Template for Synthesis Questions
Step 3 Worksheet for Source Documents
AP English Language and Composition Synthesis Project
Description of Project:
Goals:
Requirements:
1. The topics (must be approved by teacher):
Consider the follow general categories to get you started if you are struggling
2. A carefully written prompt, which includes
3. The documents related to your assigned topic, clearly labeled A-F and including any necessary introductory information
Use the AP synthesis format (language, length of excerpts, boxes, and so on) as a template for your final product. Format your project exactly as if it were from the College Board.
4. The whole package neatly put together in the following order on the due date:
Step 1: (Due by Tuesday morning at 10am) - Also begin looking for articles related to your topic!
Choose a topic (you are not limited to these options) - Your topic must be something that has two sides to it or considers numerous factors - A focused topic not broad - abortion and capital punishment are out ,
Consider the following possible topics for your project.
Personal technology effects and implications, Higher Ed admissions system, Border Control/Immigration, Population growth, Standardized testing, Plastic surgery, Social media effects and implications, Security vs. privacy: information, Parenting styles, The War on Terrorism
Previous Years Topics:
Taxpayers’ money be directed toward the building of private stadiums, The most important factors when deciding whether or not to purchase genetically modified foods, most important factors a parent should consider before deciding to homeschool their child who is not travelling for sports or any other unavoidable circumstances, the foremost factors schools should consider when transitioning from traditional test taking to online tests, the most important considerations facing the sports federations when deciding how to incorporate transgender athletes into the Olympics.
Watch for clarification
Step 2: (Due Wednesday Night by 8pm) - You will see a template at top of page for project. Use this.
Prompt Page Draft
You will be creating an AP English Synthesis Question Prompt page.
Your Prompt Page will have three parts:
Directions: This will be the same for all of you, and should read exactly as it does on the sample ones.
Introduction: This section will serve as an introduction to your topic, since the writer may be unfamiliar with the issue. It should be one to two paragraphs in length. You will want to give background information about the subject at hand. Keep in mind that this Introduction goes BEFORE the reader has gotten to the Assignment section. Be careful to address each multiple potential sides to the issue, so you do not “slant” the reader in one direction. You will need to determine what background information is MOST essential to the writer who is going to view the accompanying sources.
Assignment: Parts of this section may very closely resemble those on the sample prompts. Be sure to tell them to read the attached sources and write an essay. Your prompt should require the student to include elements of both exposition and argument. You may be asking your writer to propose a potential solution to the problem. You want your writer to offer an opinion or suggestion about something, not just explain the topic. But you also want them to give enough background information to explain how they came to their conclusion. Examples:
A. Exposition Assignment (bad): Write an essay in which you examine which issues are involved
in making decisions about Space Exploration.
B. Argument Assignment (bad): Write an essay in which you agree or disagree with the necessity of Space Exploration.
C. Both (good): Develop a position about what issues should be considered most important in making decisions about Space Exploration.
Example Directions
Based on 6 sources. Write an essay that evaluates whether college is worth its cost.
Based on 7 sources. In an essay, examine the factors a group or agency should consider in memorializing an event or person and in creating a monument.
Write an essay that argues a clear position on whether the USPS should be restructured to meet the needs of a changing world, and if so, how.
Write an essay that develops a position on the extent to which government should be responsible for fostering green practices.
AVOID this because it limits a well-rounded argument and does not compel student to consider the counter:
.... take a position that supports, opposes, or qualifies the claim that...
Sample Prompts with Intro Included
2014: Many recent college graduates have faced record levels of unemployment. This situation has led people to question what they value about higher education. Some high school students and their parents are wondering if a college education is worth the cost. Others, however, believe that a college education prepares students for more than just a job or career.
Based on 6 sources. Write an essay that evaluates whether college is worth its cost.
2013: The need to memorialize events or people is complex; in some cases, monuments honor moments of great achievement, while in other cases, monuments pay homage to deep sacrifice. A monument’s size, location, and materials are all considerations in planning and creating a memorial to the past.
