Course Description:Welcome to English 9! In this course, we will study literary forms in conjunction with the developmental foundational language art skills. Students will examine critical elements of fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. We will focus on refining organization and clarity of expression in critical writing, writing mechanics and usage, vocabulary skills, and grammar. In addition, all ninth grade students will complete a comprehensive research assignment, the Freshman Research Paper, as a course requirement. Your first year as a high school English student will be one of exploration and excitement. I’m looking forward to a positive and productive year of learning!
Course Objectives: All ninth grade English students at Needham High School will be expected to meet the following expectations by the end of the year. This course is designed to meet these objectives through our class activities and assignments. Students will be able to: • demonstrate an understanding of literary elements in a variety of genres, particularly in “coming of age” works. • demonstrate basic literary analysis and interpretation skills. • demonstrate creative, personal, and critical essay writing skills using various strategies to generate and organize their ideas, to draft and revise clear, focused, coherent compositions, and to evaluate their own writing. • demonstrate the ability to gather, evaluate, use, and document information from a variety of sources. • acquire new vocabulary and use it correctly. • demonstrate appropriate speaking, listening, and presentation skills.
Tentative list of texts for the year: * The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd) * Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck) * To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) * Animal Farm (George Orwell) * The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddon) * Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare) * Selected poems for our poetry unit * A Raisin in the Sun (Lorainne Hansberry) * A Separate Peace (John Knowles) * Tuesdays With Morrie (Mitch Albom) * Night (Eli Wiesel) * The Color of Water (James McBride) * Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi)