Writing the Synthesis Essay* AP English Language & Composition *adapted from Barron’s AP English Language and Composition

The Synthesis (Argumentative) Essay The prompt requires you to argue a certain point of view on a given issue. Along with the prompt, you will be given several sources related to the issue ▫Image (photo, chart, graph, table, or cartoon) ▫Passages (primary & secondary sources) related to the issue You must draw supporting facts, ideas, and information from those sources to support your argument You will have 55 minutes to complete this question ▫15 minutes to read the sources ▫40 minutes to write This is basically a short research paper

Genetically Modified Foods What is the context information? ▫GMs are safe, desirable for increase in population and demand for more food. (Pro GMs) ▫GMs are dangerous to people and ecosystems (Con GMs) What is the actual prompt question? ▫What should the role of GMs be?

Reading the Sources Use the prompt as a lens as you read the resources. 1.Read ALL of the sources!!! 2.Read sources with an open mind 3.Weigh all of the evidence before making a decision about your argument

Keep these strategies in mind: ▫Read to understand what the source has to say  Underline striking ideas, topic sentences, and other key words and phrases  Don’t over annotate, though, because it can confuse you in the end ▫Read to analyze the author’s position on the issue  When the author presents evidence in favor of the claim, put a + (or a )  When the evidence opposes it, put a – (or a  ) ▫Read for evidence and data that help define your position on the issue  Make a table of pros and cons if you have to! ▫Interpret the visual source  What relevant information does it contribute to the discussion of the issue?

Support Paragraphs Support your position with appropriate, relevant evidence. ▫Do not merely adopt the arguments you see in the sources. Use the sources as a springboard! ▫Consider yourself as a writer who participates in a conversation with the sources. ▫Your case should indicate critical thinking on your part – going beyond what the sources have said. Your own observations are important. SOOOOOO IMPORTANT!

Assessing the Validity of Sources Part 1 – Context Consider the following when possible: ▫When it was published ▫Where it came from ▫Who its readers were likely to be (intended audience) ▫What its purpose was

Assessing the Validity of Sources Part Two: Primary, Secondary ▫Primary Sources are original materials  From the time period involved  Have not been filtered, interpreted, or evaluated ▫Secondary Research  Accounts written after the fact, with the benefit of hindsight  Not evidence, but commentary and discussion of evidence

Genetically Modified Foods Test yourselves: What are your sources? Source A ▫Secondary Source B ▫Secondary Source C ▫Primary Source D ▫Primary Source E ▫Secondary Source F ▫Secondary Source G ▫Secondary

Why does the ethos of the source affect your argument? Secondary sources are often opinion – and so they are arguments. Secondary sources can serve as an angle to argue ▫Use them as a springboard for you to agree with and add to with specific examples. ▫Use them as a springboard for you to disagree with and disprove with specific examples. Primary arguments are facts that can validate your claims! They can be examples!

Your Turn: Make an argument paragraph to answer the GM prompt. Use a combination of these argument components: ▫Topic sentence with your assertion about what the role of GMs should be ▫Primary source fact that you then develop with discussion, analysis, explanation ▫Secondary source assertion, that you then agree or disagree with by explaining and validating with an example CITE YOUR SOURCES! ▫Source A ▫(Agadoni)

PAUSE HERE…

EVALUATE YOUR PARAGRAPH… Label the purpose of each sentence: 1.Claim made by a source 2.Claim made by you 3.Fact from a source 4.Analysis by a source 5.Analysis by you 6.Example that you brought to the table

End every paragraph with your own sentence, not with a quote. The essay is yours, so your voice must dominate it. Even in your conclusion, if you use an engaging quotation, end with one more sentence of your own prose to signal your complete ownership of the essay.

Introduction Set the tone broadly ▫Anecdote ▫Provocative Idea ▫Quotation from the prompt, from one of the sources, or from your own reading or experience ▫Knock down a commonly held assumption, or define a word in a startling new way ▫Interesting Question ▫If you attempt to start with a cheesy rhetorical question or dictionary definition, there will be heck to pay!!!

