1. AP English Language and Composition
Course Syllabus
Instructor: Mr. Jeff Nienaber Room: 105
Phone: 367-4169 Help Time: Before School (7:00)
E-Mail: jeff.nienaber@southwestschools.org After School: (by appointment)
About the AP Program:
An AP course in English Language and Composition engages students in becoming skilled readers of prose written in a variety of
periods, disciplines, and rhetorical contexts, and in becoming skilled writers who compose for a variety of purposes. Both their
writing and their reading should make students aware of the interactions among a writer’s purposes, audience expectations, and
subjects as well as the way generic conventions and the resources of language contribute to effectiveness in writing (The College
Board).
About the AP English Language and Composition Course:
This multifaceted composition course focuses on an author’s use of various rhetorical conventions to achieve an intended purpose and
effect. In turn, AP Language students will apply their understanding of such rhetorical conventions to both their critical reading of texts
(written, visual, and musical) and to their personal writing in order to develop a mature and sophisticated prose voice. Ultimately, the
reading and writing activities throughout this course will prepare students for success on the AP English Language and Composition
Exam. The purpose of this exam is to rate a student’s potential success in a university-level freshman composition course. While there is
no school policy requiring students to take the AP English Language and Composition Exam, there is an expectation that they will work
at the requisite level to succeed on the test. On a personal note: if a student is going to put forth the effort to complete this course, even if
only for the weighted credit, then he/she should go all the way and complete the exam as well.
Reading List:
AP Curricular Requirement:
The course requires nonfiction readings (e.g., essays, journalism, political writing, science writing, nature writing, autobiographies/biographies, diaries, history, and
criticism) that are selected to give students opportunities to identify and explain an author's use of rhetorical strategies and techniques. If fiction and poetry are also
assigned, their main purpose should be to help students understand how various effects are achieved by writers' linguistic and rhetorical choices.
The course teaches students to analyze how graphics and visual images both relate to written texts and serve as alternative forms of texts themselves.
Textbooks:
Beers, Kylene and Lee Odell. Elements of Literature, Fifth Course: Essentials of American Literature. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and
Winston, 2005.
Shea, Renee H., Lawrence Scanlon and Robin Dissin Aufses. The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008.
Novels:
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1992. Print.
Scarlet Letter and Related Readings (Literature Connections). Boston: Mcdougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin, 1997. Print.
Hemingway, Ernest. A Farewell to Arms. New York: Scribner Paperback Fiction, 1995. Print.
Twain, Mark. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: With Connections. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston: 1995. Print.
Multimedia:
Clauss, Patrick. i-claim: Visualizing Argument. CD-ROM. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2005.
Downs, Douglas P. i-cite: Visualizing Sources. CD-ROM. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006.
The Onion: America’s Finest News Source. 2007. 9 Nov. 2007 <www.theonion.com>.
 Selected Articles
We will be moving at a steady pace, and it is essential that you not get behind in your reading.

2. AP English Language and Composition
Course Syllabus
Writing Assignments:
AP Curricular Requirements:
The course teaches and requires students to write in several forms (e.g., narrative, expository, analytical, and argumentative essays) about a variety of subjects (e.g.,
public policies, popular culture, personal experiences).
The course requires students to write:
 essays that proceed through several stages or drafts, with revision aided by teacher and peers.
 in informal contexts (e.g., imitation exercises, journal keeping, collaborative writing, and in-class responses) designed to help them become increasingly
aware of themselves as writers and of the techniques employed by the writers they read.
 expository, analytical, and argumentative assignments that are based on readings representing a wide variety of prose styles and genres.
The AP teacher provides instruction and feedback on students' writing assignments, both before and after the students revise their work, that help the students develop:
 a wide-ranging vocabulary used appropriately and effectively.
 a variety of sentence structures, including appropriate use of subordination and coordination.
 logical organization, enhanced by specific techniques to increase coherence, such as repetition, transitions, and emphasis.
 a balance of generalization and specific, illustrative detail.
 an effective use of rhetoric, including controlling tone, establishing and maintaining voice, and achieving appropriate emphasis through diction and sentence
structure.
