ap english language and composition hree-wee writing clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · the...

21
AP ® English Language and Composition Three-Week Writing Clinic: Week One LESSON PLAN: REVIEWING THE SYNTHESIS ESSAY Objective for the Week For an AP ® English Language Synthesis essay, students will review and score students samples, dissect and analyze a new prompt and sources, and write and revise a synthesis essay. This week, students will also review answers and analyze multiple choice writing questions. Lesson Duration Five sessions consisting of approximately 45 minutes each Schedule DAY 1 Resources 1. Study Guide: Synthesis Essay APEnglish Language and Composition Study Guide The Synthesis Essay WHAT DOES “SYNTHESIZE” MEAN? How to Synthesize 1. Read—15 minutes 2. Rubric: Synthesis Essay Scoring Rubric for Question 1: Synthesis Essay 3. Synthesis Prompt Practice APEnglish Language and Composition Free-Response Question: Historic Preservation Reviewing the Synthesis Study Guide and Rubric—To review the elements of the synthesis essay, require students to review both the Synthesis Study Guide and the Synthesis Rubric. This will help them more accurately score the students samples for the 2019 synthesis prompt provided by College Board. Prompt—https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap19-frq-english- language.pdf Students will review pages 2–8 before scoring the student samples. Samples—https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/ap/pdf/ap-english- language-and-composition-2019-frq1-samples-2020-rubrics.pdf You can save these documents as PDF files to share with the students rather than sharing the link with them. By sharing the document rather than the link, students will not have easy access to the scoring commentary until you are ready for them to have it. We recommend that they score samples A, TT, and L. After students have reviewed and scored the student samples, students can post their scores along with a justification, using evidence from both the rubric and the essays, to the online system you are using. If you are using Google Classroom or Canvas, you can even require that students respond to a peer’s score and justification. Finally, reveal the score of the sample essays via a discussion post of your own. Commentary—https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/ap/ pdf/ap-english-language-and-composition-2019-frq1-scoring- commentaries-2020-rubrics.pdf SELF-PACED OPTION Although these lesson plans are designed for teachers to assign to students remotely, they could also be administered on a self-paced schedule with some modifications. We have included an answer key for the multiple-choice questions of Day 5 at the end of this document. SYNTHESIS PROMPT Note: If you have already used the 2019 student samples, you may use the 2018 samples. We recommend these two options because College Board has scored the samples with the new 6-point rubric. If you have already used both examples, feel free to allow students to use any of the past tests that can be found at https://apcentral. collegeboard.org/courses/ap-english- language-and-composition/exam/ past-exam-questions. FREE PRACTICE TEST For an alternate set of free-response questions, see Marco Learning’s free full-length practice test for AP ® English Language and Composition. https://marcolearning.com/free- practice-tests/ AP ® ENGLISH LANGUAGE and COMPOSITION PRACTICE TEST 1 © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement ® and AP ® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product. Marco Learning features teacher-focused resources that help you and your students succeed on AP ® Exams. Visit marcolearning.com to learn more and join the community! 1

Upload: others

Post on 25-Jul-2020

5 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

AP® English Language and Composition

Three-Week Writing Clinic: Week One

LESSON PLAN: REVIEWING THE SYNTHESIS ESSAY

Objective for the WeekFor an AP® English Language Synthesis essay, students will review and score students samples, dissect and analyze a new prompt and sources, and write and revise a synthesis essay. This week, students will also review answers and analyze multiple choice writing questions.

Lesson DurationFive sessions consisting of approximately 45 minutes each

Schedule

DAY 1

Resources

1. Study Guide: Synthesis Essay

AP® English Language and Composition Study GuideThe Synthesis Essay

© Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

WHAT DOES “SYNTHESIZE” MEAN?To “synthesize” means to draw ideas from multiple sources together into a single argument. The essay is College Board’s attempt to evaluate a student’s ability to develop an argument with a strong line of reasoning that contains support from reliable sources.

How to Synthesize The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing process.

1. Read—15 minutesSpend the 15-minute reading period carefully reading both the prompt for the essay and each source.

• The introduction and the prompt of the Q1 essays are extremely helpful in the brainstorming process. Often, the introduction contains information that identifies the different perspectives and/or stances of the argument.

• Be sure to correctly identify the writing prompt. Do not get distracted by the introduction. It is helpful, but it does not contain the writing task.

• Consider your initial stance on the argument. Based on your knowledge of the topic, you might be able to develop a claim and reasoning. If not, move on to your sources.

• As you read through the sources, identify the claims of each argument, data and evidence that support the arguments, and the assumptions or beliefs associated with the claims and evidence.

2. Plan—5 minutesBefore you start writing, you need to know what you’re going to write. Consider the following to determine what position you will take in your essay:

• Look for nuances and complications in the issues and think about how to address some of them.

• Avoid the first instinctual “for-or-against” argument that pops into your mind. The graders are looking for complex arguments that acknowledge multiple points of view.

• Develop a basic outline with an overall thesis (as complicated and robust as the topic commands) as well as a claim for each paragraph.

• Choose which sources you will reference in each body paragraph. We recommend that you use at least two sources within each paragraph.

3. Write—35 minutesFor maximum success, follow these guidelines:

• Remember, you are making the argument here, not the sources. Your thesis and claims should be authentic.

• The reasoning and evidence within the body paragraphs should be a combination of your ideas and insight from the sources.

• Develop a conversation among your ideas and those from the chosen sources.

Citing Sources: When including evidence from the provided sources, it is important to place them in conversation with one another. You can use the following sentence stems for help.

Similarly, Source A states “. . .”

Although Source C may oppose this position, it is strong because “. . .”

Source E offers a slightly different perspective, illustrating that “. . . ”

Finally, Source D develops this argument further by examining how “ . . .”

When Your Source is an Image

One method for analyzing an image is the OPTIC method.

O is for overview—write down a few notes on what the visual appears to be about.

P is for parts—zero in on the parts of the visual. Write down any elements or details that seem important.

T is for title—highlight the words of the title of the visual (if one is available).

I is for interrelationships—use the title as the theory and the parts of the visual as clues to detect and specify the interrelationships in the graphic.

C is for conclusion—draw a conclusion about the visual as a whole. What does the visual mean? Summarize the message of the visual in one or two sentences.

2. Rubric: Synthesis Essay

AP® English Language and CompositionScoring Rubric for Question 1: Synthesis Essay

Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

0 POINTS 1 POINTFor any of the following:

No defensible thesis

Simple restatement of prompt only

Summary of topic with no clear claim

States an apparent fact rather than a defensible claim.

Off-topic

Defensible thesis

Clear position

0 POINTS 1 POINT 2 POINTS 3 POINTS 4 POINTS Simple restatement of

thesis (if existing).

OR

Fewer than 2 sources referenced

OR

Opinion-based with no text evidence

EVIDENCE:

2 sources used only

Relevant evidence

AND

COMMENTARY:

Summary of evidence with no explanation of connection to claim

EVIDENCE:

Sufficient evidence (3+ sources)

Relevant evidence

AND

COMMENTARY:

Simplistic or inaccurate connection

Limited supporting claims

Lacks a line of reasoning

Faulty line of reasoning

EVIDENCE:

Sufficient evidence (3+ sources)

Relevant evidence that supports the claims in the line of reasoning.

AND

COMMENTARY:

Clear connection between some of the evidence and the thesis.

Multiple claims included.

Slight lapses in support of key claims.

EVIDENCE:

Sufficient evidence (3+ sources)

Relevant evidence that supports all the claims in the line of reasoning.

