Language and Composition Reading and Writing Workshop
AP Language and Composition Reading & Writing Workshop: Synthesis and Argument through the Ages
Workshop Goals
Primary Sources
“Men being, as has been said, by nature all free, equal, and independent, no one can be put out of this estate and subjected to the political power of another, without his own consent.”
Excerpt – Rousseau
“Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. One thinks himself the master of others, and still remains a greater slave than they.”
Group Activity: “Foundations of Freedom”
Divide students into four groups, each assigned a focus:
Writing Task (FRQ 1 – Synthesis Prompt)
Using at least three sources, including Locke and Rousseau, write an essay evaluating whether democratic governments successfully balance liberty and order.
Reflection Question
How do Enlightenment conceptions of “freedom” still influence our political arguments today?
Session 2: Justice, Resistance, and Moral Law
Primary Sources
“Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.”
Excerpt – Gandhi
“I must not submit to injustice from your government or any other authority. … My non-cooperation has nothing to do with ill will or hatred.”
Group Activity: “The Language of Conscience”
Form mixed reading groups of 4–5 students. Assign each to one rhetorical dimension:
Writing Task (FRQ 2 – Synthesis Prompt)
Using at least three sources, develop an argument about the legitimacy of civil disobedience as a method of achieving justice.
Reflection Question
What rhetorical strategies make arguments for moral action persuasive across cultural and temporal boundaries?
Session 3: Labor, Wealth, and Equality
Primary Sources
“Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community.”
Excerpt – Marx and Engels
“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”
Group Activity: “The Economics of Argument”
Divide into three groups for synthesis analysis:
Writing Task (FRQ 3 – Synthesis Prompt)
Using at least three sources, construct an argument evaluating the moral responsibilities of wealth in society.
Reflection Question
How do economic philosophies use rhetoric to define morality and justice?
Session 4: Education, Equality, and Social Change
Primary Sources
Wollstonecraft:
“I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.”
Washington:
“In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.”
Du Bois:
“One ever feels his twoness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings...”
Group Activity: “Rhetoric of Reform”
Form three rotating seminar circles, each analyzing one author’s strategies:
Writing Task (FRQ 4 – Synthesis Prompt)
Using at least three of the readings, write an essay evaluating the role of education as a vehicle for social progress.
Reflection Question
How do these reformers’ rhetorical choices reflect differing beliefs about gradualism, resistance, and empowerment?
Session 5: Refining and Presenting Synthesis Arguments
Objective
Apply synthesis strategies in a cohesive, evidence-based essay.
Activities
This workshop introduces a thematically parallel source set to expand students’ exposure to argument traditions across philosophy, economics, and social reform. All readings are public domain and align with AP Language CED Units 2–4 (Analyzing, Writing, and Synthesizing Arguments).
Workshop Goals
- Develop skills in synthesizing multiple sources to construct an argument.
- Analyze rhetorical strategies and perspectives across time.
- Practice Free Response Questions (FRQs) aligned to AP Language & Composition standards.
Primary Sources
- John Locke – Two Treatises of Government (1689)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7370 - Jean-Jacques Rousseau – The Social Contract (1762)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46333
“Men being, as has been said, by nature all free, equal, and independent, no one can be put out of this estate and subjected to the political power of another, without his own consent.”
Excerpt – Rousseau
“Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. One thinks himself the master of others, and still remains a greater slave than they.”
Group Activity: “Foundations of Freedom”
Divide students into four groups, each assigned a focus:
- Group 1: Purpose of Government — Compare Locke’s and Rousseau’s definitions.
- Group 2: Human Nature — What assumptions about humanity shape their theories?
- Group 3: Rhetorical Strategies — Identify how tone, analogy, and reasoning differ.
- Group 4: Modern Application — Discuss how these ideas would apply to current issues of democracy and consent.
Writing Task (FRQ 1 – Synthesis Prompt)
Using at least three sources, including Locke and Rousseau, write an essay evaluating whether democratic governments successfully balance liberty and order.
Reflection Question
How do Enlightenment conceptions of “freedom” still influence our political arguments today?
Session 2: Justice, Resistance, and Moral Law
Primary Sources
- Henry David Thoreau – On the Duty of Civil Disobedience (1849)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/71 - Mohandas K. Gandhi – Letter to Lord Irwin (1930)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58536
“Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.”
Excerpt – Gandhi
“I must not submit to injustice from your government or any other authority. … My non-cooperation has nothing to do with ill will or hatred.”
Group Activity: “The Language of Conscience”
Form mixed reading groups of 4–5 students. Assign each to one rhetorical dimension:
- Ethos: How do the authors establish credibility and integrity?
- Pathos: Which emotional appeals guide the reader toward moral reflection?
- Logos: What reasoning justifies breaking unjust laws?
- Tone: Compare tone of indignation, spirituality, or moral reasoning.
Writing Task (FRQ 2 – Synthesis Prompt)
Using at least three sources, develop an argument about the legitimacy of civil disobedience as a method of achieving justice.
Reflection Question
What rhetorical strategies make arguments for moral action persuasive across cultural and temporal boundaries?
Session 3: Labor, Wealth, and Equality
Primary Sources
- Andrew Carnegie – The Gospel of Wealth (1889)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8581 - Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels – The Communist Manifesto (1848)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61
“Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community.”
Excerpt – Marx and Engels
“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.”
Group Activity: “The Economics of Argument”
Divide into three groups for synthesis analysis:
- Group A: Claims — What is each author’s central argument about wealth?
- Group B: Tone and Purpose — How does each adapt tone to persuade?
- Group C: Evidence and Ethics — Identify moral appeals and examples.
Writing Task (FRQ 3 – Synthesis Prompt)
Using at least three sources, construct an argument evaluating the moral responsibilities of wealth in society.
Reflection Question
How do economic philosophies use rhetoric to define morality and justice?
Session 4: Education, Equality, and Social Change
Primary Sources
- Mary Wollstonecraft – A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3420 - Booker T. Washington – Atlanta Exposition Address (1895)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2376 - W.E.B. Du Bois – The Souls of Black Folk (1903)
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/408
Wollstonecraft:
“I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.”
Washington:
“In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.”
Du Bois:
“One ever feels his twoness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings...”
Group Activity: “Rhetoric of Reform”
Form three rotating seminar circles, each analyzing one author’s strategies:
- Purpose and Audience – Who was the intended audience, and how did it shape argument style?
- Rhetorical Devices – Identify metaphor, repetition, tone, and moral appeal.
- Synthesis Connection – How do the three authors together construct a vision of education and equality?
Writing Task (FRQ 4 – Synthesis Prompt)
Using at least three of the readings, write an essay evaluating the role of education as a vehicle for social progress.
Reflection Question
How do these reformers’ rhetorical choices reflect differing beliefs about gradualism, resistance, and empowerment?
Session 5: Refining and Presenting Synthesis Arguments
Objective
Apply synthesis strategies in a cohesive, evidence-based essay.
Activities
- Group Peer Review – Exchange drafts and evaluate using AP synthesis rubrics (thesis, evidence integration, sophistication).
- Revision Workshop – Focus on transition clarity, attribution of sources, and balanced commentary.
- Timed Practice Essay – Students respond to an unseen synthesis prompt modeled on AP Exam standards.
- How does synthesis writing foster deeper understanding of complex issues?
- Which rhetorical appeals or structures most effectively unify multiple perspectives?
This workshop introduces a thematically parallel source set to expand students’ exposure to argument traditions across philosophy, economics, and social reform. All readings are public domain and align with AP Language CED Units 2–4 (Analyzing, Writing, and Synthesizing Arguments).