The course teaches research skills, and in particular, the ability to evaluate, use, and cite primary and secondary sources. The course assigns projects such as the
researched argument paper, which goes beyond the parameters of a traditional research paper by asking students to present an argument of their own that includes the
analysis and synthesis of ideas from an array of sources.
The course teaches students how to cite sources using a recognized editorial style (e.g., Modern Language Association, the Chicago Manual of Style, etc.).
A general note…
Throughout this year we will work on developing your writing skills to meet and/or exceed the expectations of the typical collegiate
freshman level composition course. To this end, all of your writing assignments throughout this course will be geared toward your
effective use of 1) high-impact vocabulary to develop a personal voice, modulating tone and style to fit each given assignment; 2) diverse
sentence patterns and diction to develop and maintain that voice; 3) varied rhetorical devices (transitions, effective paragraphing, etc.)
to provide coherent and cohesive organization to your writing; and 4) apt and specific textual references to supply the necessary support
to develop an effectively cogent piece of writing.
We will take a multifarious approach to accomplish these tasks. We will start by exploring and developing your personal writing style
through a variety of writing workshops. We will then explore the theory behind effective reading and writing, investigating the rhetorical
techniques involved in both written and visual texts. After reading and analyzing a variety of published texts, we will revisit our earlier
pieces, considering their use of these rhetorical strategies. We will then “publish” our finalized pieces for class review and feedback. After
this initial phase we will investigate the writing requirements for the AP English Language and Composition Exam by reviewing the AP
essay rubric and previously released sample student essays ranging in score from 1-9 on the AP rubric. We will analyze each essay’s
effective use of, or lack thereof, analytical skills, rhetorical devices, and composition skills. We will consider the student authors’ use of
such rhetorical devices as diction, syntax, and detail – both specific textual citations and general observations – and the impact of these
devices on the overall purpose and tone of the piece. We will then repeat this analysis using a variety of professionally published essays,
editorials, and graphics. After some discussion and additional in-class experimentation, you will then be asked to apply these concepts to
your own writing. We will use a writing workshop format to continue responding to each other’s work throughout the year. These peer
response groups will provide you with a home base for reflecting upon your own writing. In addition I will provide formal feedback after
each assigned essay concerning the class’s overall performance on each respective assignment. After discussing both the deficiencies
and the successes of each essay, you will then be required to apply these critical comments to your own writing and resubmit a revision
for consideration.
Informal Writing Activities
We will engage in a variety of informal writing activities that will allow us to explore professional authors’ use of rhetorical strategies to
achieve their intended effect. These informal activities will also provide us with opportunities to model and imitate the style of these
published authors. Finally, these activities will provide us with a metacognitive notepad to explore what we’ve learned from these essays,
editorials, visuals, short stories, and poems. These informal writing activities may include, but are not limited to metacognitive, double
entry, and/or dialectical journals, learning logs/blogs, threaded online discussions and imitation writing exercises.

3. AP English Language and Composition
Course Syllabus
Formal Writing Activities
We will engage in a variety of formal writing activities that will provide us with opportunities to implement the rhetorical strategies
exemplified within our readings. After studying each style of writing, and reading a variety of examples of each respective mode of
writing, we will compose writing samples including, but not limited to, the following: exposition, analysis (literary and/or rhetorical), and
argumentative research. Where appropriate, these papers should include relevant block and blended quotes from primary and/or
secondary resources, accompanied by properly formatted MLA style parenthetical citations and Work Cited pages. See Diana Hacker’s
A Writer’s Reference, Sixth Edition to review the proper format for citations and works cited entries.
