SYNTHESIZE INSIGHTS FROM

THE OBSERVATIONS,
COMMENTS, AND
RECOMMENDATIONS OF PEERS
AND/OR TEACHERS
Lesson 4
◦ Competency 4: Synthesize insights from the observations,
comments, and recommendations of peers and/or teachers
◦ Learning Objectives: At the end of the lesson, the learners shall be
able to:
◦ 1. Categorize the observations, comments, and recommendations
of peers and/or teachers
◦ 2. Integrate the observations, comments, and recommendations of
peers and/or teachers; and
◦ 3. Propose a plan of action based on the observations, comments,
and recommendations of peers and/or teachers
◦ Instructions: In a clean sheet of paper (a4 size) please
answer the following questions below in 3 to 5 sentences
ONLY. Make sure your work is neat, understandable, and
follows proper capitalization, Synthesize Insights from the
Observations, Comments, and Recommendations of Peers
and/or Teachers LESSON 4 30 punctuation, and grammar
rules. Five (5) points is the highest possible score in each
item. 1. What is synthesizing? 2. What do you know about
integrating? 3. How will you apply categorizing
Questions
◦1. What is synthesizing?
◦2. What do you know about
integrating?
◦3. How will you apply categorizing
 What is Synthesizing?

◦ Synthesizing is similar to baking a cake. When we bake a

cake, we combine all of the separate ingredients – eggs,
flour, sugar, butter, etc – to make a new thing, a cake!
When we synthesize, we take what we already know and
mix it with what we have learned from reading and
discussion to create new ideas and understandings
The REST Method
For upper elementary and middle 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.
The ADD Method
In younger grades or for students that are struggling with
synthesizing, teachers can use the ADD method. ADD is
similar to REST, but it can be used with just one text. The
advantage of ADD is that it helps students learn to integrate
their learning with what they already know and discussions
with other students. If students are still learning how to do
that, it may be too much for them to synthesize information
from multiple texts.
◦ A – what the students already knows about the topic. 
◦ D – what the student learned during the reading on the same
topic. 
◦ D – what the student learned during the discussion of the topic.
◦ I think of ADD as a stoplight. A is the red light, where students
stop and think about what they already know before moving on.
During the read, students proceed with caution (yellow light) and
process new facts about the topic. The green light is the
discussion, when students talk with peers and discuss what they
have learned about the subject.
Venn Diagram
◦ Students can use this method to record facts about two topics,
which go in the large outer circles and then record overlapping facts
and ideas where the circles overlap. They can add information at
each step – prior knowledge, reading, and discussion. From this
diagram, students can formulate their own ideas and thoughts about
the topic. However, keep in mind that Venn Diagrams really only
work well with simple topics and comparisons
Sample rubric in sythesizing