AND

COMMENTARY:

Well-organized line of reasoning.

Consistent use of evidence and support of multiple key claims.

0 POINTS 1 POINT Sweeping generalizations of context

Complicated/complex sentences, or language is ineffective

Nuanced thesis that is supported throughout the argument

Acknowledgement of limitations and implications of an argument (by the student or included in the sources) that examines the broader context

Successful rhetorical choices by the student

Mature and consistent writing style

SOP

HIS

TIC

ATI

ON

EV

IDE

NC

E &

CO

MM

EN

TAR

YTH

ESI

S RO

W A

RO

W B

RO

W C

TOTAL POINTS EARNED: / 6

3. Synthesis Prompt Practice

1 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources.

Question 1

Suggested reading and writing time—55 minutes.

It is suggested that you spend 15 minutes reading the question, analyzing and evaluating the sources, and 40 minutes writing your response. Note: You may begin writing your response before the reading period is over.

(This question counts for one-third of the total essay section score.)

How do we decide whether buildings, monuments, and historic sites ought to be preserved? Some places are consid-ered important because of what happened there, for aesthetic reasons, or because they embody the distinctive charac-teristics of a time, construction technique, or style. However, there are those who believe that historic designation is used as a means to block new development, and as our values as a society undergo transformation, the same aspects of history valued by a previous generation may no longer be valued; does this mean that historic designations should be taken away?

Carefully read the following six sources, including the introductory information for each source.

Write an essay that synthesizes material from at least three of the sources and develop a position on the purpose, if any, of historic preservation.

Source A (Taborrok) Source B (graph) Source C (Mason) Source D (cartoon) Source E (Over-the-Rhine) Source F (Leigh)

© Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

AP® English Language and Composition

Free-Response Question: Historic Preservation

○ Reviewing the Synthesis Study Guide and Rubric—To review the elements of the synthesis essay, require students to review both the Synthesis Study Guide and the Synthesis Rubric. This will help them more accurately score the students samples for the 2019 synthesis prompt provided by College Board.

▪ Prompt—https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/pdf/ap19-frq-english-language.pdf

• Students will review pages 2–8 before scoring the student samples.

▪ Samples—https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/ap/pdf/ap-english-language-and-composition-2019-frq1-samples-2020-rubrics.pdf

• You can save these documents as PDF files to share with the students rather than sharing the link with them. By sharing the document rather than the link, students will not have easy access to the scoring commentary until you are ready for them to have it. We recommend that they score samples A, TT, and L.

○ After students have reviewed and scored the student samples, students can post their scores along with a justification, using evidence from both the rubric and the essays, to the online system you are using. If you are using Google Classroom or Canvas, you can even require that students respond to a peer’s score and justification.

○ Finally, reveal the score of the sample essays via a discussion post of your own.

• Commentary—https://secure-media.collegeboard.org/ap/pdf/ap-english-language-and-composition-2019-frq1-scoring-commentaries-2020-rubrics.pdf

SELF-PACED OPTION

Although these lesson plans are designed for teachers to assign to students remotely, they could also be administered on a self-paced schedule with some modifications.

We have included an answer key for the multiple-choice questions of Day 5 at the end of this document.

SYNTHESIS PROMPT

Note: If you have already used the 2019 student samples, you may use the 2018 samples. We recommend these two options because College Board has scored the samples with the new 6-point rubric.

If you have already used both examples, feel free to allow students to use any of the past tests that can be found at https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/courses/ap-english-language-and-composition/exam/past-exam-questions.

FREE PRACTICE TEST

For an alternate set of free-response questions, see Marco Learning’s free full-length practice test for AP® English Language and Composition. https://marcolearning.com/free-practice-tests/

AP® ENGLISH LANGUAGE and COMPOSITION

PRACTICE TEST 1

© Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

© Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

Marco Learning features teacher-focused resources that help you and your students succeed on AP® Exams. Visit marcolearning.com to learn more and join the community!

1

Page 2: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

AP® English Language and CompositionThree-Week Writing Clinic: Week One

2 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

DAY 2

Resource

1. Handout: Synthesis Essay Prompt

1 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources.

Question 1

Suggested reading and writing time—55 minutes.

It is suggested that you spend 15 minutes reading the question, analyzing and evaluating the sources, and 40 minutes writing your response. Note: You may begin writing your response before the reading period is over.

(This question counts for one-third of the total essay section score.)

How do we decide whether buildings, monuments, and historic sites ought to be preserved? Some places are consid-ered important because of what happened there, for aesthetic reasons, or because they embody the distinctive charac-teristics of a time, construction technique, or style. However, there are those who believe that historic designation is used as a means to block new development, and as our values as a society undergo transformation, the same aspects of history valued by a previous generation may no longer be valued; does this mean that historic designations should be taken away?

Carefully read the following six sources, including the introductory information for each source.

Write an essay that synthesizes material from at least three of the sources and develop a position on the purpose, if any, of historic preservation.

Source A (Taborrok) Source B (graph) Source C (Mason) Source D (cartoon) Source E (Over-the-Rhine) Source F (Leigh)

© Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

AP® English Language and Composition

Free-Response Question: Historic Preservation

2. Handout: Evaluating Sources in the Synthesis Essay

1 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

AP® English Language and CompositionStudent Handout: Source Chart

Source Type

Author’s Credentials

Argument Supporting Evidence

Counter-argument

Bias One method for analyzing an image is the OPTIC method.

O is for overview—write down a few notes on what the visual appears to be about.

P is for parts—zero in on the parts of the visual. Write down any elements or details that seem important.

T is for title—highlight the words of the title of the visual (if one is available).

I is for interrelationships—use the title as the theory and the parts of the visual as clues to detect and specify the interrelationships in the graphic.

C is for conclusion—draw a conclusion about the visual as a whole. What does the visual mean? Summarize the message of the visual in one or two sentences.

○ Evaluating sources in the synthesis essay

▪ Using the provided student handout, students will review the synthesis prompt: Develop a position on the purpose, if any, of historical preservation.

▪ As students review the sources provided with the prompt, they will complete the “Source Chart” handout. To use this document in your online system, you can transfer the PDF over as a Google doc for students to edit. Before sharing the document with your students, review the directions on the right to ensure that your students do not edit your version of the document. As another option, you can use Kami, a chrome extension explained on page 2.

▪ Once students have completed the “Source Chart,” they can submit it to you via your online system.

▪ Finally, you may post a discussion question that requires students to share which sources they believe would support their own stance (thesis) and why.

○ Free Live Review Session for Students: Multiple-Choice Questions

▪ Monday, March 16 at 8:00 PM—9:00 PM ET

▪ https://marcolearning.com/free-events/

Looking for a simple “Force Copy” trick on a Google doc, there are a few steps:

∙ First, make your document “shareable” by clicking the “Share” button. We recommend that you choose the “Get Shareable Link” option.

∙ Next, simply erase the “edit” portion of the URL and replace it with “copy.” Clink Enter. Now, your screen should read “Make a Copy?” That is what you want to see!

∙ Finally, click on the URL, copy it, and share it with your students.

USING KAMI TO MARK ON PDF FILES:

If you are looking for an option to mark up PDF files, consider using the chrome extension, Kami. They are offering free upgrades to any schools who are going virtual. This extension allows students to mark up a document and save it to their Google Drive. Obviously, they will need Gmail account to make this work, so plan accordingly. When students mark on a document, they will always save or download it with annotations.