Based on 7 sources. In an essay, examine the factors a group or agency should consider in memorializing an event or person and in creating a monument.
2012: The United States Postal Service (USPS) has delivered communications for more than two centuries. During the nineteenth century, the USPS helped to expand the boundaries of the United States by providing efficient and reliable communication across the country. Between 1790 and 1860 alone, the number of post offices in the United States grew from 75 to over 28,000. With this growth came job opportunities for postal workers and a boom in the cross-country rail system. The twentieth century brought substantial growth to the USPS, including large package delivery and airmail. Over the past decade, however, total mail volume has decreased considerably as competition from electronic mail and various package delivery companies has taken business away from the USPS. The loss of revenue has prompted the USPS to consider cutting back on delivery days and other services.
Based on 8 sources. Write an essay that argues a clear position on whether the USPS should be restructured to meet the needs of a changing world, and if so, how.
Step 3: Due by Thursday at 8pm - You will fill out paper at top of this page that says Step 3. It will analyze your sources - you will also plug in your sources into the template page where your directions are from step 2. Remember - you will want to include work cited at top as well as italicize information to help establish context of piece. You will only turn in worksheet to me!!
The most effective Synthesis Prompts give the test-takers a wide variety of sources to consider. These sources are of various types, various lengths, and various opinions. This diversity allows each test-taker to choose their own individual approach to the assignment, while providing them with the tools to adequately synthesize into their paper.
You are going to choose 6 sources specific to your assigned “piece of the puzzle” in regards to your group’s topic. This will ensure that your group will be providing sources that show the complexity of the issue.
Therefore, when choosing your sources, keep several guidelines in mind:
1) Choose sources which cover a variety of viewpoints on your assigned factor, making sure to keep sides “even.”
2) Choose sources from a wide variety of locations and formats. Use the list below as guidance; it is certainly not all-inclusive. Requirements for the final synthesis are in CAPITAL letters. Beyond those required types, you may choose the rest of your sources at your discretion.
** ACADEMIC JOURNAL
** DATA
Essay by an expert
Field-Specific Magazine
Government Publication
Government Website
Graph
** IMAGE
Letter to editor
Local Newspaper
National Newspaper (online or print editions)
News website
Online Article (about.com, Wikipedia, etc.)
** EDITORIAL (from newspaper/magazine)
Poll Results
Popular Magazine (People, Time, Newsweek)
Primary Book Source
Private Web Page or Blog
Published letter from an individual
Transcript of Oral Commentary or Interview
3) Consider the validity of your sources. It is acceptable to have an opinion piece which could obviously be biased, but make sure that the source is still reliable.
4) Your sources should be a combination of opinion and factual writing. It’s hard to “have a conversation” with facts so make sure that you’re getting sources that talk about the issue, rather than just defining it or giving background information.
4) Remember that ultimately you are going to be taking EXCERPTS (see examples), not an entire source. That means that you should choose your sources even more carefully, considering which PARTS of a source you may want to use.
5) Think “outside the box” when looking for sources. The most obvious choices are not always the best.
(6) Have fun! To create an assignment like this is challenging, but can also be very rewarding and is evidence of higher-level thinking skills!
Step 4: Revise and Format - Project due by Sunday night at 8pm.
Formatted Sources
Compare sources with those of your topic group. Together, choose excerpts from 6 sources total that show the various complexities of your topic. Also make sure that the ones you ultimately choose are from a variety of locations and types according to the rules outlined in Step 3.
Follow the examples given regarding how final copies of your sources should look.
1. Make sure that each is no more than one page long. Remember, you’re using excerpts!
2. Give Citation information at the top of each source.
3. Give “plain-English” background information about the source’s origins.
Consider that your projects will be given to future generations of AP students as examples of what a synthesis prompt looks like.
Hand in your final 6 formatted sources in a packet with your final Prompt Page
Revise
Research often takes us in directions we didn’t know existed until we started looking! Since you may have made changes to your Prompt Page as you’ve acquired sources and learned more about your topic, as a group turn in a final draft at this time with your sources!
Be sure to label the prompt page with a list of sources and citations, now that you know them!