Welcome to 9th Grade English!
POWER STRUGGLES
AND HUMAN EMPOWERMENT
This semester we will explore the ins-and-outs of human power struggles. Through deep study of literature and historical
events, we will discover ways humans gain power over one another and maintain it. From the brutal practices of Josef
Stalin and Mao Ze Dong during the Russian and Chinese Revolutions, to the downfall of teenage boys in crisis, to the
power of one individual over another, we will take a critical eye to those mechanisms that with knowledge, we can try to
avoid. Additionally, we will learn solutions to these struggles and find unique ways to empower ourselves. Get ready
because we’re in for quite a semester together!
Semester Schedule
Please note: You are “English A” on the Message Board
ESTIMATED TIMELINE
UNIT DESCRIPTION
ESTIMATED ASSESSMENT
January-February
Cold War Literature and History: Animal
Farm and the Russian-Chinese Revolutions
Persuasive Speech and Project
March-April
East Meets West: Power Philosophy and
Lord of the Flies
Presentations, Debate, Mini-Essays
April-May
Power in Drama: Scenes from
Shakespeare’s Othello.
Essay
Ongoing
Vocabulary and Grammar
Bi-monthly tests; weekly homework
Vocabulary and Grammar Schedule
To ensure that we’re acquiring new language from our reading (and new ways to express this language correctly), we will
have a bi-weekly vocabulary and grammar test. To prepare for this test, we will follow this schedule every two weeks:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
No Class
I give you the new
Regular
vocabulary list (which is
class
based on your current
reading material from class).
For homework, you find
and record the definitions,
due Thursday.
You show me your
definitions and I make
note of your
participation.
No Class
You hand in your practice
sentences to me today.
We review sentences in You take your vocabulary and
class. For homework,
grammar test.
you will do corrections
on your sentences in
preparation for your
test on Friday.
Regular
class
I teach you a new grammar
point. For homework, you will
create sentences using both a
word from the vocabulary list
and the grammar point, due
Tuesday.