Tonight: Brainstorm possible ideas for the project below. Think about who you might work with.
Draft Assignment
Wesley 3AP Social Issue Research and AP Synthesis Project:
Creating an AP Synthesis Prompt, Source Packet, and Paper
“Come in to your research in
ignorance, as long as you don’t come out that way.”
Katherine Boo, author of the book, Behind
the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity, winner
of the National Book Award,
Point
Value: 200 points total
(100 points for synthesis prompt and
materials; 70 points for student essay response; 20 points for hitting due-dates,
etc.)
Assignment
Background: As we have just finished The Great Gatsby and anticipate reading Beloved, and prepare to take the AP Language and Composition exam, this project merges three
topics of pertinent study: social problems, research, and synthesis essay
writing. The book is a springboard for
talking about complex challenges in a complex world. But we also need to start
preparing for the AP Language and Composition exam’s synthesis essay. This project will help us hone our research
skills, become more aware of a current social issues, consider possible
solutions, and prepare for and practice writing a synthesis essay.
Assignment
Congratulations! The national AP
test writers have nominated this class to write their next synthesis prompts.
Yessss!!!!
Will
I be given an example?
Abso-freakin-lutely! While writing, use the AP packets (both the source packet
and the student essay packets) to help guide you. These are your models!
Can
I work with a partner? You betcha!
You may work with a partner (of course you don’t have to…some people work
better alone).
What do we do?
1)
Identify a current (in
the news in the last two years), important, and debatable state, national or international issue. Your issue must
meet all of these criteria.
2)
Research that issue,
problem, challenge.
3)
Develop a writing prompt/question that is debatable and offers an opportunity for a variety
of responses. You will need to
write a prompt which invites the reader to consider at least two possible views
of how to best deal with/improve the problem a
4)
Research
– and select - a balanced
mix of source documents which address the issue from different
perspectives, thereby providing material to help foster a fair and balanced debate
about possible responses or solutions.
5)
You will write your own summary and analysis of each of your
sources, providing some perspective on why you chose them and how they
support one response or another (e.g., pro vs con) to the prompt. Doing this
summary and analysis of each source will help you later when you write an essay
response to your own prompt.
6)
Write a synthesis essay in response
to your prompt.
Intellectual
Honesty:
I am aware that many of you have done research projects in the past, (e.g.,
last year in Global Studies), or are currently doing one for another class. That’s
great. But I must stress that with this project I want you to research something new, not simply
repackage another research project. Your
topic must be a new for you and your partner. So, to be clear…you may
not recycle, reuse other research projects (or parts of other projects). Learn something new – it’s good for you.
Also, although you might end up
asking a question or writing a prompt that is similar to one found on a current
events and/or debate-centered site like the New York Times Room for Debate page, you must find original source documents (and
read them and extract excerpts from them)
You may not simply repackage
debates and sources from other sources or from students in other classes. That
is plagiarism. So while you may consult and use source materials from a variety
of places, your questions and sources must not be plagiarized from sites that
are doing something very similar to what I am asking you to do in this
project. Those sites might inspire you,
make you aware of current issues and debates, but you are not allowed to simply
use their exact prompt or all of
their source materials (that would be plagiarism). I will, however, allow you
to use a total of one source from a
debate-centered site/book.
Topics
that are not eligible for this project because they have been done too often
(these leapt to mind)
Abortion
Gun control
Legalization of marijuana
Should schools require PE
Should schools provide free
breakfast/lunch
Note:
All topics/prompts are subject to approval by Mr. Wesley.
How
to get started:
Brainstorm
with people you know regarding complex, compelling issues/problems that exist
in our state, nation or world. What conflicts and challenges are out there
now or looming in the future? What have you seen in the news? What have you
talked about in classes (e.g., when we read 1984)?
What have you discussed with family and friends?
Consult
a variety of news sites and magazines to see what is being
discussed and debated. The following is
a mix of centrist, conservative and liberal sources (in no particular order)
which might help you get started. This is a good list, but only a partial list;
there are many more out there: New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox
News, PBS Frontline, BBC, The Guardian, Slate, The National Review, Mother Jones,
The Economist, Popular Science, National Geographic, The Week, Slate,
Huffington Post, Reason. Key question to
begin your research:
Check
out sites that special in social justice issues such
as United Nations (UN) website (issues/campaigns), HumanRights.org, Amnesty
International and Doctors Without Borders, to name a few.