Reading Activities
In addition to the numerous writing activities we will complete throughout the year, you will be assigned to read one novel outside of
class per quarter that you will discuss in literature circles, both real and virtual. You will be required to respond to your reading via the
blogging tools located on our class Wiki or Spruz. We will discuss these guidelines in more detail later.
Grade Scale:
A 90 – 100
B 80 – 89
C 70 – 79
D 60 – 69
F Below 60
Evaluation:
Essays (graded by the AP Rubric): 50% of Quarter Grade
Objective Assignments (Vocabulary Quizzes, Tests, Quizzes, and Projects) 50% of Quarter Grade
In order to mirror the format of the AP English Language and Composition Exam, the assignments in this class will be divided into 2 categories: 1)
Objective Assignments (tests/quizzes, projects, etc.) and 2) Essays.
 In order to perform well on the AP English Exams, we will need to spend this year honing our writing skills to match the standards maintained by
the College Board. To this end, half of each quarter’s grade will be determined by the level of your performance on all assigned AP style essays
(approximately 5 essays a quarter). The 50% quarter grade will be determined based on your level of improved writing throughout the quarter.
For example: If your first essay was scored at a “3,” and the average of the remaining essays was scored at a”6,” you could expect to receive an
“A” for that 50% portion of your quarter grade. Likewise, if your first essay was scored at a “3,” and the average of the remaining essays was
also scored at a “3,” you could expect to receive a “C” for the 50% portion of your grade. Your level of improvement, or lack thereof, will
determine the “Essay” grade. As we enter second semester, I will expect to see a consistent pattern of strong essays, as opposed to mere
improvement, in order to receive an “A” for your essay grade. Effective use of both your writing workshops and my comments will be a critical
determinant in this grade.
This grading policy places due credit on our main focus this year – your writing skills -- while at the same time removing the stigmatism of grades.
Grades suggest a competitive nature – when it comes to writing, however, the only person you should be competing against is yourself, constantly
striving to improve your work from assignment to assignment. The various writing workshops/activities are designed to help grow as both a critical
reader and writer.
In addition to the above graded assignments, the midterm exam will take the form of a full length AP exam; more information will be forthcoming. Your
first semester grade will be determined by the average of the first and second quarter grades and the exam grade. Remember, according to district
policy, you must accumulate a total of four (4) points in order to pass a yearlong class; moreover, you must also pass both 4th quarter and 2nd semester
in order to receive credit for a class.
All work must be turned in on the assigned due dates; late work will NOT be graded. All out-of-class essays, papers,
and projects are expected to represent your best work. I expect these documents to be polished pieces that have been
proofread, revised, and typed. When necessary, proper MLA format must also be applied.

4. AP English Language and Composition
Course Syllabus
Scope and Sequence of Course
First Quarter
Rhetoric and Composition:
The Power of Language:
o Class Introduction and Discussion
o The Language of Composition, Chapter 9: Language
 Exploration of language’s power to shape personal/cultural identity
 Writing Assignment #1: This I Believe Essays – After listening to and reading personal philosophies
compiled by the NPR program, students will construct their own personal philosophies.
 Introduction to Writer’s Workshop: see handout
What is Rhetoric? Why is it Important?
 The Language of Composition, Chapter 1: An Introduction to Rhetoric
o The Rhetorical Triangle
o Ethos, Logos, and Pathos
 Writing Assignment #2: Rhetorical analysis of a 1936 Albert Einstein letter – address Einstein’s application of
Ethos, Logos, and Pathos in answering Phyllis Wright’s question concerning whether scientists pray.
 Writing Assignment #3: Rhetorical analysis of a political cartoon – address the cartoon’s application of Ethos,
Logos, and Pathos in analyzing the cartoon.
 Writing Assignment #4: Analyze Jody Heyman’s use of rhetorical arrangement in her essay “We Can Afford to
Give Parents a Break.” In particular, consider how she makes use of different patterns of development
throughout her essay to achieve her overall purpose.
