English 9 is a required course for ninth graders, providing students with an overview of reading and writing skills and strategies. Students will read a variety of genres, including poetry, drama, nonfiction, fiction, short stories, and novels; this includes both classic pieces and contemporary texts. Students will write compositions as well as informal pieces. A semester test and/or essay will be given at the end of both semesters. This course is designed to provide students with a basic foundation for the rest of high school and beyond.
All information including class expectations, power standards, books read, and units taught can be found listed on the syllabus attached below.
Course Outline
1st Semester
Unit 1: Short Stories, Basic Literary Elements, & Narrative Writing
Unit 2: Research Writing
Unit 3: Animal Farm
Literature Circles - Semester Long
2nd Semester
Unit 4: The Odyssey & Hero’s Journey
Unit 5: Romeo and Juliet
Unit 6: Writing with Argument & Persuasion
Unit 7: To Kill a Mockingbird & Just Mercy
Literature Circles - Semester Long
Materials Needed:
Charged computer
Writing utensil
Notebook & Folder
Availability:
I am happy to help students at school during the following times:
Before school (7:30 - 8:00)
Prep period (3rd hour)
After school (3:15 - 3:40)
Plagiarism Policy:
Plagiarism and AI checks will be used for most assignments turned in online. All work you submit must be your own. Any instances of plagiarism and/or copying from another student, an internet resource or other person/text (without legitimate citation) will mean a “0” on the assignment (for all parties involved), and parents will be notified. It’s important for me to see that you are learning and showing growth. Integrity is an important characteristic of successful adults.
AI Use:
This class is a space for practicing important writing and researching processes that cannot be replicated by AI. AI diminishes opportunities to learn from our experiences and from each other, to allow for creative freedoms, problem-solving, and to contribute our ideas in authentic and meaningful ways. For these reasons, students bear the burden of proof that any writing submitted is their own writing and thinking. If your work is questioned, you may be required to show the writing process/ revision history or drafts, answer questions about the work, or re-do part of the assignment in the presence of Mrs. Davis. Honesty is the best policy and will be considered in the consequences.
Grading (see student handbook for grading scale)
Your grade for this course is weighted with the following percentages:
60% Assessments (quizzes, tests, projects, papers, and some daily work)
30% Practice (assignments and in-class activities)
10% Accountability
Grades are updated once midweek and by Monday morning. If an assignment is handed in late, it will not receive top priority and should not be expected to be graded as soon as possible.
Practice Work
All practice work will be submitted through Google Classroom (virtually) or the class inbox (paper) and is due at the beginning of class. Homework is considered late if it is not turned in at this time. Students will receive a 0/10 in the accountability portion of their grade if it is not turned in by the deadline. Practice is essential for building skills for assessments. Mrs. Davis may refuse to give an assessment until missing practice work is completed. Practice work turned in on time is able to be resubmitted with changes for a better grade until the end-of-unit assessment. All late work must be turned in by the end of each unit, otherwise the score becomes a “0,” and you are unable to make this up.
Retake Policy (Assessments)
If you are not happy with a score on an assessment (with the exception of failing grades from plagiarism and unacceptable AI use), on certain assessments you may request a retake. In order to qualify for a retake, you must complete any missing practice work from the unit. All retakes must be completed in the presence of Mrs. Davis.
Class Expectations
*No student has the right to prevent another student from enjoying the opportunity to learn in a safe and pleasant environment.
Students should be respectful and responsible at all times.
Cell phones will be placed in the correct cell phone holder each day upon entering the room and remain until the bell releases class. Earbuds will be put away or you willingly give them to Mrs. Davis until the end of class.
Disruptive behavior and disrespect will not be tolerated - students should be the best versions of themselves every day!
Reading Standards: Literature
Key Ideas and Details
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as (make) inferences drawn [from the text]. (RL. 9-10.1) (DOK 1,2,3)
Students can make inferences from the text based on what the text says
Students can pull important information from the text
Students can apply the correct formatting to their citations
Determine a theme or central idea [of a text] and analyze in detail its development [over the course] [of the text], including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary [of the text]. (RL.9-10.2) (DOK 2,3)
Students can track the development of the text
Students can summarize the text
Students can identify a theme or central idea from a text
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop [over the course of a text], interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme. (RL.9-10. 3) (DOK 2,3)
Students can compare and contrast dynamic vs static characters throughout a text
Students can describe character relationships
Students can explain how characters modify the theme
Craft and Structure
Determine the meaning [of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings]; analyze the cumulative impact [of specific word choices] [on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper)]. (RI.9-10.4) (DOK 1,2,3)
Students can explain the meaning of specific words and phrases in the context of nonfiction text.
Students can understand and explain how words and phrases alter the overall tone and meaning of a text.
Analyze a particular point of view (perspective) or cultural experience reflected [in a work] [of literature] [from outside the United States], drawing on a wide reading of world literature. (RL.9-10.6) (DOK 3,4)
Students can draw knowledge from other backgrounds and cultures.
Students can identify cultural differences within a text.
Students can compare and contrast their culture to others.
Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims [in a text], assessing whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and fallacious reasoning. (RI.9-10.8) (DOK 2,3,4)
Students can find the argument and identify the claim within a text.
Students can identify false claims within a text.
Students can evaluate the reasoning behind why a false claim is made within a text.
Reading Standards: Nonfiction
Determine a central idea [of a text] and analyze its development [over the course] [of the text], and explain how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary [of the text]. (RI.9-10.2) (DOK 2,3)
Students can summarize the main events of a text.
Students can explain the central idea of a text.
Students can analyze the development of the central idea throughout a text.
Students can determine how the central idea of a text is shaped by specific details.
Analyze how the author unfolds an analysis or series of ideas or events, including the order in which the points are made, how they are introduced and developed, and the connections that are drawn between them. (RI.9-10.3) (DOK 2,3)
Students can understand the sequence of events.
Students can make connections based on the order of events.
Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose. (RI.9-10.6)
Students can identify the point of view or purpose in a text.
Students can develop a logical argument for the author’s purpose.
Students can define the different types of rhetoric used within a text (ethos, pathos, logos)
Students can identify the use of rhetoric within a text.
Students can connect the rhetoric in a text to the author’s purpose.
Writing Standards
Text Types and Purposes
Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
Students can introduce precise claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that establishes clear relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
Students can develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly, supplying evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level and concerns.
Students can use words, phrases, and clauses to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.
Students can establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
Students can provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented. (W.9-10.1) (DOK 3,4)
Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
Students can engage and focus the reader by identifying a problem, situation, or observation, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.
Students can use dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
Students can sequence events so that they build on one another to create a clear whole.
Students can use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
Students can provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative. (W.9-10.3) (DOK 3,4)
Production and Distribution of Writing
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above) (W.9-10.4) (DOK 3,4)
Language
Conventions of Standard English
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Students can use parallel structure.*
Students can use various types of phrases (noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, absolute) and clauses (independent, dependent; noun, relative, adverbial) to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations. (L.9-10.1) (DOK 1,2)