Synthesis Essay Unit for AP™ English Language & Composition | Synthesis Question

Are your student struggling with synthesis skills? This ten-lesson writing unit slows down and stretches the process an student must use for the AP™ Lang exam free response Question 1. What a student will do in May for Question 1 has been stretched to ten lesson plans here, each of which will take 60 to 90 minutes to facilitate.

Each lesson plan includes materials needed, essential question, "I can" statement, activator, teacher input, student active participation, and summary. All materials are provided on Google Slides, and student exercises include editable text boxes.

This resource has been updated to reflect changes to the scoring rubric. Each lesson plan includes the AP™ skills listed in the new Course and Exam Description.

Contents:

Directions for Google Slides

Lesson 1: Defining Synthesis (Handouts A through J)

Lesson 2: Breaking Down the Prompt (Handout K)

Lesson 3: Conversing with Sources (Handouts L through N)

Lesson 4: Image Analysis (Handout O)

Lesson 5: Political Cartoon Analysis (Handout P)

Lesson 6: Embedding Source Material (Handouts Q and R)

Lesson 7: Timed Practice #1 (Handouts S and T)

Lesson 8: Synthesis Prompt Project (Handouts U through W)

Lesson 9: Timed Practice #2

Linked Prompts

Formatted Lined Paper

Lesson 10: Thinking Like a Reader (Handouts X and Y)

Ways to Use This Unit

✏️ Introduce the synthesis essay in an AP Language class.

✏️ Pull lessons as needed for DBQs in AP history classes.

✏️ Incorporate lessons into a longer research paper unit.

✏️ Use lesson plans in small group remediation sessions.

✏️ Teach the synthesis process remotely.

Stellar Reviews

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I have used this to help me prepare my lessons for my new AP™ Lang class. It is thorough and I appreciate the amount of work that has gone into this resource. I feel more confident going into my first year as an AP Lang teacher. Michelle H.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️This unit was a lifesaver for me. As an experienced AP™ teacher but new to Language and Comp, I needed the framework this provided to help me guide my students through the synthesis question. It was very easy to use and I loved the digital component. Melissa R.

This unit is designed on the premise that students have already learned how to construct an argument. Here, students learn to deal with the synthesis prompt and incorporate information from sources. If you need a resource for teaching argumentation and persuasion, take a look at Argumentative & Persuasive Writing. For help teaching students how to summarize and paraphrase, check out Ramen Noodle Summarizing and Cow Cud Paraphrasing. The three products are BUNDLED TOGETHER HERE at a significant discount.

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