 Writing Assignment #5: Reading the four pieces concerning the death of Princess Diana. Analyze each
source’s consideration of speaker, audience, and subject in the development of each piece. Consider how
effective each source is in achieving its respective purpose.
 Writer’s Workshop: Return to “This I Believe” essays, and analyze peer essays for elements of ethos, pathos,
and logos
 The Language of Composition, Chapter 2: Close Reading: The Art and Craft of Analysis
o Engaging Written Texts– Annotations, Dialectical Journals, and Graphic Organizers
 Assignment #6: Application of Close Reading Tools – Make use of either annotations, a dialectical journal, or a
graphical organizer to analyze 16th Century English scholar Roger Ascham’s observations of the wind. Write a
journal explaining how the close reading tools you applied were effective in helping you understand the text.
o Engaging Visual Texts
 Writing Assignment #7: Analysis of Visual Text – Find an ad that appeals to you or is provocative in some
manner, and analyze it following the model from The Language of Composition pp. 49-51. Use a different
Closing Reading Tool to analyze the ad than you used to analyze the Ascham essay.
 Assignment #8: Analysis of John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address – Read JFK’s inaugural speech once before
reading it and applying the final close reading tool to the text. After conducting your close reading, consider 1)
how Kennedy’s diction and syntax create tone, and 2) how Kennedy’s tone is used to achieve the ultimate
purpose of his speech. Consider the Diction and Syntax Analysis questions from pp. 55-56 from The Language
of Composition.
 Writing Assignment #9: Rhetorical Analysis of JFK’s Inaugural Address – Write an essay that analyzing
Kennedy’s use of rhetorical techniques to achieve his purpose.
 Writer’s Workshop: Using graphic organizer/peer revision guidelines, analyze peer essays. Return critiqued
essays and your journals to essay owner for revision
Literature Unit: American Romanticism
 Elements of Literature, Fifth Course
 Students will study the literary characteristics of American Romanticism, as well as the historical events that led up to
its inception. Authors will include: Emerson, Thoreau, Irving, Hawthorne, and Poe, among others.
 Online Book Talk: Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter: Students will be required to reread the text, posting new
insights on their class blog. In addition the class as a whole will engage in threaded discussion responding to prompts
posted on the forum of the class Spruz

5. AP English Language and Composition
Course Syllabus
Second Quarter
Rhetoric and Composition:
 The Language of Composition, Chapter 3: Synthesizing Sources: Entering the Conversation
o Types of Sources – anecdotes, facts, quantitative data, and expert testimony
 Assignment #10: Analysis of Source Material – Read the excerpt from Robert D. Putnam’s book Bowling
Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Answer the questions on p. 68 regarding the type
and impact of source material on Putnam’s writing.
o Incorporating Sources – Relationship to Purpose and Audience
 Assignment #11: Analysis of Source Material and its Connection to Purpose – Find and read a syndicated
column that is at least four columns of print and analyze the columnist’s audience by the way in which he/she
uses sources and documents them within his/her writing.
o The Synthesis Essay
 The Bedford Reader, Ninth Edition, Chapter 3: Using and Documenting Sources
 Reliability of Sources – print and online
 Integrating Sources – summary, paraphrase, and quotations
 Introduction of Source Material
 Documentation of Source Material – Common Knowledge, MLA Documentation, Works Cited
 Writing Assignment #12: Analysis, Argument, and Synthesis – Synthesis Essay
 After reading a collection of essays on a specified topic, students will conduct research on the
collection topic for additional essays, editorials, articles, and images. Students will then develop a
position on the topic, incorporating information from these sources to support their position. Students
must consider the rhetorical triangle when drafting their essays.
 Writer’s Workshop: Consider the sample editorials read in class when commenting on peer essays.
 Research Writing
o Students will apply the research process outlined in The Language of Composition and The Bedford Reader. This
research project will address developing of a topic, conducting and synthesizing research, drafting the paper, and citing
sources.
