• Unit 3: How Information Shapes Ideas

    This unit explains the third reading competency: understanding the integration of information and ideas. This section considers how content is shaped by format and evidence and how different authors may approach similar topics in unique ways. This section steps back and looks at the "bigger picture" of a text and asks you to question why authors make choices about support and how they write in conversation with one another.

    In this unit, you'll learn how to review pieces of evidence in a text to better understand an author's purpose. You'll also identify conversations between authors and synthesize those conversations. You'll practice another test-taking strategy at the end of this unit: recognizing question types.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 1 hour.


    • Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

      • evaluate content based on its format;
      • evaluate relevancy, sufficiency, and validity and/or reasoning within texts;
      • formulate an explanation of a particular process, phenomenon, concept, or theme based on information gathered from a range of texts; and
      • examine how different authors develop similar themes (such as mode, style, genre, and point of view).

    • 3.1: Relevancy, Sufficiency, Validity and/or Reasoning

      An important "big picture" factor in understanding a text is understanding how and why an author chose evidence and how they used that evidence to support their central point. The following resources will help you see the patterns that emerge in writing and how evidence comes into play to develop a text.

      • Types of Evidence Page

        Authors need to include evidence when supporting their claims. An author must choose evidence that is easy for the reader to understand and clearly matches the ideas they want to convey. This can be a difficult task for an author since there is a wide variety of evidence available.

        As you read, look for different kinds of evidence. Do you see facts and statistics? Do you notice interviews or anecdotal accounts? Did the author look back at historical documents or refer to literary pieces? Recognizing the different kinds of evidence will help you better comprehend and analyze a text. Review this lesson on the variety of evidence you may encounter in a text.

      • Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Evidence Page

        One more way to differentiate between evidence is to consider where the evidence originates. Is it first-hand knowledge from an expert, or has it been examined and analyzed after the fact? This is the difference between primary, secondary, and tertiary sources of evidence. Authors may use several evidence types within a single text to best support their central idea. Review this article to see how and when an author may choose to use and shift between these types of sources for textual evidence.

      • Analyzing Evidence Page

        After differentiating types of evidence, it is essential to analyze it for its usefulness. If evidence is not reliable or credible, it will hinder an argument and detract from the author's main ideas. Asking questions as you read can help you determine if the information an author uses benefits the text. This article provides a series of questions you can ask to help analyze the evidence provided in a text.

      • Section 3.1 Knowledge Check Book

        This exercise asks you to consider how an author may integrate different types of evidence in a single text. Think about how and why an author may choose different ways to support a central idea. Go back over the resources from this section if you're unsure which type of evidence is being used.

    • 3.2: Reading Different Authors on the Same Theme

      We've now spent time looking at how a text is organized and supported, and we've considered how to analyze those pieces to draw our own conclusions. Even so, what do you do when faced with two or more texts about the same topic? What do you do when those authors don't agree on the same conclusion? This section will show you how authors work in "conversation" with one another and give you strategies to synthesize different texts and ideas.

      • Synthesis Page

        After you've identified the conversation happening across texts, it's essential to synthesize the authors' ideas. This means that you'll look at where they agree and disagree and bring your own ideas to build new conclusions.

        Watch this video for strategies on using synthesis to better understand how different authors develop similar themes.

      • Tips for those Taking State Certifying Exams: Recognizing Question Types Page

        Finally, we'll cover one last test-taking strategy. We've discussed three competencies in teaching the subject of reading. When tested on these competencies, the questions for each one will look a little different. Using the words and phrases in a question will help you better understand the question and have a better chance of answering correctly.

        Review this presentation and think about how the questions can be annotated to help you find success on your exam.

      • Section 3.2 Knowledge Check Book

        In this final exercise, we'll practice synthesizing two texts about the same topic: chocolate chip cookies! Even though the authors discuss the same topic, they do so in different ways and emphasize different points. As you've seen in our resources, this demonstrates a conversation surrounding the issue. Feel free to refer to this section if you need more reinforcement on analyzing and synthesizing texts.

    • Unit 3 Assessment

      • Unit 3 Assessment Quiz
        Receive a grade

        Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.

        • This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
        • You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
        • You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.