Course Outline
Introductory Unit - Reading and Literacy Strategies
Reading is a process, not an event. People who are effective readers use a variety of strategies to understand the texts they read. We will be practicing a number of reading strategies throughout the year.
If you missed the lesson on reading strategies, please review the power point, and stop to do the drawing exercise for homework. Bring your completed drawing to class as soon as possible.
These posters will be hung in the classroomn to remind you of the reading strategies you should be using before, during, and after reading. You may wish to print a copy of each for use at home from this power point.
Check back here throughout the year for reading strategy worksheets you might find helpful.
Unit One - Graffiti and Opinion Paragraphs
During this unit you will be learning to write expository paragraphs (paragraphs that explain something), and to support your opinion on a vareity of subjects. You will ultimately read the school newspaper, choose an issue discussed in the paper, and write an opinion paragraph on that issue.
Below are a variety of support materials and the unit assignment.
Unit 2 - Short Stories and Literary Analysis
This unit is long, and runs from September through to the Winter Break. Students will learn the structural and literary devices they will need throughout the course, and will practice the reading strategies taught in class. The unit will be evaluated through a variety of quizzes, oral presentations, and a literary analysis paragraph. The winter exam will be based on this unit, and students will read a short story they have not seen in class, analyse it, and write a paragraph about it.
STEP 1 - Liteary Devices
Students are expected to know the structural devices associated with short stories (plot, character, setting, point of view) and the literary devices used by fiction writers. All of the devices for this unit are described in the following Power Point and handouts.
STEP 2 - The Kayak
The first short story of this unit is "The Kayak" by Debbie Spring. This story will be read as a class to demonstrate a variety of literary strategies students should be using when they read. Students will then do small, group oral presentations as a formative exercise and preparation for later summative work.
STEP 3 - Lysandra's Poem
The second short story of the unit is "Lysandra's Poem" by Budge Wilson. The story will be read in class as a way of demonstrating literacy strategies that should be used when students read. Students will then work their way through a variety of reading activities that will demonstrate what Level 1 reading looks like versus Level 4 reading.
STEP 4 - The Telltale Heart
The third short story of the unit is "The Telltale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe. Students will listen to a reading of this story, and then read it on their own. They will then work in groups to develop their own question sheets for the story, using the skills learned regarding levels of difficulty of questions and reading with "Lysandra's Poem." They will also do a character sketch of the narrator from the perspective of a doctor. Finally, students will compare three animated versions of the story and decide which one bests represents Poe's orininal intent.
STEP 5 - A Man Who Had No Eyes
The fourth short story of the unit is "A Man Who Had No Eyes" by MacKinley Kantor. This story will be read partly in class and partly by students on their own. For this short story, students will be completing a Double-Entry Journal, which is a graphic organizer that helps students work their way through the analysis of a story.
STEP 6 - Group Short Story Presentations
There are two major evaluations for this unit, one of which is a group short story presentation. Students will self-select one of five possible short stories, which are posted below. Students may NOT just choose whichever story they like: there are five short stories, and there will be an equal number of groups working on each story. A selection process will happen in class. They will then work with their group to deconstruct their story and present their findings to the class.
STEP 6 - Analytical Literary Paragraphs
The second major assignment for this unit is an analytical, literary paragraph. Students will choose ONE of the short stories read in class and write a paragraph explaining the theme of the story, using structural and literary devices to support their analysis. The assignment sheet as well as support materials are posted below.
December Exam
All grade 9 academic English students will write the same winter exam, which is worth 10% of their final mark (more at at the January report card). The exam schedule is published with the November report cards. All students should review the practice exam and exam tips posted below.
Poetry Unit
During this unit students will investigate a variety of different types of poetry, including spoken word poetry. They will will need to be familiar with the literary terms taught during the short fiction unit as well as a variety of terms specific to the genre of poetry.
Students will first consider the question, "What is a poem?"
They will then practice deconstructing conventional, written poetry in class, guided by the teacher. Following these lessons, students will complete a poetry assignment that requires them to analyse a poem of their choice and compare it to another text, either a media piece or a written text.
Students will also be introduced to spoken word poetry. They will compare a traditional poem with that of a spoken work poem, watch the slam poetry documentary Louder than a Bomb, and work in groups to develop a group poem and an individual poem on a common theme.