Find the extension here: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/kami-extension-pdf-and-do/

Page 3: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

AP® English Language and CompositionThree-Week Writing Clinic: Week One

3 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

DAY 3

○ Writing the synthesis essay

▪ Now that students have reviewed and evaluated the sources for the “Historical Preservation” prompt, they are ready to write their essay. Encourage them to review the Synthesis Study Guide, Rubric, and Source Chart as they write. Ask students to time themselves, allotting 40 minutes only.

DAY 4

○ Revising and submitting the synthesis essay

▪ Before students submit the essay, ask them to identify the following elements within their essay and highlight them in the corresponding colors. If the essay is lacking the element, they should revise the essay to reflect the requirements.

• Thesis statement—highlighted in yellow.

• Supporting Claim (minimum of two)—highlighted in blue.

• Supporting evidence with citations (minimum of three)—highlighted in pink.

• Commentary linking evidence to the thesis—highlighted in orange.

• Transitional statements—highlighted in purple.

DAY 5

Resource

1. Student Handout: Writing Multiple-Choice Questions

AP® English Language and CompositionStudent Handout: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Questions 24–30 are based on the following passage.

The passage below is a draft.

(1) Reduce, reuse, recycle. (2) For nearly 40 years, this has been the mantra of environmentalists seeking to limit the ecological damage brought about by the accumulation of too much garbage. (3) In 2015, Americans were responsible for producing nearly 250 million tons of trash per year. (4) Many U.S. communities have implemented recycling initiatives to collect and reuse this trash, including curbside pickup, current recycling systems that utilize single-stream recycling and global changes in recycling processes make recycling an ineffective solution to the growing waste management problem.

(5) Single-stream recycling refers to the process of collecting all types of recycling in one container. (6) Single-stream recycling is great for consumers, who only have to toss recyclable items into one bin, rather than separate each item based on material. (7) This means that aluminum cans, cardboard boxes, and newspapers can all be tossed in together. (8) However, the utilization of single-stream recycling creates a toss-and-go mentality that increases the number of contaminated products being sent to recycling centers. (9) Contaminated products include any items with food residue, items made from mixed materials, and low-quality plastics. (10) If an unrinsed milk carton gets pitched into the same container as cardboard boxes, the boxes could become contaminated by the milk residue, giving both the milk carton and the boxes a one-way ticket to the garbage dump.

(11) To further compound the issue, the cost of recycling is on the rise. (12) This is due, in part, to foreign governments restricting the amount of recyclable materials they will import from the United States. (13) Many Americans do not realize that U.S. recyclables are not processed and remanufactured in the United States. (14) Rather, U.S. waste management companies collect recycling in the United States and then sell it to foreign countries, like China and Taiwan.

(15) In 2018, the Chinese government issued a statement that China would no longer be accepting many categories of waste, and capped contamination standards at less than 1 percent. (16) To put this cap in perspective, it is important to note that U.S. paper products have a 25 percent food contamination rate. (17) This means that, under new laws, China will not be accepting most U.S. paper waste.

24. In sentence 4 (reproduced below), which of the following versions of the underlined text most effectively transitions the reader from the introduction to the main argument of the passage?

Many U.S. communities have implemented recycling initiatives to collect and reuse this trash, including curbside pickup, current recycling systems that utilize single-stream recycling and global changes in recycling processes make recycling an ineffective solution to the growing waste management problem. (A) (as it is now) (B) curbside pickup; however, current recycling systems

that utilize single-stream recycling (C) curbside pickup and current recycling systems that

utilize single-stream recycling (D) curbside pickup together with current recycling systems

that utilize single-stream recycling (E) curbside pickup, as opposed to current recycling

systems that utilize single-stream recycling

1 1 © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

24. Identify the task of the question. Are there any important keywords that you should pay attention to? Can you rephrase this question into your own words?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

2. Answer Key: Multiple-Choice Questions

AP® English Language and CompositionStudent Handout: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Questions 24–30 are based on the following passage.

The passage below is a draft.

(1) Reduce, reuse, recycle. (2) For nearly 40 years, this has been the mantra of environmentalists seeking to limit the ecological damage brought about by the accumulation of too much garbage. (3) In 2015, Americans were responsible for producing nearly 250 million tons of trash per year. (4) Many U.S. communities have implemented recycling initiatives to collect and reuse this trash, including curbside pickup, current recycling systems that utilize single-stream recycling and global changes in recycling processes make recycling an ineffective solution to the growing waste management problem.

(5) Single-stream recycling refers to the process of collecting all types of recycling in one container. (6) Single-stream recycling is great for consumers, who only have to toss recyclable items into one bin, rather than separate each item based on material. (7) This means that aluminum cans, cardboard boxes, and newspapers can all be tossed in together. (8) However, the utilization of single-stream recycling creates a toss-and-go mentality that increases the number of contaminated products being sent to recycling centers. (9) Contaminated products include any items with food residue, items made from mixed materials, and low-quality plastics. (10) If an unrinsed milk carton gets pitched into the same container as cardboard boxes, the boxes could become contaminated by the milk residue, giving both the milk carton and the boxes a one-way ticket to the garbage dump.

(11) To further compound the issue, the cost of recycling is on the rise. (12) This is due, in part, to foreign governments restricting the amount of recyclable materials they will import from the United States. (13) Many Americans do not realize that U.S. recyclables are not processed and remanufactured in the United States. (14) Rather, U.S. waste management companies collect recycling in the United States and then sell it to foreign countries, like China and Taiwan.

(15) In 2018, the Chinese government issued a statement that China would no longer be accepting many categories of waste, and capped contamination standards at less than 1 percent. (16) To put this cap in perspective, it is important to note that U.S. paper products have a 25 percent food contamination rate. (17) This means that, under new laws, China will not be accepting most U.S. paper waste.

24. In sentence 4 (reproduced below), which of the following versions of the underlined text most effectively transitions the reader from the introduction to the main argument of the passage?

Many U.S. communities have implemented recycling initiatives to collect and reuse this trash, including curbside pickup, current recycling systems that utilize single-stream recycling and global changes in recycling processes make recycling an ineffective solution to the growing waste management problem. (A) (as it is now) (B) curbside pickup; however, current recycling systems

that utilize single-stream recycling (C) curbside pickup and current recycling systems that

utilize single-stream recycling (D) curbside pickup together with current recycling systems

that utilize single-stream recycling (E) curbside pickup, as opposed to current recycling

systems that utilize single-stream recycling

1 1 © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

24. Identify the task of the question. Are there any important keywords that you should pay attention to? Can you rephrase this question into your own words?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

○ Multiple-Choice Writing Question Review—Marco Lesson and AP® Classroom work

▪ For today’s lesson, students will evaluate the writing questions by answering and analyzing seven questions over a writing passage. For this activity, we suggest that you add the PDF document to your online system and ask students to mark on it using the using Kami if applicable.

Page 4: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

AP® English Language and Composition Study GuideThe Synthesis Essay

© Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

WHAT DOES “SYNTHESIZE” MEAN?To “synthesize” means to draw ideas from multiple sources together into a single argument. The essay is College Board’s attempt to evaluate a student’s ability to develop an argument with a strong line of reasoning that contains support from reliable sources.

How to Synthesize The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing process.

1. Read—15 minutesSpend the 15-minute reading period carefully reading both the prompt for the essay and each source.

• The introduction and the prompt of the Q1 essays are extremely helpful in the brainstorming process. Often, the introduction contains information that identifies the different perspectives and/or stances of the argument.

• Be sure to correctly identify the writing prompt. Do not get distracted by the introduction. It is helpful, but it does not contain the writing task.

