EMPOWERMENT: to enable or permit;

to invest with power or authority

Portfolio 3.2: Malcolm X Synthesis

Would it be possible for public schools to empower students in the way that Malcolm X’s self-education empowered him? If so, how? If not, why? Consider what other authors have said about the topic of public education and use their ideas (specific quotes, please) to support and/or refute Malcolm X’s approach to education. Use at least THREE authors from the unit to support your ideas.

Getting Started on the Synthesis

Step 1: What is Malcolm X’s point? Before you begin writing, analyze Malcolm X’s motivation for learning. What prompted him to educate himself? What kinds of knowledge did Malcolm X gain by learning to read? How did this knowledge free or empower him? Are there limitations his approach to learning?

Step 2: Finding similarities/differences in ideas. Review the key ideas and/or other authors from the Education Unit. How do their ideas either support or challenge Malcolm X’s approach to education?

o Bloom’s Taxonomy

o Moore

o Gatto

o Anyon

o Rose

Step 3: After seeing where ideas overlap OR conflict, begin to build your own thesis around this prompt: Would it be possible for public schools to empower students in the way that Malcolm X’s self-education empowered him? If so, how? If not, why?

Step 4: Begin drafting. Body paragraphs should be focused on YOUR IDEAS and supported by the authors (think: If so, how? If not, why?). The essay is about public education and personal empowerment; this is larger than just Malcolm X although he is the basis of the synthesis. Be sure to cite your page numbers and authors – this is especially important as you move through various authors’ ideas.

Be sure that each body paragraph:

· Begins with a sentence or phrase the topic of the paragraph;

· Include information from more than one source;

· Clearly indicate which material comes from which source using transitions and topic sentences, and in-text citations.

· Show the similarities or differences between the different sources in ways that make the paper as informative as possible;

· Represent the texts fairly.

Step 5: Blend your evidence. Writing a good synthesis means combing elements of several sources to make a point. This means that your evidence (and commentary) will include at least three of the authors we discussed in the unit and will be blended into your discussion to SUPPORT your key ideas. The evidence should not be the lead in the paragraphs – it is SUPPORT; think of the evidence helping you say, “See, this is why my ideas are right.”

Step 6: The conclusion: you should return to your main thesis or key topics and outline questions, which remain open, or issues that ought to be further explored – this is the extension of the topic.

Things to watch out for:

o Avoid summary: You need to come back to the various authors throughout your essay as appropriate; don’t just have a paragraph with support solely from Anyon followed by a paragraph with support solely from Gatto – this runs the risk of becoming a summary of people’s ideas rather than a focused discussion.

o Focus on the ideas, not the authors of those ideas. Your essay should not sound like a list of unrelated ideas by unrelated people.

o Beware of plagiarism: Accidental plagiarism most often occurs when students are synthesizing sources and do not indicate where the synthesis ends and their own comments begin. Use AUTHOR TAGS or parenthetical citations. Be sure to give page numbers when appropriate.