English 9 Syllabus

9th Grade English

Course Description

The English Language Arts are about how we understand and connect with ourselves, others, and our world.  It is a place where a student works on thought and expression.

This course is designed to introduce students to the rigors of College Prep expectations and give them the tools and skills necessary for success in this environment and beyond. 

The overall theme of 9th Grade English is an exploration of what it means to be a hero and what the implications of our understanding of this concept are.

The class is organized around units constructed upon a foundation piece of literature and is augmented by supplementary essays, short stories, poetry, and other media. Class time will also be focused on direct writing instruction, vocabulary building, and critical thinking exercises.

The Common Core Standards for English Language Arts will provide a basic framework for instruction.

Classroom Expectations

Atmosphere: 

Learning is best done in a safe atmosphere built on trust and respect. To this end, there will be a strict adherence to all school policies. I will tolerate no disruptions of this atmosphere. 

Responsibility and Organization: 

Organization is a major factor leading to success in a College Prep environment.  At all times, students are expected to have direct access to the materials they need to succeed.  Students are also expected to take responsibility for their successes and failures and are expected to problem solve before making excuses.  This includes dealing with the ramifications of missed classes, lost materials, and personal issues.

All assignments have a due date.  Due dates are final except in extraordinary circumstances or when a prior arrangement has been made.  

Grading

Grading is done on a point system.  Each assignment is part of a larger category that it weighted accordingly in factoring a student’s overall grade.

• Final Unit Projects (essays, tests, presentations, projects) 40%
• Daily assignments (including homework and quizes) 20%
• Blog Assignment 20%
• Vocabulary Development 10%
• Classroom participation 10% 

Possible Core Texts Used in the Class (this list is not exhaustive and is subject to additions. Not all texts on this list may be used):

• Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin 
• To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
• Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco Stork
• Shane by Jack Schaefer
• Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
• The Nevada County Reads Choice

As noted before, all core texts will be supplemented by works of non-fiction, short stories, poetry, critical essays, and other media.

Reading: Text complexity and the growth of comprehension: The Reading standards place equal emphasis on the sophistication of what students read and the skill with which they read. Standard 10 defines a grade-by-grade “staircase” of increasing text complexity that rises from beginning reading to the college and career readiness level. Whatever they are reading, students must also show a steadily growing ability to discern more from and make fuller use of text, including making an increasing number of connections among ideas and between texts, considering a wider range of textual evidence, and becoming more sensitive to inconsistencies, ambiguities, and poor reasoning in texts.

Writing: Text types, responding to reading, and research: The Standards acknowledge the fact that whereas some writing skills, such as the ability to plan, revise, edit, and publish, are applicable to many types of writing, other skills are more properly defined in terms of specific writing types: arguments, informative/explanatory texts, and narratives. Standard 9 stresses the importance of the writing-reading connection by requiring students to draw upon and write about evidence from literary and informational texts. Because of the centrality of writing to most forms of inquiry, research standards are prominently included in this strand, though skills important to research are infused throughout the document.

Speaking and Listening: Flexible communication and collaboration: Including but not limited to skills necessary for formal presentations, the Speaking and Listening standards require students to develop a range of broadly useful oral communication and interpersonal skills. Students must learn to work together, express and listen carefully to ideas, integrate information from oral, visual, quantitative, and media sources, evaluate what they hear, use media and visual displays strategically to help achieve communicative purposes, and adapt speech to context and task.

Language: Conventions, effective use, and vocabulary: The Language standards include the essential “rules” of standard written and spoken English, but they also approach language as a matter of craft and informed choice among alternatives. The vocabulary standards focus on understanding words and phrases, their relationships, and their nuances and on acquiring new vocabulary, particularly general academic and domain-specific words and phrases.