9th Grade Course Overview/Outcomes:

	Course Description: The English 9 curriculum is sectioned into four units, Writers Record Experience, 
Writers Invent Character and Point of View, Writers Choose Language, and Writers Create Meaning: Theme. These 
units are intended to help students synthesize their understanding of the elements of literature introduced 
throughout middle school. All four integrate literature, composition, and language instruction.

Course Goals:
	Goal 1: The student will demonstrate the ability to respond to a text by employing personal experiences and 
        critical analysis.
	Goal 2: The student will demonstrate the ability to compose in a variety of modes by developing content, 
employing specific forms, and selecting language appropriate for a particular audience and purpose.
	Goal 3: The student will demonstrate the ability to control language by applying the conventions of 
        standard English in writing and speaking.
	Goal 4: The student will demonstrate the ability to evaluate the content, organization, and language of texts.


Unit I: Writers Record Experience
Outcomes: The student will:
*	read selected personal narratives or memoirs and explain how a writer’s language projects a personal voice
*	compose a personal narrative or memoir
*	demonstrate the ability to control language
*	explain a personal response to an author’s personal narrative

Unit II: Writers Invent Character and Point of View
Outcomes: The student will:
*	consider the contributions of character and point of view when constructing the meaning of texts
*	compose a description of a person
*	demonstrate the ability to control language
*	assess the effectiveness of details in his or her own character description


Unit III: Writers Choose Language
Outcomes: The student will:
*	explain how features of language create voice and tone in texts
*	compose a poem and a persuasive essay
*	demonstrate the ability to control language
*	assess the effectiveness of language in his or her poem or persuasive essay


Unit IV: Writers Create Meaning: Theme 
Outcomes: The student will:
*	Explain how common and universal experiences serve as the source of literary themes
*	Compose an expository essay that examines an author’s theme
*	Demonstrate the ability to control language
*	Assess the effectiveness of an organization pattern in his or her expository essay

The Language Strand objectives:
*	The student will apply concepts of word, phrase, clause, and sentence.
*	The student will achieve sentence fluency through sentence combining and sentence composing.
*	The student will develop style through the manipulation of syntactic elements.
*	The student will recognize the power of dialects and the dialect of power (standard English).
*	The student will apply mechanics of standard English for convention, clarity, and style.



Additional Work
*	Research paper
*	four county/state mandated tests.
*	vocabulary tests


Materials Needed
*	A 3-ring binder with one section for English
*	A spiral notebook
*	A working pen and pencil
*	A manila folder
*	Post-it notes
*	Highlighters


Texts:
	Any of the following texts can be used in English 9:
	The Contender, Driver’s Ed, Fahrenheit 451, I Heard the Owl Call My Name, Night, A Raisin in the Sun, To 
        Kill a Mockingbird, Julius Caesar, Midsummer Night’s Dream, and At Risk. Ninth grade anthologies will 
        also be incorporated for short stories and poetry.