Ninth Grade Syllabus

Ms Jean Dotson

Ninth grade English is designed to introduce students to a variety of skills. We will focus on writing, particularly the narrative and persuasive essays, on the hero journey as an archetypal story, and on the impact of society on the individual.

Books - Of Mice and Men, The Odyssey, Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird

Plays - “Romeo and Juliet”

The primary anthology is Elements of Literature, Course Three. Other readings will be individual books and handouts.

Assigned books should be read outside of class; this year there are enough of the textbooks for each student to have a copy at home, so there will be many assignments in the textbook.

Assignments are posted on my website, as are grades, vocabulary words, reading lists, outside reading project lists, links to authors, assigned books and eras, and information about current topics. The website address is

https://sites.google.com/site/dotsonsway/

Bookmark it.

Discussion is part of the grade. In order to discuss a work, it is necessary that you be current in your reading. Always expect pop quizzes.

Many days will begin with journal writing. Topics may be from current affairs, related to the readings, or suggested by students. You will spend the first 10 minutes writing, and then stop writing. I am interested in your thought processes, and there is no time for you to edit or correct your journal writing. Thus you always should consider it to be a rough draft for things to come

Tests are generally open note. I value the skill of notetaking and expect you to perfect the skill. Tests will be developed from my lecture notes and from your reading. Tests will focus on reactions to, and reasoning about the assigned reading.

All papers should be typed or word-processed. If they are not, you are taking a chance. If I cannot read a paper, I will not grade it.

Grades will be posted twice a month. They will be identified by your student number. Memorize it.