• Consider your initial stance on the argument. Based on your knowledge of the topic, you might be able to develop a claim and reasoning. If not, move on to your sources.

• As you read through the sources, identify the claims of each argument, data and evidence that support the arguments, and the assumptions or beliefs associated with the claims and evidence.

2. Plan—5 minutesBefore you start writing, you need to know what you’re going to write. Consider the following to determine what position you will take in your essay:

• Look for nuances and complications in the issues and think about how to address some of them.

• Avoid the first instinctual “for-or-against” argument that pops into your mind. The graders are looking for complex arguments that acknowledge multiple points of view.

• Develop a basic outline with an overall thesis (as complicated and robust as the topic commands) as well as a claim for each paragraph.

• Choose which sources you will reference in each body paragraph. We recommend that you use at least two sources within each paragraph.

3. Write—35 minutesFor maximum success, follow these guidelines:

• Remember, you are making the argument here, not the sources. Your thesis and claims should be authentic.

• The reasoning and evidence within the body paragraphs should be a combination of your ideas and insight from the sources.

• Develop a conversation among your ideas and those from the chosen sources.

Citing Sources: When including evidence from the provided sources, it is important to place them in conversation with one another. You can use the following sentence stems for help.

Similarly, Source A states “. . .”

Although Source C may oppose this position, it is strong because “. . .”

Source E offers a slightly different perspective, illustrating that “. . . ”

Finally, Source D develops this argument further by examining how “ . . .”

When Your Source is an Image

One method for analyzing an image is the OPTIC method.

O is for overview—write down a few notes on what the visual appears to be about.

P is for parts—zero in on the parts of the visual. Write down any elements or details that seem important.

T is for title—highlight the words of the title of the visual (if one is available).

I is for interrelationships—use the title as the theory and the parts of the visual as clues to detect and specify the interrelationships in the graphic.

C is for conclusion—draw a conclusion about the visual as a whole. What does the visual mean? Summarize the message of the visual in one or two sentences.

Page 5: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

© Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

AP® English Language and Composition Study GuideThe Synthesis Essay

Basic Essay Structure: The Introduction:

• Open with an engaging hook • Identify/clarify the issue at hand • Present a clear, direct thesis statement

The Body Paragraphs: • Begin with a topic sentence (viz., give one reason in support of your thesis) • Explain as necessary • Present specific supporting evidence (viz., quotes from the provided sources;

you may also bring in other evidence) • Document all sources • Explain the significance of the specific supporting evidence (e.g., what does

the evidence show or suggest as true?)

The Concluding Paragraph: • Draw further significance from the reasons and evidence presented • Bring the paper to a thoughtful ending (be philosophical; show your wisdom)

Annotated Sample Student EssayPrompt: Write an essay that synthesizes material from at least three of the sources and develops a position on the purpose, if any, of historic preservation.

Thesis: Although historical preservation can protect properties of symbolic value, it ultimately stagnates the progression of our country.

While it is an indignity that the Pennsylvania Station was replaced with a “dismal modernist urban-renewal complex” (Source F), historical preservation does more harm than good for economic progress in America. Although well-intentioned, many of the architecture protected by the laws have become blemishes on the American canvas. According to Source E, a neighborhood protected by historic preservation laws has become derelict due to the high costs of repair and upkeep. One can assume that these buildings remain in their destitute state because developers are afraid to invest due to the low property rates. In similar instances, preservation laws make it possible for building owners to “maintain monopoly rents” (Source A). Again, this unintended consequence prohibits financial development opportunities in the community, instead only benefitting the few who can afford to maintain these buildings. In these cases, the preservations laws work against the possible progression that could spark economic growth in the community.

Identifying Perspectives within the Topic:

In developing a nuanced position, it is important to consider the different viewpoints of the issue. Such perspectives can be:

• Cultural/Social• Economic• Artistic/Philosophical• Scientific• Ethical• Environmental• Political/Historical• Futuristic

You may consider addressing a few of the applicable perspectives in the introduction of your essay. This helps develop your credibility as a writer.

1 Annotated Essay Explanation

1 This transition sentence quickly moves from the qualifying statement to the writer’s next claim.

2 A clear introduction of the source leaves no confusion about where the evidence came from.

3 The student connects the evidence to the claim of this body paragraph.

4 There is a dialogue between the sources and the student’s claim.

2

3

4

Page 6: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

AP® English Language and CompositionScoring Rubric for Question 1: Synthesis Essay

Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

0 POINTS 1 POINTFor any of the following:

No defensible thesis

Simple restatement of prompt only

Summary of topic with no clear claim

States an apparent fact rather than a defensible claim.

Off-topic

Defensible thesis

Clear position

0 POINTS 1 POINT 2 POINTS 3 POINTS 4 POINTS Simple restatement of thesis (if existing).

OR

Fewer than 2 sources referenced

OR

Opinion-based with no text evidence

EVIDENCE:

2 sources used only

Relevant evidence

AND

COMMENTARY:

Summary of evidence with no explanation of connection to claim

EVIDENCE:

Sufficient evidence (3+ sources)

Relevant evidence

AND

COMMENTARY:

Simplistic or inaccurate connection

Limited supporting claims

Lacks a line of reasoning

Faulty line of reasoning

EVIDENCE:

Sufficient evidence (3+ sources)

Relevant evidence that supports the claims in the line of reasoning.

AND

COMMENTARY:

Clear connection between some of the evidence and the thesis.

Multiple claims included.

Slight lapses in support of key claims.

EVIDENCE:

Sufficient evidence (3+ sources)

Relevant evidence that supports all the claims in the line of reasoning.

AND

COMMENTARY:

Well-organized line of reasoning.

Consistent use of evidence and support of multiple key claims.

0 POINTS 1 POINT Sweeping generalizations of context

Complicated/complex sentences, or language is ineffective

Nuanced thesis that is supported throughout the argument

Acknowledgement of limitations and implications of an argument (by the student or included in the sources) that examines the broader context

Successful rhetorical choices by the student

Mature and consistent writing style

SOP

HIS

TIC

ATI

ON

EV

IDE

NC

E &

CO

MM

EN

TAR

YTH

ESI

S RO

W A

RO

W B

RO

W C

TOTAL POINTS EARNED: / 6

Page 7: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

1 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources.

Question 1

Suggested reading and writing time—55 minutes.

It is suggested that you spend 15 minutes reading the question, analyzing and evaluating the sources, and 40 minutes writing your response. Note: You may begin writing your response before the reading period is over.

(This question counts for one-third of the total essay section score.)

How do we decide whether buildings, monuments, and historic sites ought to be preserved? Some places are consid-ered important because of what happened there, for aesthetic reasons, or because they embody the distinctive charac-teristics of a time, construction technique, or style. However, there are those who believe that historic designation is used as a means to block new development, and as our values as a society undergo transformation, the same aspects of history valued by a previous generation may no longer be valued; does this mean that historic designations should be taken away?

Carefully read the following six sources, including the introductory information for each source.

Write an essay that synthesizes material from at least three of the sources and develop a position on the purpose, if any, of historic preservation.

Source A (Taborrok) Source B (graph) Source C (Mason) Source D (cartoon) Source E (Over-the-Rhine) Source F (Leigh)

© Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

AP® English Language and Composition

Free-Response Question: Historic Preservation

Page 8: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

Source A

Taborrok, Alex, “Against Historic Preservation.” Marginal Revolution, 1 June, 2016. Web. 16 January 2019.

The following excerpt is from a blog by two professors of economics at George Mason University.