 The Bedford Reader, Ninth Edition & The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric
o Daily readings will be assigned on a variety of topics ranging from education, science, nature, politics, social issues, etc.
Readings will serve as both models of strong rhetoric and subjects for rhetorical analyses. Students will continue to
implement close reading strategies taught during the first quarter. Students will engage the texts through a wide variety of
informal writing assignments, including dialectical journals, graphic organizers and annotations/journals. These informal
writing assignments will serve as the basis of class discussions, peer revision activities, and brainstorming platforms for
formal writing assignments.
o Daily readings will also serve as models for student writing. Students will develop original narrative and expository pieces
of writing mirroring the topics addressed within the assigned reading.
o Writer’s Workshop: Peer groups will meet regularly throughout this process until the final drafts are submitted before
Winter Break
 At least three synthesis essays will be completed throughout the quarter. Past AP prompts as well as student/teacher generated
synthesis topics will be addressed.
Literature Unit
Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Twain, the Novelist
 Students will analyze Twain’s use of diction and syntax in the creation of his text. They will read the novel through the lens of
persuasion – Twain’s novel as an abolitionist text or an appeal for civil rights for the African American, or at the very least, the
acknowledgment of the African American’s humanity. Using the class Spruz, students will assess the effectiveness of Twain’s use
of Huck Finn as a transcendental hero to represent the moral conscience of America.
Twain, the Humorist
 Throughout this literary unit, students will also be exposed to a variety of Twain quotes which underscore his philosophy and
worldview. These quotes will be the impetus for student blog responses and forum discussions.

6. AP English Language and Composition
Course Syllabus
Third Quarter
Rhetoric and Composition:
Identifying and Understanding Satire
 The Onion: America’s Finest News Source – Weekly review of Onion postings.
 The Bedford Reader, Ninth Edition & The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric
 Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal”
o Students will compose their own modern-day “Modest Proposals”
o Writer’s Workshop: Students will focus on applying elements of the rhetorical triangle – concepts of pathos, ethos, and
logos in the writing of their personal satires
 At least three synthesis essays will be completed throughout the quarter.
 Structured in-class review of the AP Language and Composition Exam.
Literature Unit
Ernest Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms
 Students will study how the disillusionment with the ideals of Romanticism following WWI led to the rise in American Realism.
 Students will consider the anti-war sentiments expressed by Hemingway’s novel and mirror these wartime experiences in their
multigenre webquest.
 Writer’s Workshop: Workshop teams will also serve as webquest teams. Throughout the multigenre project, team members will
not only work towards the completion of their own project components, but provide constructive feedback for their teammates’
projects as well.
Fourth Quarter
Rhetoric and Composition:
 The Onion: America’s Finest News Source – Weekly review of Onion postings.
 The Bedford Reader, Ninth Edition & The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric
 Structured in-class review of the AP Language and Composition Exam – Students will complete a series of close reading drills that
require responding to 10-12 multiple choice questions. They will also review past AP essay prompts. This review will require
students to score sample essays, respond to writing prompts, and engage in peer revision activities using student-generated
essays.
 After the AP exam, students will apply their understanding of rhetoric to the composition of their college essays. The students will
spend time conducting college research. After students have selected 2-3 colleges to which they intend to submit applications, they
will begin drafting college admissions essays taking into account all three sides of the rhetorical triangle: subject, speaker, and
audience. The students will also consider how these strategies may apply to ACT writing prompts.
o Writer’s Workshop: Students will provide feedback on member college essays, taken into account the various
reading/writing strategies discussed throughout the course.
Literature Unit
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
 Students will be introduced to the modern hero. This hero is a direct product of the disillusionment caused by WWI, and a sense
careless abandon. Once again students will continue to make use of the class Spruz to blog about their observations throughout the
reading of the novel as well as engage in online forum discussions. Students will consider the similarities and differences between
Hemingway’s Frederick Henry and Fitzgerald’s James Gatz, both of whom walked away from their lives in search of something.