmed COVID-19 (Land-based: 1,047; Sea-based: 329). Among

the confirmed COVID-19 ROF, 623 are currently admitted (Land-based: 434; Sea

based: 189); 267 recovered; and 1 death.

• DOH has approved a total of 8,431 slots for hiring in 238 facilities. DOH has redeployed

a total of 1,287 NDP nurses (214 in Luzon and 1,073 in Visayas and Mindanao) to DOH

and LGU hospitals catering COVID-19 cases.

• To provide guidance to the immediate establishment and implementation of a COVID-

19 Convalescent Plasma Donation Program, DOH has issued a Department

Memorandum No. 2020-0216 entitled “Collection of Convalescent Plasma and

Networking for Therapeutic Strategy for COVID-19.”

• The DOH reiterates to the public the importance of adapting to the New Normal setting.

In the case where people need to go out for errands, the public is still advised to observe

minimum health standards. In grocery, markets, and food retail settings, everyone is

advised to avoid large groups of people and long queues. For their safety as well as

others, customers are discouraged from touching items/products if they are not sure yet

in buying the item.

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialDOHgov

IV. RUBRIC FOR SCORING

CRITERIA 5 3 1

Neatness The text is clearly The text is vague The text is not clearly

related to the topic and some points are stated and irrelevant
and
 appropriately stated. irrelevant to the topic. at all.

Organization The text is logically The text is somehow The text is illogical

organized and well logically organized and unorganized.

structured. and structured.

Grammar The text has no The text has few The text has many

grammatical error grammatical errors. grammatical errors.

V. REFERENCES

https://www.facebook.com/OfficialDOHgov

https://readingrecovery.clemson.edu/summarize-and-synthesize/

https://www.classroomnook.com/blog/synthesizing-a-tex

https://www.simplypsychology.org/synthesising.html#

http://reading.ecb.org/downloads/syn_lp_S

http://literacycompanion.weebly.com/

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/

Prepared by:

MA.TERESA T. GREBIALDE, T-III

Viga Rural Development High School/Catanduanes

Quality Assured by:

GINA B. PANTINO, Ed. D.

Education Program Supervisor, English