Course Description

The language Arts 9 course is designed to strengthen students’ skills in listening, speaking, writing, literature, and language. The content includes, but is not limited to, preparing oral reports in various content areas; using appropriate pitch, stress, juncture and rate in formal and informal speech; using the dictionary and the thesaurus to develop an increasingly comprehensive and precise vocabulary in both speaking and writing; locating resources (magazines, reference sources, films, and microfiche) by using indexes, catalogs, and the Reader’s Guide; practicing the process of composition, including prewriting, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing; writing correspondence using appropriate forms (business, friendly); identifying with literary characters of the student’s own age, and under-standing how the characters’ actions and emotions reflect the student’s own actions and emotions; under-standing that literature is written at different levels for different purposes and for different audiences; and reading self-selected books to help students learn to view reading as a useful and pleasurable activity.

The Literary focus has a Who am I?/Coming of Age thematic approach. The genres will be short stories and the novel. Students will begin to read a novel and have it completed by the final unit. A reflective journal will be used in each unit.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of the Language Arts 9 course, students should be able to:

• Display an increasingly comprehensive and precise vocabulary in both writing and speaking, by using the dictionary and thesaurus.
• Point out actions and emotions of literary characters in the student's own age group or socioeconomic class that reflect the student's own actions and emotions.
• Point out examples of literature written at different levels for different purposes or audiences.
• Locate resources (magazines, reference sources, films, etc.) by using indexes and catalogs.
• Write examples of correspondence using appropriate forms (business, friendly).
• Write using the composing process.
• Use appropriate pitch, stress, juncture, and rate in speech.
• Prepare oral reports in various content areas.
  

DoDEA English Languange Arts Standards may be viewed by clicking the link.

Course Outline (1st Semester)

I. Introduction

• Course content and policies
• Writing Process concepts
• Explanation of rubrics
• Introductory Discussion
• Diagnostic assignment-pretest
• Communication Concepts
• Purpose
• Audience
• Technical writing: written instructions for recreating a drawing, as a way to demonstrate purpose and audience.

II. Six Trait Focus: Ideas

• Thinking skills/logic
• Grammar introduction: Basic vocabulary of grammar/parts of speech
• Literature: Short stories and begin novel
• Technical writing: email

III. Six Trait Focus: Organization

• Theories of Organization
• Paragraphing structures
• Grammar focus: Basic Sentence structures.
• Literature focus: basic elements of plot.
• Analyzing essay structures

IV. Six Trait focus: Sentence Fluency

• Strategies for Sentence fluency
• Grammar Focus: Continuation of grammatical structures that influence sentence fluency
• Literature focus: Point of View; novel
• Technology and writing

V. Six Trait Focus: Conventions

• Importance of conventions in communication
• Common errors in conventions
• Editing procedures
• Oral Assignment
• Final Revision of Diagnostic Essay

Course Outline (2nd Semester)

Second Semester:
This semester continues the theme of Who am I?/Coming of Age The genre focus will be poetry, plays, non-fiction, and autobiography.

VI. Six Trait Focus: Voice

• Techniques to make writing more colorful and interesting.
• Genre focus: poetry
• Literary terms
• Oral Presentation

VII. Six Trait Focus: Word Choice

• Using Word Choice to make writing more colorful and interesting.
• Drama: The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
• Writing Assignment: Drama

VIII. Six Trait Focus: Presentation

• Improving the appearance of presentations.
• Using the Word Processor to create visual effects
• Persuasive techniques used in advertising
• Drama: The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail
• Technical Writing
• Oral Communication: Drama

IX. Introduction to Research

• Using basic research skills in a researched consumer purchase proposal.
• Literature: Evaluating logical flaws in plots

X. Biography/Autobiography

• Elements of a successful biography/autobiography
• Literature focus: Biography/autobiography
• Writing a biography or autobiography

Textbook

Elements of Literature, Third Course
ISBN (Student Edition) 9780030926013

John Warriner’s Holt Handbook, Third Course
ISBN (Student Edition) 9780030661464

Publishers: Holt-McDougal; Houghton-Mifflin