ES1103 Chap.3 Source Grids and Synthesis Markers
Source Grids and Synthesis Markers
A grid that makes relations visible
The source grid is the course's bridge between reading and writing. Its template has one row for each source and a column for each question: the citation, the key terms, the overall stance, the main claim and sub-claims, the evidence, your own response, and the connections with other sources.
The course describes the grid as a way of visualising relationships between sources that supports ideation, stance-taking and thesis development, and it is used for both essays: first with the four given readings, then with the four or five sources you find yourself.
Reading across rows
Filling a grid row by row produces summaries. Reading it column by column produces synthesis.
When the stance column shows two sources supportive and one conditional, or the evidence column shows one survey beside two qualitative studies, the relationship between them becomes something you can state. That statement is usually the topic sentence of a body paragraph.
The two columns most often left empty, your response and the connections, are the ones that later become your voice and your synthesis.
Turning a relation into a sentence
The fourth tutorial supplies the language for writing those relations, organised by meaning and by form.
Similarity, contrast and concession are the three relations; coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, sentence connectors and phrase connectors are the four forms. A concession, for example, can be written with yet, with although or even though, with nevertheless or admittedly, or with despite or in spite of.
Choosing the relation first and the form second keeps the logic stable while the sentences vary.
What a synthesis paragraph must show
The tutorial's writing task asks for a short body paragraph that uses information from two sources, both kinds of citation and at least three synthesis markers.
The peer review in the earlier tutorial checks three things in a paragraph: clear logical connections among the sources, accurate integration and representation of their ideas, and correct attribution. Those three checks map directly onto what the essay rubric rewards, which is why the grid and the markers are taught together rather than as separate skills.
What this chapter covers
- 01
The seven columns of the source grid and the question behind each
- 02
Reading the grid across rows to find the relation between sources
- 03
Similarity, contrast and concession as the three synthesis relations
- 04
Conjunctions, sentence connectors and phrase connectors as four forms
- 05
The peer-review checks that mirror the essay rubric
Worked example · free
From two grid rows to one synthesis sentence
- 1Identify the relation between the two rows.
- 1Choose a marker form that fits the relation.
- 2Write the sentence with both sources attributed.
Key terms
- Source Grid
- A table with one row per source recording its key terms, stance, claims, evidence, your response and its connections to other sources.
- Overall Stance
- A source's position on the issue, such as supportive, opposed, conditional or neutral, recorded in the grid.
- Synthesis Marker
- A word or phrase that states the relation between sources, such as whereas, similarly or although.
- Concession
- The relation in which a writer acknowledges one point before presenting a different or stronger one.
- Sentence Connector
- An adverbial such as however or nevertheless that links the meaning of one sentence to the previous one.
Source Grids and Synthesis Markers FAQ
Is the source grid submitted or graded?
The synthesis-essay grid is built as homework and in class, and the argumentative-essay grid and outline are submitted ungraded for peer review in Week 7. Neither carries marks, but both essays are much harder to write without one.
Which grid columns matter most for the essay?
Your own response and the connections with other sources. They are the columns that become your evaluative voice and your synthesis, and they are the ones students most often leave blank because they cannot be copied from the reading.
How many synthesis markers should a body paragraph contain?
The tutorial's practice paragraph asks for at least three in roughly 120 to 150 words. The number matters less than the fit: each marker should state a relation the sources really have.
What is the difference between contrast and concession?
Contrast sets two positions side by side as different. Concession grants that one point is true and then presents another that the writer weighs more heavily, which is why it is the usual shape of a rebuttal.
Assessment move
Build the grid in a document you can sort. After the last source is entered, sort by the stance column, then by the evidence column, and write one sentence for each grouping you see. Those sentences are candidate topic sentences, and the ones that need two or more sources are the ones worth keeping.
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