Repeal all historic preservation laws. It’s one thing to require safety permits but no construction project should require a historic preservation permit. Here are three reasons:

First, it’s often the case that buildings of little historical worth are preserved by rules and regulations that are used as a pretext to slow competitors, maintain monopoly rents, and keep neighborhoods in a kind of aesthetic stasis that benefits a small number of people at the expense of many others.

Second, a confident nation builds so that future people may look back and marvel at their ancestor’s ingenuity and aesthetic vision. A nation in decline looks to the past in a vain attempt to “preserve” what was once great. Preserva-tion is what you do to dead butterflies.

Ironically, if today’s rules for historical preservation had been in place in the past the buildings that some now want to preserve would never have been built at all. The opportunity cost of preservation is future greatness.

Third, repealing historic preservation laws does not mean ending historic preservation. There is a very simple way that truly great buildings can be preserved–they can be bought or their preservation rights paid for. The problem with historic preservation laws is not the goal but the methods. Historic preservation laws attempt to foist the cost of preservation on those who want to build (very much including builders of infrastructure such as the government). Attempting to foist costs on others, however, almost inevitably leads to a system full of lawyers, lobbying and rent seeking–and that leads to high transaction costs and delay. Richard Epstein advocated a compensation system for takings because takings violate ethics and constitutional law. But perhaps an even bigger virtue of a compensation system is that it’s quick. A building worth preserving is worth paying to preserve. A compensation system unites builders and those who want to preserve and thus allows for quick decisions about what will be preserved and what will not.

Some people will object that repealing historic preservation laws will lead to some lovely buildings being destroyed. Of course, it will. There is no point pretending otherwise. It will also lead to some lovely buildings being created. More generally, however, the logic of regulatory thickets tells us that we cannot have everything.

AP® English Language and CompositionFree-Response Question: Historic Preservation

2 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

Page 9: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

Source B

“The Atlas of ReUrbanism: Buildings and Blocks in American Cities.” National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Green Lab, November 2016. Web. 16 January 2019.

The following graph is taken from a resource for city leaders and urban planners published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Character score refers to the diversity of age and size of buildings. High character means a mix of older and newer buildings, and low character means mostly new buildings.

Percent of women and minority ownedenterprises, high versus low character score areas

Portland MESalt Lake City

Ft. WorthColumbus

Los AngelesPhiladelphiaPortland OR

OrlandoBoise

New York CityDes MoinesAnchorage

El PasoSpokane

ProvidenceBaltimoreSt. Louis

AustinTampa

San AntonioDenverBuffalo

ClevelandSeattleBoston

CharlotteWinston-Salem

DallasVirginia Beach

HoustonRaleighPhoenix

City

0 20 40 50 60 80 100%

% in High Character Score Areas % in Low Character Score Areas

AP® English Language and CompositionFree-Response Question: Historic Preservation

3 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

Page 10: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

Source C

Mason, Randall. “Fixing Historic Preservation: A Constructive Critique of ‘Significance.’” Places 16(1), 2004.

The following is excerpted from an article in an online architecture journal.

Indeed, newer thinking about preservation recognizes that significance is made, not found. It is socially constructed and situational, and it recognizes that appraisals of significance may have as much to do with the people and society making them as with any actual site.1

On reflection, such views reveal how problems with significance may crop up when meanings become overly narrow; when they stress the assessments of experts and ignore alternative and popular views; and when they fail to acknowledge change over time. Chaco Canyon National Historical Park, in New Mexico, provides an excellent example of the changing significance of a heritage site. Chaco is an extensive National Monument, centered on the impressive ruins of a complex Native American culture, abandoned about 700 years ago. However, since the nineteenth century, white archaeologists have defined the official significance of the site as consisting largely of the historic ruins of indigenous Chaco culture and their value for scientific research.

By contrast, Native American groups ascribe sacred and symbolic value to the place, which they believe to have been created by their ancestors. And, more recently, New Age tourists have begun using the site for their own purposes, invoking their own version of sacred value. As each stakeholder group has asserted a different notion of significance—some of which are clearly incommensurable (New Agers burying crystals in kivas* transgresses the values of both Indians and archaeologists)—conflicts have arisen.

*chambers in Pueblo Indian villages used for religious ceremonies that are usually partly or wholly underground

1 Howard L. Green, “The Social Construction of Historical Significance,” in Tomlan, ed., Preservation of What, For Whom?

AP® English Language and CompositionFree-Response Question: Historic Preservation

4 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

Page 11: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

Source D

Warner, Aaron. Don’t Disturb The Historic Setting.

The following is an editorial cartoon.

AP® English Language and CompositionFree-Response Question: Historic Preservation

5 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

Page 12: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

Source E

“Historic Preservation,” Over-the-Rhine Foundation. Over-the-Rhine Foundation. N.d. Web. 16 January, 2019.

The following is excerpted from the website of a foundation dedicated to the preservation of the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio.

In 2006, Over-the-Rhine was placed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of the “Eleven Most En-dangered Historic Places in America." OTR made the list for two reasons: its national significance and its threat of destruction.

The neighborhood’s 360 acres is one of the largest, most intact, nineteenth century urban historic districts in the United States and is believed to contain the nation’s largest contiguous collection of nineteenth century Italianate Architecture. OTR’s dense streetscapes are full of tenements, churches, theatres, storefronts and social halls that are largely unchanged from a time when they were inhabited by working-class immigrants in the 1800s. Similar neigh-borhoods are extremely rare and can only be found in very few other cities…

Most American historic districts have been spared because of their impressive collections of mansions or unique architecture. OTR is significant for essentially the opposite reason. To this day, its sense of place is that of a working class, immigrant neighborhood. In the 1800s, wealthy beer barons lived across the street from their breweries and adjacent to their laborers. OTR’s building stock reflects this diversity of socio-economic classes and mix of uses. We believe that OTR may contain more intact nineteenth century brewery buildings than any other city in America.

Over-the-Rhine was once one of America’s most densely populated neighborhoods (reportedly more densely popu-lated than Manhattan during parts of the 1800s) and served as the first American home to tens of thousands of Euro-pean immigrants. Although the neighborhood was extremely diverse, it was also home to a nationally unprecedented number of Germanic immigrants. Its magnificent public tenement stock; its rich brewing heritage; and its critical role in German-American history and nineteenth century immigration all make it a place of national significance…

Cincinnati is a very historic city with an extraordinary number of historic places on the National Register. It has more such buildings than New Orleans and can boast that OTR is larger than Charleston’s world-renowned historic district. Unlike these cities, though, Cincinnati has not capitalized on its historic assets. In fact, we have let many of these assets become an albatross: historic buildings throughout Over-the-Rhine sit vacant and derelict, deteriorating over years of neglect. Unfortunately, our approach to this dilemma has been standardized and reactionary: demolition…

While earlier decades saw widespread razing of blocks and streetscapes, recent years have brought a new, equally insidious phenomenon: demolition by neglect. As poverty rates and disinvestment grew in Over-the-Rhine, buildings were increasingly abandoned and gradually deteriorated. Today, many buildings stand vacant and in dire need of re-pair, yet building owners remain unwilling to bring their properties up to code. Once buildings reach a critical stage of dilapidation, they are deemed a danger to the public and are slated for “emergency demolition” by the city. These “emergency” demolitions—the result of years of neglect—are cutting wide, vacant swaths in the remaining fabric of OTR. Between 2001 and 2006, over 50 historic buildings were demolished in such a manner. In the first four years after the National Trust’s 2006 designation of OTR as one of America’s most endangered places, 20 historic proper-ties have been demolished, and the destruction continues. Meanwhile, dozens more are condemned and in immedi-ate risk of destruction. Even stable buildings are not safe. Solvent owners continue to seek demolitions as a preferred approach to neglected properties and some purchase developable historic properties with the intent of razing them for mere convenience.