Questions
to help your explore your issue further…Who, What, Where, When, Why? The
following questions will help you find important background.
Who is being effected by this issue?
What are the major reasons that this issue/conflict exists?
Where is this issue or conflict happening?
When did this issue or conflict begin?
What solution(s) might exist and what information
needs to be considered in assessing which is best and/or practical?
Step one:
You choose the topic (example—Syrian refugees).
Step two: This topic is too generic, but it is a great starting
point. Once you have the topic, begin to
create a specific angle that leads to a clear question (this may take some
research and searching)-examples: Who are the Syrian refugees? Why are they refugees? Why are they leaving
Syria? Where are they going? What, if anything, should be done to help them?
Who should help them? How can they be helped?
Step three: Formulate a guiding question—make sure that it is clear and
specific— which could be turned into a synthesis prompt. A suitable question
might be “Should the United States take
in Syrian refugees, and if so, how many?” Note that you many AP prompts ask
students respond to a statement or position, so you might choose to change your
AP prompt into a debatable statement rather than a question. Bottom line: Your prompt
must invite a student to take a position in the debate (e.g., the essayist might
choose a pro or con position on accepting Syrian refugees)—but you, as the
writer of the prompt, should attempt to remain neutral and be fair and balanced
in framing the issue.
Step four: Find six sources which present balanced mix of source
materials for the reader/writer to consider. For example, if you have a pro/con
type of question/prompt, three sources should more clearly support one side of
the argument (pro) while three other sources should more clearly support the
other side of the argument (con); however, you may also include up to two sources
which are neutral/objective. Also, remember that one of your six sources must
be a visual source. What is important is
that overall your mix of sources provide balanced support for BOTH sides of the
issue, not weak sources for one side and strong for the other. Also, remember what I said about using
sources from debate-centered sites: you may only use one source from that type
of website (or book).
Source
write-ups: Once you have selected your six
sources, you must do a clear and concise paragraph write up on each
source. Explain which position (pro,
con, objective) you believe the source best supports and why. These write-ups
should be clear and concise: a well-developed paragraph which immediately
states whether the source is best described as pro, con, or neutral, and then
uses embedded quotes, paraphrase, and sound reasoning to explain why your team
believes it best fits the pro, con, or neutral category.
IMPORTANT
POINT: Your sources should be non-fiction,
however, you have the option to replace one (but no more than one) of your
written non-fiction pieces with an excerpt from a piece of fiction (e.g., 1984) we have read this year.
Also, please be sure to label each
source as source A-F. This label should
be at the top of the page.
Finally, create an AP style rubric
(1-9 scoring) tailored specifically to your prompt.
Final
product:
· You will have a prompt
page that contextualizes the topic and contains the synthesizing prompt.
· You will have five to six sources—one source per page.
· You will create an AP-style
rubric (scored on 1-9 scale) for your prompt.
· Attached as an appendix, you will submit a pro, con,
objective source write-ups (one per source).
Once you have completed the your
prompt and supporting materials, you will write and in-class essay in response
to your prompt.
Bell
Schedule for Thursday, March 2, 2017
South Campus Period
North Campus
7:45 –
9:07
1 7:45
– 8:26
7:45
Arrive to class,
take attendance,
drop-off book bags
7:48 Proceed to field house
7:58 Recognition
Assembly
8:18 Return to 1st Period class
8:28 – 9:07 Conduct 1st Period class
9:13 –
9:54
2
8:32 – 9:14
10:00 –
10:41
3
9:20 – 10:01
10:47 – 11:12
(25
min.)
4a
10:07 – 10:32 (25 min.)
11:17 – 11:42
(25
min.)
4b
10:37 – 11:02 (25 min.)
11:48 – 12:13
(25
min.)
5a
11:08 – 11:33 (25 min.)
12:18 – 12:43
(25
min.)
5b
11:38 – 12:03 (25 min.)
12:49 –
1:30
6
12:09 – 12:50
1:36 –
2:17
7
12:56-1:37
2:23 –
3:05
8
1:43 – 3:05
1:43
Arrive to class, take attendance, drop-off book bags
1:46 Proceed to the FH
1:56 Recognition Assembly
2:16 Return to 8th period
2:26 – 3:05 Conduct 8th period class
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