Objectives:
• Students will be able to read for comprehension and analysis
• Students will be able to think critically about works of fiction and non-fiction
• Students will write formal expository, persuasive and response to lit. essays
• Students will be able to work in all four quadrants of the core standards
Unit Outline:
Unit I: Beginning the Hero’s Journey (Sept-Oct)
• Texts: Whale Rider by Ihimaera. (Supplementary texts: Hero’s Journey, When We Were Kings-
Muhammad Ali, “Araby” from Dubliners by Joyce)
Projects: • Rite of Passage, First Formal Essay
Skills and knowledge required: symbolism, characterization, elements of the hero’s journey, ritual, mythology, theme, form, style, and content.
Unit II: What’s out there in the world and how am I a part of it? (November-
December)
• Texts: The Odyssey by Homer, selections from Metamorphosis by Ovid, The film Troy
Projects: • Essay and oral presentation.
Skills and knowledge required: epic narrative, plot, character, voice, allegory, theme, imagery, current word meanings from mythology
Unit III: What are my Dreams? I-Search Project (January-February)
In addition to our unit studies, the signature assignment for 9th grade is a research paper that explores career options. High school is about meeting our future life goals and this project allows us to begin the process while developing critical 21st century writing and technology skills.
Unit IV: Actions and Consequences-The failed Hero’s Journey (February, March-
April)
• Novel: Lord of the Flies by William Golding
• Play: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Projects: • Thematic and Persuasive Essays • Scene Presentation
Skills and knowledge required: pun, foreshadow, hyperbole, irony, comic relief, oxymoron, alliteration, sonnet, tragedy, literary response and analysis
Unit V: Finding Meaning?(May-June)
• Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass passages/Michael Cunningham, passages from Specimen Days
Projects: • Presentation on something that means something to your group • Visual component of presentation or Powerpoint
Skills and knowledge required: Allusion, literary analysis, team work, and public speaking

ACADEMIC LITERACY
Unit 1- Reading Self & Society
Students will:
-look at themselves and others as readers.
-recognize that they bring prior knowledge to every academic situation.
-recognize that they and their peers are experts on different subjects and that they can and should rely on each other for help in reading comprehension.
We will introduce and discuss reading strategies which include—
SSR – different genres to choose from, how to choose a book, 200 pages a month, metacognitive reading logs, self-monitoring annotation, think aloud: SAT vocabulary, roots, prefixes, suffixes; academic vocabulary
SSR REPORT • Book review must be one page typed. Each book review is due at the end of the month.Skills and knowledge required: Form, style, content. Formal writing conventions
**Readings are in the WestEd anthology and non-fiction texts related to unit goals.
Unit 2- Reading Self & History Students will: -Identify primary and secondary source documents -Learn how to read an academic text effectively for key points and clear understanding -Recognize the connection of a work of fiction to a historic time period
**This unit works in conjunction with Unit V of the English curriculum
**Readings for this unit include primary source documents from a movement of students choice including: civil rights, green movement, age of technology
CLASSROOM RULES
1.Work Hard 2.Be Nice
NECESSARY TOOLS FOR EACH CLASS PERIOD:
-Your body, heart, and an open mind -The text we are reading
-Journal for SSR and writing - paper, pens, pencils
GRADING:English Class Academic Literacy
Essays/Tests: 50% SSR and Reports: 50%
Classwork: 25% Reading logs/Journals: 30%
Homework/Journals:25% Assignments:20%
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