For the synthesis essay (FRQ #1), students understand they need to respond to a source, not just summarize it--or worse, refer to it without doing much at all besides name-dropping (e.g., "Source A is in favor of the penny. Source B is not in favor of the penny.") However, exactly how this is to be done--how you can respond to a source in agreement, disagreement, partial agreement, or move beyond simple restatement--is less clear. This exercise is intended to help give students a road map for responding to outside sources for FRQ #1.
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Standards
4C. Qualify a claim using modifiers, counterarguments, or alternative perspectives. |
NOTE: This exercise is best done after initially introducing the templates based on those offered in They Say/I Say.
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Person 1
Bottom line, exposure to challenging, morally tangled, or controversial works of literature in high school English is necessary for students to work through the realities of their complex existence. Sheltering students from all unpleasantries not only makes them unprepared for reality, but turns them into deeply superficial thinkers who erroneously believe that life is a Disney movie with clear heroes, clear villains, and no moral ambiguity. Person 2 It is ultimately unjust to compel students to confront issues that may be triggering or uncomfortable for them, least of all in a high school English class in which their grades and futures are very much at stake. Dealing with difficult or controversial subjects is important, but this work is best done on a student’s own timeclock and with the support of caregivers, professionals, friends, and family--not in a public high school classroom. |
Group A: When Explaining Quotations
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