AP English Language and Composition: Sports Synthesis Prompt
Question 1
Carefully read the following seven sources, including the introductory information for each source and consider the film clips. Then synthesize information from at least four of the sources and incorporate it into a coherent, well-developed essay that develops a position on the most important considerations schools and communities face when developing sports and physical education programs for public schools. The essay should be at least 2 pages long. Make sure that your argument is central; use the sources to illustrate and support your reasoning. Avoid merely summarizing the sources. 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., or by using the descriptions in parentheses.
My daughter is an athlete. Nowadays, this statement won't strike many parents as unusual, but it does me. Until her freshman year in high school, Ann was only marginally interested in sport of any kind. When she played, she didn't swing hard, often dropped the ball, and had an annoying habit of tittering on the field or court.
HERS; Playing to Win by MARGARET A. WHITNEY, from The New York Times, 1988.
We often get caught up in the moment. As children—and as adults—we first react to situations one way, and then later make better sense of what happened. Jennifer Schwind-Pawlak, who wrote the following essay for a college writing course, explores one of these moments from her past.
The Thrill of Victory…The Agony of Parents by Jennifer Schwind-Pawlak, from The Composition of Everyday Life, 2nd ed.
Like many U.S. citizens, I spend much of my free time thinking about the future of sports and the future of our children. This is because I care deeply about sports.
On Soccer by Chuck Klosterman, from Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs.
The Washington Times reported last week that school districts in several Maryland counties are considering banning 'dodgeball.' Dodgeball is a game in which children throw big rubber balls at each other in an attempt to eliminate players on the opposing team by hitting them with the ball.
Human Targets by Mark Trapp, from The Washington Times.
Another long, exhausting practice would end, and her teammates would scatter like kids stepping off a school bus, rushing to the locker room, the library, the parties, the rest of their lives on the campus of Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. Sarah Devens would stay put.
An End Too Soon (Suicide victim Sarah Devens) by Gerry Callahan; Sonja Steptoe, from Sports Illustrated.
When pundits discuss the influence of sports on American culture, they often emphasize the negatives: Michael Vick and dogfighting; the steroids scandals in baseball; lewd fan behavior in football; doping incidents in cycling and track.
Little League, Huge Effect by Scott Ganz and Kevin Hassett, from The American.
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