AP® English Language and CompositionFree-Response Question: Historic Preservation

6 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

Page 13: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

Source F

Leigh, Catsby. “Historic Preservation.” First Principles. Intercollegiate Study Institute, 16 November, 2012. Web. 16 January 2019.

The following is excerpted from an article in an online journal published by an organization focused on intellectual conservatism.

The designation of places like the Battery, Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia (1946), and the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. (1950) resulted from the architectural standard they set. But it also reflected a new and unprec-edented motive for preservation: a loss of confidence in American civilization’s capacity to build as well as it had in times past. Though advocates of the steady broadening of preservation’s purview see it as an indication of the nation’s increasing cultural maturity, one could just as easily regard it as a symptom of cultural decadence. Indeed, preservation’s emergence as a major cultural movement is closely associated with one of the great harbingers of the collapse of American architecture: the demolition, in 1963, of Charles Follen McKim’s classical masterwork, Penn-sylvania Station in Manhattan, and its replacement with a dismal modernist urban-renewal complex. This catastro-phe led to the establishment of New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, and it also contributed to the passage, in 1966, of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA)…

The NHPA’s passage is a matter of almost macabre irony in that the federal government’s proverbial right arm used it in an attempt to limit the damage it was inflicting, through urban renewal, with its left. In the very year the act was passed, urban renewal and the plague of ill-considered architectural mega-projects and cross-town expressways it unleashed on the nation’s traditional urban fabric got a huge boost courtesy of the Model Cities Act. More than ever, in other words, historic preservation was now a remedial movement that treated symptoms rather than the disease. Needless to say, the movement has been synonymous with public hostility to modernist architecture, a routine ingre-dient of the urban-renewal recipe. In the decades since the NHPA was passed, legions of urban districts or neighbor-hoods, varying widely in degrees of architectural distinction, have secured designation in order to protect themselves from the scourge of architecture and urban planning at odds with the sense of cultural continuity most Americans want their built environment to impart.

AP® English Language and CompositionFree-Response Question: Historic Preservation

7 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

Page 14: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

1 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

AP® English Language and CompositionStudent Handout: Source Chart

Source Type

Author’s Credentials

Argument Supporting Evidence

Counter-argument

Bias One method for analyzing an image is the OPTIC method.

O is for overview—write down a few notes on what the visual appears to be about.

P is for parts—zero in on the parts of the visual. Write down any elements or details that seem important.

T is for title—highlight the words of the title of the visual (if one is available).

I is for interrelationships—use the title as the theory and the parts of the visual as clues to detect and specify the interrelationships in the graphic.

C is for conclusion—draw a conclusion about the visual as a whole. What does the visual mean? Summarize the message of the visual in one or two sentences.

Page 15: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

AP® English Language and CompositionStudent Handout: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Questions 24–30 are based on the following passage.

The passage below is a draft.

(1) Reduce, reuse, recycle. (2) For nearly 40 years, this has been the mantra of environmentalists seeking to limit the ecological damage brought about by the accumulation of too much garbage. (3) In 2015, Americans were responsible for producing nearly 250 million tons of trash per year. (4) Many U.S. communities have implemented recycling initiatives to collect and reuse this trash, including curbside pickup, current recycling systems that utilize single-stream recycling and global changes in recycling processes make recycling an ineffective solution to the growing waste management problem.

(5) Single-stream recycling refers to the process of collecting all types of recycling in one container. (6) Single-stream recycling is great for consumers, who only have to toss recyclable items into one bin, rather than separate each item based on material. (7) This means that aluminum cans, cardboard boxes, and newspapers can all be tossed in together. (8) However, the utilization of single-stream recycling creates a toss-and-go mentality that increases the number of contaminated products being sent to recycling centers. (9) Contaminated products include any items with food residue, items made from mixed materials, and low-quality plastics. (10) If an unrinsed milk carton gets pitched into the same container as cardboard boxes, the boxes could become contaminated by the milk residue, giving both the milk carton and the boxes a one-way ticket to the garbage dump.

(11) To further compound the issue, the cost of recycling is on the rise. (12) This is due, in part, to foreign governments restricting the amount of recyclable materials they will import from the United States. (13) Many Americans do not realize that U.S. recyclables are not processed and remanufactured in the United States. (14) Rather, U.S. waste management companies collect recycling in the United States and then sell it to foreign countries, like China and Taiwan.

(15) In 2018, the Chinese government issued a statement that China would no longer be accepting many categories of waste, and capped contamination standards at less than 1 percent. (16) To put this cap in perspective, it is important to note that U.S. paper products have a 25 percent food contamination rate. (17) This means that, under new laws, China will not be accepting most U.S. paper waste.

24. In sentence 4 (reproduced below), which of the following versions of the underlined text most effectively transitions the reader from the introduction to the main argument of the passage?

Many U.S. communities have implemented recycling initiatives to collect and reuse this trash, including curbside pickup, current recycling systems that utilize single-stream recycling and global changes in recycling processes make recycling an ineffective solution to the growing waste management problem. (A) (as it is now) (B) curbside pickup; however, current recycling systems

that utilize single-stream recycling (C) curbside pickup and current recycling systems that

utilize single-stream recycling (D) curbside pickup together with current recycling systems

that utilize single-stream recycling (E) curbside pickup, as opposed to current recycling

systems that utilize single-stream recycling

1 1 © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

24. Identify the task of the question. Are there any important keywords that you should pay attention to? Can you rephrase this question into your own words?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Page 16: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

AP® English Language and CompositionStudent Handout: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

25. In sentence 10 (reproduced below), which version of the underlined text best maintains the writer’s tone?

If an unrinsed milk carton gets pitched into the same container as cardboard boxes, the boxes could become contaminated by the milk residue, giving both the milk carton and the boxes a one-way ticket to the garbage dump.(A) (as it is now) (B) marking both the milk carton and the boxes as

disposable junk (C) causing both the milk carton and the boxes to be

disposed of as waste (D) so you might as well chuck both the milk carton and

the boxes into the dumpster (E) which means you’ve effectively turned your boxes and

milk cartons into trash

26. The writer wants to add the following sentence to the second paragraph (sentences 5–10) to introduce a counterclaim.

Proponents of single-stream recycling argue that while there is an increased risk of contamination, this risk is offset by the increased number of items being recycled.

Where would the sentence best be placed?

(A) Before sentence 5 (B) After sentence 6 (C) After sentence 7 (D) After sentence 9 (E) After sentence 10

27. In sentence 11 (reproduced below), the writer wants to provide a link between the main argument and the development of ideas within the paragraph.

To further compound the issue, the cost of recycling is on the rise.

Which of the following versions of the underlined text best achieves this purpose?

(A) (as it is now)(B) Further complicating the process of recycling is that (C) As if contamination wasn’t a big enough problem,(D) Recycling is made more ineffective by the fact that (E) Many recycling companies must contend with the

reality that

25. What is the tone of this passage?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

26. What is the new sentence claiming?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

27. Again, what is the main argument of the passage? What is our task in this question?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Page 17: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

AP® English Language and CompositionStudent Handout: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

3 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

28. The writer wants to add the following sentence to the third paragraph (sentences 11–14) to provide a piece of evidence.

One New Hampshire-based waste management company saw its recycling costs increase from $6.00 per ton to over $100.00 per ton in a matter of months.

Where would the sentence best be placed?

