Synthesis Essay Of B Block AP Language

On the first day of B Block AP Language, the class read a quote from Francis Bacon’s “Of Studies”, which opened with the claim that one must neither read to “contradict” nor to “believe”, and instead, one must read “to weigh and consider”. Each synthesis essay is designed to help students develop their own individual position on an issue after weighing and considering a myriad of texts.
In every prompt, an identical set of directions cautions the student against “merely summarizing the sources” as they are to be used to support the student’s argument. The introduction that follows is always about different subjects, but each introduction has no position on its subject. The introduction and directions deal with a complex argument that is applicable

Over the next pages, the college board provides six to eight sources that describe viewpoints on a complex argument, and one is almost always a cartoon. Some sources are excerpts of novels, but most of the articles are sourced from magazines and newspapers on a national or local level, so each source is credible. Sources on the local level provide specifics while national level articles review arguments on a broader level. The AP Board provides at least one to two local level sources and three or more national level sources. The inclusion of both types of sources ensures the students will view the issue on a both specific and broad scope. The AP Board provides almost an equal number of deeply opinionated pieces whose messages either strongly support or refute the credibility of a subject. The first two sources in the schools and technology synthesis essay encourage schools to “shun printed textbooks” and believe that technology is the new way to communicate with students (Sources A,B). Immediately following those two sources is a source that compares technology to a “processed, sugar rich food” that is seriously messing up children’s “informational metabolisms” (Source C). The