English 9

• Explore: What are the functions of the earliest stories?

• Read: "The Beginnings of the Maasai" to recognize mythical features and summarize plot.

• Explore: What do similarities and differences of two myths tells us about the cultures that created them?

• Read: "The Raven and the First Men" to make inferences and the lives of the Haida people.

• Read: "The Maori: Genealogies and Origins in New Zealand" to identify the values of the Maori.

• Explore: How do work parts and context clues help you understand the meaning of a word?

• Practice: Use context clues, roots, and affixes to identify the meaning of a word.

• Discover: Why is English a multicultural language.

• Practice: Create analogies to improve vocabulary.

• Discover: How can you use a narrative to write about overcoming a challenge?

• Write: Narrative Essay

• Explore: What can you learn about an ancient culture through literature?

• Read: The Odyssey to paraphrase for understanding and to recognize elements of epic poetry.

The Odyssey: Central Ideas and Character Motivation, Part Two

• Explore: How can you learn about characters and what motivates them in The Odyssey ?

• Read: Read to make inferences about characters and their motivations.

The Odyssey: Writing a character analysis, Part Three

• Explore: How can quotations support a structured analysis of a character?

• Write: Prepare to write a paragraph that characterizes Odysseus as an epic hero.

• Write: Write an analysis of Odysseus’s qualifications as an epic hero.

• UNIT TEST

• Explore: Conflict and theme.

• Explore: In what ways do themes emerge from epic poetry?

• Read: Read to analyze conflicts and connect them to themes.

The Odyssey: Symbolism and Making Predictions, Part Five

• Explore: How can studying The Odyssey and its symbols reveal ancient Greek values?

• Read: Read from The Odyssey to discover symbols and ancient Greek values.

The Odyssey: Theme Development, Part Six

• Explore: How are characters and themes developed in epic poetry?

• Read: Read to compare characters and recognize how they change.

• UNIT TEST

• Explore: How do reference resources help improve vocabulary?

• Practice: Practice using reference tools to use words more precisely.

• Explore: How do you use research to write about the cultural significance of a mythical character?

• Pre-Writing: Plan to write your informative essay.

• Draft and Revise: Informative Essay

• Explore: How does conflict deepen our understanding of character?

• Read: "Initiation" to analyze character and conflict.

• Explore: In what ways do imagery and symbolism function in a story?

• Read: "The Scarlet Ibis" to interpret imagery and symbols.

• Explore: How does Julia Alvarez reveal characters and conflicts through language?

• Read: “Daughter of Invention” to analyze how language shapes characters and conflicts.

• Practice: Reading with fluency.

• Explore: What can a poem’s words tell us about the quest for freedom?

• Read: Read Maya Angelou's “Caged Bird” to identify figurative language and explore extended metaphors.

• Explore: What can we learn about an author’s viewpoint based on her writing?

• Read: Read "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou to make inferences about different people’s personality traits.

• Explore: How do words and phrases work together to convey ideas?

• Practice: identifying and using parts of speech and phrases.

• Practice: using verbals.

• UNIT TEST

• Explore: How do sound devices in poetry create mood?

• Read: “Sea Fever” by John Masefield to identify formal poetic structures.

• Read: “The Bells” by Edgar Allan Poe to analyze sound devices and mood.

• Explore: How does an author develop central ideas to achieve a goal?

• Read: Read a section from The Hot Zone to identify and analyze central ideas.

• Explore: How do tone and structure contribute to the effectiveness of an argument?

• Read: Read from Silent Spring to identify the tone and purpose of an argument.

• Read: Read “Save the Redwoods” to analyze the structure of an argument.

• UNIT TEST

• Explore: How can you write an effective argument for or against using planned fires to protect wild areas?

• Pre-Writing: Planning your argument by deciding your stance on a topic.

• Draft & Revise your Argumentative Essay.

• Explore: How does reading about a topic in texts from two different forms increase understanding?

• Read: Read to analyze how a story is presented through words and pictures.

• Read: Read to analyze how a story is presented through a memoir.

• Prepare: to conduct an interview.

• Explore: How do you structure a formal e-mail to propose a solution to a problem?

• Practice: Practice skills and conventions used when writing a formal letter.

• Apply: Write an e-mail that argues for a solution to a problem.

• Explore: How can you understand an author’s purpose by thinking about context and word choice?

• Read: Warriors Don't Cry to analyze word choice and make connections to the historical context.

• Practice: Reading with fluency.

• Explore: How can you effectively prepare for and engage in a group discussion?

• Practice: Preparing for a group discussion.

• UNIT TEST