9 th Grade English

1. 9th Grade English Survey of world literature through a Humanities approach

2. Daily Goals for Each Student • To learn something about yourself • To learn something about the way the world works • To learn something about how language works

3. Essential Questions • Why is it important that we study art forms such as philosophy, literature, art, and music in concert? • How can studying the humanities help us to find our common humanity? • How does a study of past art forms help us to understand our modern world? • Why is the “personal journey” a recurrent feature of myth, and how do elements of myth manifest themselves in contemporary literature? How does this speak to a sense of common humanity or the common human experience? • What is the relationship between our stories and our identities?

4. Units of Study • Mini-unit on Intro to the Humanities • Hero’s Quest (The Common Human Experience): • Persepolis by MarjaneSatrapi • The Odyssey by Homer • Night by ElieWeisel • The Impact of Culture (The Significance of Situated Knowledge): • Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare • The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston • Krik? Krak! By EdwidgeDanticat • Interpreter of Maladies by JhumpaLahiri

5. Approach to Writing • National Writing Project • Writing is a not only a means to express ideas, but a way to GET ideas. (Writing is thinking!) • Good writing skills are not simply “natural” – they are learned. All students can become more skillful writers if they are taught the processes and techniques of quality writing. • Writing Improvement Logs (students should earn credit for improvement/progress)

6. Approaches to Writing • Developing writers should regularly be exposed to quality texts. • Developing writers should have diverse and frequent writing experiences. • Narratives • Literary analysis essays • Poetry • Articles/news writing • Multi-media projects

7. Grading • Each marking period: 21% of total grade • Writing 35% • Tests 30% • Quizzes 20% • Homework 15% • Authentic Assessment: 8% of total grade • Final Exam: 8% of total grade Equality vs. Equity

8. Homework • Practice for assessments/reinforcement of concepts • Agendas and Handouts on First Class • No “daily” homework late (4 points or fewer)

9. Authentic Assessment • “This I Believe” Essay • Based on “word of intention” • A culmination of a year’s worth of analysis/exploration of this personally meaningful word/idea Examples: uncertainty, risk, companionship, commitment, travel, education, beauty, acceptance, protest, etc.