Breaking Down the Prompt

Please reread information from the first page of the Dress Code synthesis packet, which I have included below. Notice that the information provides context, and it also includes the prompt and basic expectations for the response. When you are finished reading this information, please post a comment to this post that answers the following questions:

1. Paraphrase the instructions listed under "Directions."
2. What information from the "Introduction" part of the prompt do you believe is most helpful in presenting the issue/topic of the packet? Why do you think this information is most helpful?
3. The "Assignment" part of the prompt asks you to create an argument that argues one of two options. What are the two options the prompt asks you to select from?
4. What are a few other important instructions or details you should pay attention to in this information?

Dress Code Synthesis Packet

Directions: The following prompt is based on the accompanying sources.

This question requires you to synthesize a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written essay. When you synthesize sources, you refer to them to develop your position and cite them accurately. Your argument should be central; the sources should support the argument. Avoid merely summarizing sources.

Remember to attribute both direct and indirect references.

Introduction

Students, parents, school districts, and the Supreme Court of the United States have debated what students should or should not be allowed to wear to school since the 1960’s. In the decades since, more and more schools have opted to create detailed dress codes or put their students into uniforms: “Nearly one in five public schools required uniforms in 2010, up from just one in eight a decade earlier, according to the most recent findings from the U.S. Department of Education. The 60% growth in uniform requirements at school comes despite the fact that research on their effectiveness for safety and school climate is inconclusive.”

Assignment

Read the following sources carefully. Then, in an essay that synthesizes at least three of the sources, develop a position on school dress codes and/or uniforms. Your position should be that the cons of school dress codes and/or uniforms outweigh the pros, or vice-versa.

You may refer to the sources by their titles (Source A, Source B, etc.) or by the descriptions in parentheses.

Source A (Anneberg, Cole)

Source B (U.S. Department of Education)

Source C (Beyl, Charles)

Source D (Toppo, Greg)

Source E (Kushner, Sherill)

Source F (Brindley, Alexis and Peter Brosnan)

Works Cited in Introduction

Toppo, Greg. “What to Wear? Schools increasingly making that decision.” USA Today. Web.

Identifying Initial Reactions and Opinions

I would like you to reread the prompt information for your synthesis packet one more time, so I have included it below. After you reread this prompt information, please respond to the following in a comment to this post:

• If you were to write an essay in response to this prompt right now, without doing any further research and without reading any of the included sources, which side would you argue, and why? 
• Then, using your answer to the previous question, write out a rough main claim that states your position and a few reasons.

Dress Code Synthesis Packet

Directions: The following prompt is based on the accompanying sources.

This question requires you to synthesize a variety of sources into a coherent, well-written essay. When you synthesize sources, you refer to them to develop your position and cite them accurately. Your argument should be central; the sources should support the argument. Avoid merely summarizing sources.

Remember to attribute both direct and indirect references.

Introduction

Students, parents, school districts, and the Supreme Court of the United States have debated what students should or should not be allowed to wear to school since the 1960’s. In the decades since, more and more schools have opted to create detailed dress codes or put their students into uniforms: “Nearly one in five public schools required uniforms in 2010, up from just one in eight a decade earlier, according to the most recent findings from the U.S. Department of Education. The 60% growth in uniform requirements at school comes despite the fact that research on their effectiveness for safety and school climate is inconclusive.”

Assignment

Read the following sources carefully. Then, in an essay that synthesizes at least three of the sources, develop a position on school dress codes and/or uniforms. Your position should be that the cons of school dress codes and/or uniforms outweigh the pros, or vice-versa.

You may refer to the sources by their titles (Source A, Source B, etc.) or by the descriptions in parentheses.

Source A (Anneberg, Cole)

Source B (U.S. Department of Education)

Source C (Beyl, Charles)

Source D (Toppo, Greg)

Source E (Kushner, Sherill)

Source F (Brindley, Alexis and Peter Brosnan)

Works Cited in Introduction

Toppo, Greg. “What to Wear? Schools increasingly making that decision.” USA Today. Web.

Practice Source A

The following source is NOT a source you will find in your actual synthesis packet; however, it is a source that is related to the packet's topic of Hip Hop in some way. Please read the source and then answer the following questions in a comment to this post:

1. What is the source's SOAPSTone?
2. What type of source is this?
3. How does the information from this source relate to the prompt?
4. How could the information from this source be used in your synthesis (if you were to go with the main claim you drafted in a previous post)?

Practice Source B

The following source is NOT a source you will find in your actual synthesis packet; however, it is a source that is related to the packet's topic of Hip Hop in some way. Please read the source and then answer the following questions in a comment to this post:

1. What is the source's SOAPSTone?
2. What type of source is this?
3. How does the information from this source relate to the prompt?
4. How could the information from this source be used in your synthesis (if you were to go with the main claim you drafted in a previous post)?

Practice Source C

The following source is NOT a source you will find in your actual synthesis packet; however, it is a source that is related to the packet's topic of Hip Hop in some way. Please read the source and then answer the following questions in a comment to this post:

1. What is the source's SOAPSTone?
2. What type of source is this?
3. How does the information from this source relate to the prompt?
4. How could the information from this source be used in your synthesis (if you were to go with the main claim you drafted in a previous post)?