Course Learning Outcomes

As students complete the course assignments, they will increase their knowledge, improve 21st-century skills, and develop an attribute.

Knowledge: English 9, Part 1

In this course, knowledge refers to the subject matter and content students will learn while completing the readings, practices, quizzes, and assignments.

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to

• explore how our brains make meaning of stories through reading;

• develop your toolbox for reading stories by learning about reading strategies;

• explore the history of storytelling through the ages by reading about how stories began from historical documents;

• identify how to effectively structure a story by identifying the elements of a narrative story structure;

• explore folktales from around the world by reading various folktales;

• explain characterization by examining characters in your anchor text and apply the elements of characterization to your writing;

• describe what S.T.E.A.L. stands for and why it is important to characterization by applying it to your anchor text and writing;

• identify five examples of figurative language by defining them and applying them in your reading and writing;

• identify non-fiction reading strategies by reading non-fiction texts and practicing the application of these strategies to your reading; and

• explore a personal narrative by drafting, revising, and editing a personal narrative piece of writing.

21st Century Skill: Communication: Communicate Using Writing

The 21st-century skill you will be focusing on for this semester is Communication: Communicate Using Writing. There are four criteria students will master with this skill: purpose, audience, message, and content & organization.

Attribute: Humility

The attribute you will focus on in this course is humility. There are various examples drawn from literature and things to think about to help students think of ways to increase their humility.

Course Description

In English 9, Part 1, you will explore the course theme of The Value of a Story. The course is divided into three units, consisting of five modules in each unit. The first unit is called Why Tell Stories? which focuses on the importance of telling stories, the history of storytelling, and what our brain does when we read. The second unit is called Reading Others' Stories. This unit focuses on reading an anchor text and identifying characters and the structure of a narrative story about someone else. The final unit is called Telling My Story, which is an opportunity for you to tell your own story by writing your narrative.

Course Structure

The structure of each module in the course includes three main sections, referred to as "lessons" so students can monitor their time:

1. Literacy Skills and Strategies: This is where students will learn how to be expert readers, writers, and thinkers around literature. 

2. Application and Writing Assignments: Most of the written assignments for submission will be in this section. Sometimes an assignment is out of order, simply because it needs to occur before the next concept is taught.

3. English Skill Enrichment Focus: These are the English skills that students need to master including grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, vocabulary, fluency, etc.