Synthesis Essay Writing

Directions: This assignment question requires you to synthesize a variety of sources into a coherent and well-written essay. Synthesis ‘refers to combining the sources and your position to form a cohesive, supported argument and accurately citing resources.'

Make sure that your argument is central; use the sources to illustrate and support your reasoning. Indicate clearly which sources you are drawing from, whether through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. You may cite the sources as Source A, Source B, etc.

The following prompt is based on the accompanying five sources:

Prompt:

Cell phones have been widely available for over twenty years, but schools and legislators haven't yet reached a clear decision on their appropriate use in schools.

With cell phone use becoming more and more ubiquitous, particularly among high school students, and cell phones becoming more and more sophisticated, conflicts arise when it comes to students, schools, and cell phones...

Question:

Imagine that your school is considering implementing a school-wide cell phone policy. Carefully read the following five sources, including the introductory information for each source.

Then synthesize information from at least three of the sources and incorporate it into a coherent, well-developed essay that identifies the key practices associated with appropriate and effective cell phone use in your school and develop an argument justifying their inclusion and implementation in the policy.

Following are the sources available on the website. (You may include other than these sources too.)

Source A

Shaw, Katherine "Students and Cell Phones: Controversy in the Classroom." Yahoo Voices. July 4, 2005. Yahoo, Inc.

Source B

"Text Messaging and Its Effects on Teens' Grammar." The University of Alabama: Computers and Applied Technology Program.

Source C

Myers, Jennifer. "Texting Affects Ability to Interpret Words." U Today. February 17, 2012. University of Calgary.

Source D

Reid, Geneva. "The Top 5 Ways Students Use Technology to Cheat." HigherEd Morning. Drexel University Online.

Source F

Barseghian, Tina "How Teachers Make Cell Phones Work In the Classroom." MindShift.

May 10, 2012. KQED - National Public Radio.

Criteria:

· Effectively develops a position on the assigned topic

· Demonstrates full understanding of the sources or text.

· Correctly synthesizes sources and develops a position. The writer drives the argument, not the sources

· The writer's argument is convincing.

· The writer makes no general assertions and cites specific evidence for each point. His/her evidence is developed and answers the "so what?" question.

· The essay is clear, well-organized, and coherent.

· Contains very few grammatical and spelling errors or flaws, if any

· Has length requirement - 2 - 3 pages

· Font is 12-­-point, Times New Roman.

· Both direct and indirect in text-citations are used.

· APA format for in text -citation and referencing is used.