Ninth Grade - ELA
• Literacy
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Early Civilizations and Migration (600 BCE)
Lesson 1
Preshistory
Students answer targeted reading questions that require written responses (e.g., listing physical differences of early hominids and explaining how Homo habilis and Homo erectus changed their environments). Students compose an imagined narrative in the "A Day in the Life" activity, describing in writing how an early hunter-gatherer would meet survival needs. Students complete the "Your Own Environment" worksheet after field observation, recording strategies, potential problems, and how they would use local resources.
Lesson 2
Early Agriculture
Students are asked to write short answers to reading questions (pp.16-17) that require discipline-specific responses about domestication, irrigation, and specialization. In Activity 1 students write an extended script in dialogue form with specific requirements (each character asks at least two questions and provides detailed responses). Option 2 asks students to complete a Domesticated Animals table, writing analyses of uses, benefits, and challenges for multiple animals. Day 2 activities require students to research cities, record impressions, and answer reflective questions about rainfall and settlement patterns.
Lesson 4
Mesopotamia
Students are assigned a two-day mini-project that requires Day 1 planning and Day 2 completion/assembly, showing an extended time frame for producing writing. Option 1 (booklet) has students complete specified pages across two days and assemble a finished booklet; Option 2 instructs students to brainstorm on Day 1 and write/record/publish a report, podcast, or video blog on Day 2. The options require students to produce discipline-specific products (informational booklet, journalistic report, podcast, or vlog) and, in the case of Option 2, to publish or upload their work for an audience.
Lesson 5
Egypt
Students are assigned a two-day mini-project (Option 1 booklet or Option 2 WebQuest) with a day-by-day schedule that requires them to write content for six discipline-specific areas (Geography & Natural Resources; Economic Development; Political Development; Social Distinctions; Cultural Characteristics; Religious Beliefs). The booklet pages prompt students to write explanations, draw diagrams, and produce labeled map/answers across Day 1 and Day 2 and to assemble the product, while the WebQuest asks students to write "one thing I think students should understand," list URLs, and explain why each website was chosen for a younger audience. Homework instructions and the Day 2 finish activity require students to continue or complete written work outside class time.
Lesson 6
Trade and Empire Building
Students answer directed reading questions based on pp.56-59 and complete two structured writing tasks: the "Expansion of Empires" student activity page (short answers, prompts, and longer reflective/bonus questions) and the "Early Trade Systems" page (a chart plus short explanatory paragraphs about technologies). The lesson assigns homework that requires written responses and asks students to reflect on causes and effects of trade and expansion, indicating routine short-form writing tied to discipline-specific history content.
Lesson 7
New Beliefs and Technologies
Students are asked to produce written responses to reading questions and to complete Option 1 by filling a multi-field chart comparing world religions, which requires written synthesis of origins, beliefs, and practices. Option 2 asks students to write a 2-minute script for each of three religious traditions and then record the script, showing a short-form, audience-focused writing task. The homework 'Inventions' activity asks students to consider an invention "for the next several weeks," indicating an extended research/writing task across multiple weeks.
Lesson 8
Historical Essay
Students are instructed to plan and begin drafting the essay on Day 1 and complete the draft on Day 2, with explicit homework directions to continue drafting between days. The activities require short-timed freewriting (5–10 minutes) to generate ideas and include a detailed revising/proofreading procedure that asks students to reflect, reorder paragraphs, read aloud, and run spell check. The rubric and citation guidance require discipline-specific conventions (parenthetical citations, academic tone) for a historical essay.
Final Project
Flow Chart
Students are assigned a multi-day final project (Day 1–Day 2) in which they create a flowchart and write 2–3 sentence descriptions and approximate dates for each element, showing an extended-time writing task. Students complete a unit test that requires shorter-time writing: a 2–3 sentence description of hunter-gatherer life, a paragraph defining "civilization" with characteristics, and a reflective paragraph about what they learned. The rubric and instructions require that descriptions be "informative, well written, and free of error," indicating students must produce discipline-specific explanatory writing tied to history content.
Unit 1: Lord of the Flies
Lesson 1
The Call
Students write short responses on the Dystopias activity page, recording titles and answering questions about settings, plot ideas, and central struggles. Students create journal entries in Option 2 by listing utopian and dystopian characteristics and comparing lists with another person. Students answer directed reading-and-response questions about Chapter 1 and complete vocabulary matching and short-answer tasks that require written responses. The skills list states students will "develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience."
Lesson 2
Life on the Island
Students are asked to create and maintain STEAL character pages and to "add your impressions of each boy's personality" as they continue reading, with homework that directs them to "read the next two chapters" and "add to your STEAL character pages," indicating ongoing writing across chapters. The parent plan also tells students to "return to these charts as they continue to read" and to check charts for matches, which prompts reflection on earlier notes. Activity 2 (Part II) asks students to write their own sentences demonstrating clause structures within the lesson, and the end-of-lesson questions require written answers, providing shorter-time-frame writing opportunities.