(A) Before sentence 11 (B) After sentence 11 (C) After sentence 12 (D) After sentence 13(E) After sentence 14

29. The writer wants to clarify the information in sentence 16 (reproduced below) by changing the underlined text, adjusting the punctuation, and capitalizing as needed.

To put this cap in perspective, it is important to note that U.S. paper products have a 25 percent food contamination rate.

Which of the following versions of the underlined text best achieves this goal?

(A) (as it is now) (B) U.S. paper products have, it is important to note, a

food contamination rate of 25 percent. (C) Americans need to understand that U.S. paper products

are highly contaminated with food.(D) 25 percent of all U.S. paper products placed in a

recycling bin are marred by food waste or residue. (E) you should know that nearly a quarter of U.S.

paper products cannot be recycled due to food contamination.

30. Which of the following sentences, if placed after sentence 17, would provide the most effective conclusion to the main argument of the passage?

(A) Because U.S. waste management companies cannot afford to process recycling in-house, most materials collected through recycling will be deposited in landfills.

(B) As doors continue to close on recycling, both in collection and processing, waste disposal companies must consider more effective solutions to the problem of trash.

(C) Some waste management groups report that because of the increase in recycling costs, it is cheaper to burn or dump items collected for recycling.

(D) One solution to the issue of recycling is for waste management companies to better educate consumers on the importance of sorting recyclables before disposing.

(E) Americans should act to eliminate waste on an individual level by using reusable containers and bottles, limiting the consumption of paper products, and buying items in bulk.

28. What is the writer’s purpose for adding this sentence? Where should evidence go? What key point does this sentence support?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

29.

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

30.

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Page 18: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

AP® English Language and CompositionAnswer Key: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Questions 24–30 are based on the following passage.

The passage below is a draft.

(1) Reduce, reuse, recycle. (2) For nearly 40 years, this has been the mantra of environmentalists seeking to limitthe ecological damage brought about by the accumulation of too much garbage. (3) In 2015, Americans wereresponsible for producing nearly 250 million tons of trash per year. (4) Many U.S. communities have implementedrecycling initiatives to collect and reuse this trash, including curbside pickup, current recycling systems that utilizesingle-stream recycling and global changes in recycling processes make recycling an ineffective solution to thegrowing waste management problem.

(5) Single-stream recycling refers to the process of collecting all types of recycling in one container. (6) Single-stream recycling is great for consumers, who only have to toss recyclable items into one bin, rather than separateeach item based on material. (7) This means that aluminum cans, cardboard boxes, and newspapers can all be tossedin together. (8) However, the utilization of single-stream recycling creates a toss-and-go mentality that increases thenumber of contaminated products being sent to recycling centers. (9) Contaminated products include any items withfood residue, items made from mixed materials, and low-quality plastics. (10) If an unrinsed milk carton gets pitchedinto the same container as cardboard boxes, the boxes could become contaminated by the milk residue, giving boththe milk carton and the boxes a one-way ticket to the garbage dump.

(11) To further compound the issue, the cost of recycling is on the rise. (12) This is due, in part, to foreigngovernments restricting the amount of recyclable materials they will import from the United States. (13) ManyAmericans do not realize that U.S. recyclables are not processed and remanufactured in the United States.(14) Rather, U.S. waste management companies collect recycling in the United States and then sell it to foreigncountries, like China and Taiwan.

(15) In 2018, the Chinese government issued a statement that China would no longer be accepting many categoriesof waste, and capped contamination standards at less than 1 percent. (16) To put this cap in perspective, it isimportant to note that U.S. paper products have a 25 percent food contamination rate. (17) This means that, undernew laws, China will not be accepting most U.S. paper waste.

24. In sentence 4 (reproduced below), which of the followingversions of the underlined text most effectively transitionsthe reader from the introduction to the main argument ofthe passage?

Many U.S. communities have implemented recyclinginitiatives to collect and reuse this trash, includingcurbside pickup, current recycling systems that utilizesingle-stream recycling and global changes in recyclingprocesses make recycling an ineffective solution to thegrowing waste management problem.(A) (as it is now)(B) curbside pickup; however, current recycling

systems that utilize single-stream recycling(C) curbside pickup and current recycling systems that

utilize single-stream recycling(D) curbside pickup together with current recycling systems

that utilize single-stream recycling(E) curbside pickup, as opposed to current recycling

systems that utilize single-stream recycling

24. Identify the task of the question. Are there any importantkeywords that you should pay attention to? Can you rephrasethis question into your own words?

“Most effective” communicates there is a possibility that more than one answer choice will work here. What is the introduction of the passage saying? What is the main argument of the article? Are they complementary ideas or do they contrast with each other?

• The sentences contrast with one another. If the students do not recognize the contrast right away, you can still work through this question and identify that later.

• Notice that all of the answers present “curbside pickup” as an example of recycling initiatives already being used, so that isn’t the part that we have to edit. Pay attention to the differences to identify what might need to change.

(A) There is nothing here to break up the ideas. The comma doesn’t really help with the clarity of meaning here. [This is a wrong answer.]

(B) There is clear contrast presented in this answer choice. Contrast makes sense with the shift that is coming. [Leave this answer; do not identify it as a correct answer. This is key to teaching the students to identify wrong answer choices instead.]

(C) This answer choice makes sense with the first part of the sentence, but when combined with the second part of the sentence “…and global changes in recycling processes…” it no longer makes sense. [If students did not identify that the intro and main argument contrast, this is a good time to discuss why this answer doesn’t work.]

(D) This answer choice, like the one before it, poses the intro and main argument as complementary ideas. This is another example of a wrong answer.

(E) “Curbside pickup” usually is single-stream recycling, and most importantly, it is not meant to be the subject of the second part of this sentence. This is considered to be a really wrong answer.

1 1 © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

Page 19: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

AP® English Language and CompositionAnswer Key: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

25. In sentence 10 (reproduced below), which version of theunderlined text best maintains the writer’s tone?

If an unrinsed milk carton gets pitched into the samecontainer as cardboard boxes, the boxes could becomecontaminated by the milk residue, giving both the milkcarton and the boxes a one-way ticket to the garbage dump.(A) (as it is now)(B) marking both the milk carton and the boxes as

disposable junk(C) causing both the milk carton and the boxes to be

disposed of as waste(D) so you might as well chuck both the milk carton and

the boxes into the dumpster(E) which means you’ve effectively turned your boxes and

milk cartons into trash

26. The writer wants to add the following sentence tothe second paragraph (sentences 5–10) to introduce acounterclaim.

Proponents of single-stream recycling argue that whilethere is an increased risk of contamination, this risk isoffset by the increased number of items being recycled.Where would the sentence best be placed?

(A) Before sentence 5(B) After sentence 6(C) After sentence 7(D) After sentence 9(E) After sentence 10

25. What is the tone of this passage?

• Tone is the writer’s attitude toward a subject. It reflects the writer’s feelings. Be careful not to mistake tone for mood. Mood is how the reader feels when reading a piece of writing. The tone of this passage is formal and instructive and non-biased.

(A) The way that it is written now is a little informal in tone, but not entirely problematic. Leave it for now. Emphasize that “leaving” an answer for later is NOT the same thing as assuming it is correct.

(B) The words “disposable junk” is clearly informal. It does not fit the tone of the passage at all. This is a wrong answer.

(C) This answer choice follows the requirement of formal, instructive, and non-biased. Leave it for now. Emphasize that “leaving” an answer for later is NOT the same thing as assuming it is correct.