Brief background information on the topic used to connect to the thesis. In other words, create a context for your thesis. Thesis Statement ▫Write your thesis, which should be a clear (generally one sentence) statement expressing your opinion and showing what you will argue. Use the prompt to create your thesis. Stick to the limits of what you are being asked to do – do not go “rogue” and wander away from the prompt. ▫Your thesis should  Be specific enough to be the topic of a short paper  Express the writer’s opinion  Be controversial – worthy of an argument  Address the issue raised by the question

Counterargument There is no right or wrong place to include the counterargument – see where it makes the best sense for your paper. Avoid “faulty reasoning”: ▫Irrelevant testimony (Has nothing to do with the question) ▫Snob appeal (Don’t try to make something true just because an elite group of people believes it) ▫Circular reasoning ▫Absence of proof ▫Oversimplification ▫Telling only half the story ▫Going to extremes

Incorporating Sources Use the minimum number of sources your prompt requires (usually three or four), but do not worry about having to use more. You may, but you do not have to and will not lose points for failing to do so. Citing all of the resources will not make your paper stronger. Do not mindlessly or carelessly blend a quotation from one of the sources into your argument. Select carefully, remain faithful to the intent of the speaker, and follow up with your own commentary.

Incorporating Sources In other words, don’t parrot the material you cite or quote. Rather, intelligently respond to it. You might comment on its relevance or merit. Identify the speaker’s name and credentials in your sentence. After all, who said something and what his or her motives may be is important information. Do not “rip off” a point and drop it into your argument without additional comment.

Use direct and indirect quotes, paraphrasing, and commentary ▫Direct quotes  Word-for-word – everything must be perfectly duplicated from the original  Cite only what is needed, not more, not less. If you only need a small phrase from a quotation, use that. Generally speaking, use direct quotations when you cannot say it better in a paraphrase than the original.  Do not awkwardly change the tense of a quote using parentheses in order to fit your prose. Use paraphrasing instead. ▫Indirect quotes  No quotation marks needed – reports an idea without quoting it word for word

Paraphrasing vs. Commentary ▫Paraphrasing  Restating someone else’s idea in your own words; contains same information and should be roughly the same length as the original  When paraphrasing, be careful not to interpret. Shorten the work with precision, keeping the exact argument intact. Do not misrepresent evidence to make it fit your thesis. You may even use some exact words or phrases from the original, but you will be writing your own statement (with citation, of course!). ▫Commentary  Adapt and shape sources to build your main idea  The author of Source B offers a short-sighted view of…  To a point, the author of Source B is correct in his assessment. However, he doesn’t carry his argument far enough. To strengthen his case, he should have…  Clearly, the author of Source B has a bias against …, a failing that weakens her argument.

End every paragraph with your own sentence, not with a quote. The essay is yours, so your voice must dominate it. Even in your conclusion, if you use an engaging quotation, end with one more sentence of your own prose to signal your complete ownership of the essay.

Citing Sources Beware of plagiarism! You must cite even when you are paraphrasing! Whenever you take words or ideas from a source, identify their origin inside a pair of parentheses – this is as simple as (Source A). Err on the side of inclusion, not exclusion. See “Incorporating and Citing Materials from Your Sources”

Conclusion Don’t just summarize – your paper is SHORT and doesn’t require a ton of review Solidify ideas and make your final assertion

Common Problems with Synthesis Not taking a clear position or wavering between positions Substituting a thesis-oriented expository (explanation) essay for an argumentative essay Being reluctant to engage in verbal combat because “everyone’s entitled to his or her own opinion,” so there’s nothing to argue about Slipping out of focus Lacking clear connections between claims and the data, and the warrants needed to support them Trying to analyze rhetorical strategies or style instead of arguing a point