JDHS English 9 Honors
SpringBoard English 9 Curriculum Guide – “Coming of Age”
Units
Essential Questions
1: Coming of
Age
-What does it mean to “come
of age”?
*HONORS:
Independent
Reading
(Novel
Choices List)
-How are rhetorical appeals
used to influence an
audience?
2: Defining
Style
-How do authors and
directors use specific
techniques to achieve a
desired effect?
*HONORS:
Independent
Reading
(Novel
Choices List)
-What are the essential
features of an effective style
analysis?
3: Exploring -What is Poetry?
Poetic Voices
-What can a writer learn from
*HONORS:
studying an author’s craft and
Independent style?
Academic
Vocabulary
Voice
Advertising
Techniques
Rhetorical
Appeals
Assessments
Unit Goals
Writing
Focus
1: Presenting an *Understand the concept of coming of
interview
age.
*Identify diction, syntax, and tone and
2: Creating an
the way they work together to convey
Ad Campaign
an author or speaker’s voice.
for a Novel
*Incorporate voice effectively in your
own writing.
*HONORS:
*Analyze and use rhetorical appeals to
Midterm &
influence an audience.
Final Review
Tests
-The Writing
Process
Point of View
Commentary
Cinematic
Techniques
Style
Effect
1: Creating a
Storyboard
-Response to
Literary or
Expository
Text
*HONORS:
SAT/AP
Vocabulary
Practice
*HONORS:
Midterm &
Final Review
Tests
*To identify important cinematic
techniques and analyze their effects
*To transform a text into a new genre
*To identify specific elements of an
author’s style
*To develop an awareness of reading
strategies to enhance comprehension
*To analyze the elements of fiction –
setting, plot, character, theme – and
the steps in plot development,
exposition, complications, climax,
falling action, resolution
(denouement)
Poetic Structure
Diction
Imagery
Figurative
Language
1: Creating a
Poetry
Anthology
*Develop the skills and knowledge to
analyze and craft poetry
*Analyze the function and effects of
figurative language
*Write original poems that reflect
-Response to
Literary or
Expository
Text
*HONORS:
SAT/AP
Vocabulary
Practice
2: Writing a
Style Analysis
Essay
2: Analyzing
-Script
Writing
Reading
(Novel
Choices List)
4:
Interpreting
Drama
Through
Performance
Romeo &
Juliet by
William
Shakespeare
*HONORS:
Independent
Reading
(Novel
Choices List)
5: Coming of
Age Amidst
Controversy
To Kill a
Mockingbird
by Harper
Lee
*HONORS:
Independent
Reading
(Novel
Choices List)
Syntax
*HONORS:
SAT/AP
Vocabulary
Practice
-What are the essential
features of an effective drama
and/or dramatic
performance?
-How have the strategies I
have learned this year helped
me to be a better reader,
writer, speaker, listener,
critical thinker?
-What impact does historical,
cultural, geographical, and
social context have on a novel
and on the reaction of
readers to it?
-What are the essential
elements of an effective
informative oral
presentation?
Drama
Tragedy
Theatrical
Elements
Interpretation
Metacognition
*HONORS:
SAT/AP
Vocabulary
Practice
Context
Annotated
Bibliography
Audience
Analysis
Characterization
Thematic
Statement
*HONORS:
SAT/AP
Vocabulary
Practice
and Presenting
a Poem
*HONORS:
Midterm &
Final Review
Tests
1: Presenting a
Shakespearean
Scene
2: Writing a
Metacognitive
Reflection
*HONORS:
Midterm &
Final Review
Tests
1: Historical
Investigation
and
Presentation
2: Analyzing a
Passage from
To Kill a
Mockingbird
*HONORS:
Midterm &
Final Review
Tests
personal voice, style, and an
understanding of poetic elements
*Write a style analysis essay
*Present an oral interpretation of a
poem
*To engage in authentic research
related to performing Romeo and
Juliet
*To explore multiple interpretations
of Romeo and Juliet through
performance and film
*To examine the “coming of age”
concept in the context of the play
*To be intentional in the use of
strategies and to evaluate how they
work
*To reflect on one’s growth as a
learner
-Expository
Text
*Gather and synthesize information
for an oral presentation on the social,
cultural, historical, and geographical
context of the novel
*Explore the significance of setting,
conflict, and the growth of characters
in relation to the theme of coming of
age
*Extrapolate from a short passage the
larger themes and literary elements of
the novel
-Response to
Literary or
Expository
Text
HONORS EXTENDED LEARNING COMPONENTS
*QUARTERLY INDEPENDENT READING PROJECT: Each quarter students will choose one independent reading book
from the list below to read and complete a project/presentation for.
*SAT/AP VOCABULARY PRACTICE
*MIDTERM & FINAL REVIEW TESTS: Students will take a midterm and final review test for each unit consisting of
multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions.
ENGLISH 9 HONORS READING LIST
*All students will read Romeo & Juliet and To Kill a Mockingbird in class
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Slam by Nick Hornby
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
Sleeping Freshman Never Lie by David Lubar
The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the
Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Looking For Alaska by John Green
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Sherman Alexie
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
The Book Thief by Markus Zusack
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran
Foer
Anthem by Ayn Rand
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom
Riggs
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
Life of Pi by Yann Martel