(D) This answer choice is painfully informal. It sounds more like a conversation between friends rather than an informative article (as the writer intends). Also, this answer introduces bias. This is another great example of a wrong answer.

(E) Again, the language used in this answer choice is informal. Also, the language introduces bias. This is another wrong answer.

• Looking at answer (A) and answer (C), the language “one-way ticket to the garbage dump” really stands out as informal when compared to the polished and formal tone of answer choice (C). (A) can be identified as a wrong answer.

26. What is the new sentence claiming?

• Now that you know we are focused on the defense of single-stream recycling, you know that the idea arguing against single-stream recycling needs to come directly before or directly after the new sentence.

• The students’ task here is to eliminate any answer choices that do not fit the purpose we have just stated.

(A) This is at the beginning of the second paragraph. Single-stream recycling has yet to be mentioned. This is a clear example of a wrong answer.

(B) This answer choice only talks about the positives of single-stream recycling. Also, the sentence that follows is explanatory, not in contrast with the new sentence. This is a wrong answer as well.

(C) This answer choice introduces the argument (for single-stream recycling) before the counterargument is made against it. The following sentence begins with “however,” which sets us up with the contrast that we need to make everything fit. Leave it for now. Emphasize that “leaving” an answer for later is NOT the same thing as assuming it is correct.

(D) This answer choice does offer an introduction for contaminated products; however, it is weak at best. Placed before sentence 10, it makes for a very awkward break in logic. [You can decide to leave this for students who are unsure, or eliminate if the class has decided it is close, but still a wrong answer.]

(E) This answer choice would make the second-paragraph end on a “pro single-stream recycling” argument. The next paragraph starts “to further compound the issue” which is supposed to refer to the problems with single-stream recycling. Placing the new sentence here completely changes the meaning and makes everything wrong. This is an example of a wrong answer choice.

Page 20: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

AP® English Language and CompositionAnswer Key: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

3 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

27. In sentence 11 (reproduced below), the writer wantsto provide a link between the main argument and thedevelopment of ideas within the paragraph.

To further compound the issue, the cost of recycling is onthe rise.Which of the following versions of the underlined text best achieves this purpose?

(A) (as it is now)(B) Further complicating the process of recycling is that(C) As if contamination wasn’t a big enough problem,(D) Recycling is made more ineffective by the fact that(E) Many recycling companies must contend with the

reality that

28. The writer wants to add the following sentence to the thirdparagraph (sentences 11–14) to provide a piece of evidence.

One New Hampshire-based waste management companysaw its recycling costs increase from $6.00 per ton to over$100.00 per ton in a matter of months.Where would the sentence best be placed?

(A) Before sentence 11(B) After sentence 11(C) After sentence 12(D) After sentence 13(E) After sentence 14

27. Again, what is the main argument of the passage? What is our task in this question?

• The main argument of the draft is that recycling has become inadequate.

• The first idea presented in the paragraph is actually the second part of sentence 11, “the cost of recycling is on the rise.”

• Our task is to choose the revision that directly ties the main argument to the key point.

(A) This answer choice seems to agree that it is helping to build an argument, but it isn’t actually mentioning the main argument at all. It isn’t tying together anything that we need. This is a wrong answer.

(B) This answer choice speaks to the process of recycling, which again, is not our main argument. This too is a wrong answer.

(C) Although this answer choice does a good job of tying the previous paragraph to the current one, this isn’t the task at hand. This is a BIG distractor answer.

(D) Finally, we have an answer that addresses the main argument: recycling has become inadequate. Even though this answer reads like the perfect fit for the task, leave it and check that you can eliminate the last answer before selecting this as correct. Remember, we are on the search for wrong answers.

(E) This answer brings in an entirely new topic: many recycling companies that must contend with the rising cost of recycling. This isn’t incorporating the main argument anywhere. Therefore, it isn’t completing our task. This is the final wrong answer.

28. What is the writer’s purpose for adding this sentence? Whereshould evidence go? What key point does this sentence support?

• The writer’s purpose is to provide evidence to support a keypoint made in the passage.

• Remember that the key point helps the main argument of thepassage.

• Naturally, evidence should follow the claim it is supporting.

• The sentence provides data (in cost per ton) for one wastemanagement company which is an example of the rising costs ofrecycling (key point).

(A) This answer choice is not following the logic of where we saidevidence belongs. It introduces the evidence prior to introducingthe claim. This is an example of a wrong answer.

(B) This answer choice directly states the claim prior to the evidence.Leave this answer and emphasize that “leaving” an answer forlater is NOT the same thing as assuming it is correct.

(C) This answer choice speaks of foreign government restrictions onimporting recyclable materials. The evidence we are adding hasnothing to do with this claim, and this would be a horrible placefor us to put the evidence. This is a wrong answer.

(D) This answer choice speaks to where the recyclables are processedand manufactured. This is a claim that isn’t appropriate to pairwith our evidence. They have nothing in common. For the samereason (C) was a wrong answer, so is this one.

(E) This answer choice might be the worst of them all, not onlymaking a claim our evidence doesn’t support, but also poorlyconcluding the third paragraph/introducing the fourthparagraph. This is our final wrong answer.

Page 21: AP English Language and Composition hree-Wee Writing Clinic: …€¦ · 01-03-2020  · The following gives a guideline for how much time to spend on each step of the synthesizing

AP® English Language and CompositionAnswer Key: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

4 Visit www.marcolearning.com for additional learning resources. © Marco Learning, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Advanced Placement® and AP® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

29. The writer wants to clarify the information in sentence16 (reproduced below) by changing the underlined text,adjusting the punctuation, and capitalizing as needed.

To put this cap in perspective, it is important to note that U.S.paper products have a 25 percent food contamination rate.Which of the following versions of the underlined text bestachieves this goal?

(A) (as it is now)(B) U.S. paper products have, it is important to note, a

food contamination rate of 25 percent.(C) Americans need to understand that U.S. paper products

are highly contaminated with food.(D) 25 percent of all U.S. paper products placed in a

recycling bin are marred by food waste or residue.(E) you should know that nearly a quarter of U.S.

paper products cannot be recycled due to foodcontamination.

30. Which of the following sentences, if placed after sentence17, would provide the most effective conclusion to the mainargument of the passage?

(A) Because U.S. waste management companies cannotafford to process recycling in-house, most materialscollected through recycling will be deposited inlandfills.

(B) As doors continue to close on recycling, both incollection and processing, waste disposal companiesmust consider more effective solutions to theproblem of trash.

(C) Some waste management groups report that because ofthe increase in recycling costs, it is cheaper to burn ordump items collected for recycling.

(D) One solution to the issue of recycling is for wastemanagement companies to better educate consumers onthe importance of sorting recyclables before disposing.

(E) Americans should act to eliminate waste on anindividual level by using reusable containers andbottles, limiting the consumption of paper products,and buying items in bulk.

The remaining questions of the passage should be completed in the same manner as the previous five, keeping in mind that:

• Students must identify important key words in each question,especially the essential task of the question.

• Students should try to rephrase using their own words.

• There are almost always several obviously wrong answers foreach question. Students must be able to articulate why ananswer is incorrect, not simply state “I don’t like it” or “it doesn’tfit” without comparing the answer to the task at hand.

• A student should never eliminate an answer choice becausethey “do not know.” Guide the student to mark the choice with aquestion mark and continue to search for wrong answer choicesin the other options. They can always return to the answer choicein question with fresh eyes or make a guess. Tip: Even when you“just don’t know” there’s either an answer choice that is worse orone that is better. Just never get stuck on an “I don’t know.”

29.

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

30.

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________