Lesson 3
Paths in the Jungle
Students annotate an article and record notes and reactions in margins and on a two-column organizer, which requires short, focused written responses in a single sitting. Students write a one-paragraph character journal entry from a first-person perspective, an in-class writing task that can be completed in a short time frame. Students are assigned ongoing homework to add to their STEAL character pages as they read Chapter 4, which requires continued writing over an extended period of reading.
Lesson 4
Images from Paradise
Students are asked to fill in a "Five Senses" chart with quotations from the book or to compose embellished sentences, which requires them to produce written examples of imagery. The "Types of Clauses" page asks students to write three sentences about the book, each containing a different clause type. Homework directs students to add to their ongoing STEAL character pages, which involves continued writing across lessons.
Lesson 5
Not Hunting, But Hunted
Students are asked to produce original writing in several tasks: they recreate an important moment from their life using slow-motion narrative pacing (a creative writing piece) and complete journal entries such as drafting four to five laws or describing a system for adopting laws (one-page responses). Students also add to their STEAL character pages for homework, which requires ongoing written character analysis. A Parent Plan suggests that students keep writing in a creative writing portfolio and potentially form a writing group to develop stories on a regular basis.
Lesson 6
Symbolism, Part 1
Students are asked to write a one-page journal entry from a character's point of view that records actions, quotes, priorities, fears, and trusts. Students complete a Student Activity Page that requires them to circle an interpretation for each symbol and write two to three sentences explaining and supporting their choice with text evidence. Students complete reading questions for Chapter 7 and add to their STEAL character pages, producing short written responses that analyze character behavior. The materials note preparation for a final essay at the end of the unit.
Lesson 7
Bowed and Bowed Again
Students write short, single-sitting journal sentences that include noun/verb phrases, adjective/adverb phrases, and an absolute phrase. Students complete discipline-specific activity pages ("The Beast" chart and Prepositional Phrases sheet) and answer guided reading questions about Chapter 8. Students continue to record and add evidence to STEAL character pages across chapters as homework, indicating ongoing written work tied to the novel.
Lesson 8
Defects of Human Nature
Students are asked to write short responses: they must copy a chosen theme and write a 3–4 sentence explanation (Option 1 and Option 2) and complete short answer questions for homework on the next two chapters. Students are directed to support theme choices with details from the novel and to write three to four additional sentences on the minor theme they feel is strongest. Students are asked to add to their STEAL character pages, which indicates ongoing, cumulative writing as they continue reading.
Lesson 10
Which Is Better?
Students are asked to write a one-page journal entry from a character's point of view that analyzes Jack's leadership and compares it to Ralph's leadership (Activity 2). The Parent Plan and Skills list explicitly state that students will "produce clear and coherent writing" and will add to their STEAL character pages, indicating ongoing character-analysis writing tied to reading. Homework directs students to continue adding to STEAL character pages as they read, which implies repeated writing across chapters.
Lesson 11
The Film
Students are asked to watch the 1963 film and complete a "Movie vs. Book" activity chart comparing characters, setting, theme, and plot. Students must answer two reflective journal questions about omitted scenes and visual differences, and finish the assignment as homework. The materials state that students will be "better prepared to write a final essay on the book," and the Skills section lists planning, revising, editing, rewriting as writing processes.
Final Project
Now You Have the Conch
The lesson explicitly lists the standard in the Skills section: "Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences." Students move through a multi-day writing process: brainstorming, creating an outline, drafting (Day 1–2), revising with "You Are the Editor" activities (Day 3), and producing a final typed draft. The lesson requires students to complete parts of the essay as homework, use peer/self-editing checklists, and follow revision and proofreading steps, showing sustained time for reflection and revision.
Unit 2: World Religions (600 BCE - 600 CE)
Lesson 1
Rise of Religions
Students complete a 10-minute free-writing exercise and then write a 3–4 sentence formal paragraph, showing short-timeframe writing. Students also fill a multi-entry chart for homework (recording at least two examples per civilization), summarize and reflect on a contemporary news article about religious conflict, and choose between writing an informal response paper about Hatshepsut or creating a protest poster, which are discipline-specific tasks.
Lesson 2
Shamanism, Animism, Ancestor Veneration
Students answer focused reading questions (QUESTION #1-#4) that require written responses. Students complete discipline-specific activity pages by researching and writing comparisons of folktales (Animism option) or by researching and summarizing holiday practices and ancestor roles (Ancestor Veneration option). Students build and add to a "Dimensions of World Religions" booklet across multiple lessons and use it as the basis for a later project, indicating writing that extends over several class sessions.
Lesson 3
Hinduism
Students are asked to write routinely: each day they will read about a different religion, complete an in-class activity, and add to a Dimensions of World Religions booklet as homework that will be used in a project in lesson 8, showing sustained writing over several days. Students complete shorter tasks in a single sitting such as answering reading questions and completing activity pages (analytical questions about the Ramayana, short-answer responses about karma and avatars). Students engage in a range of discipline-specific writing tasks and audiences: analytical responses about texts and artwork, a creative multi-perspective narrative about the caste system, and a 4-page children's-book storyboard (explicit audience).
Lesson 4
Buddhism
Students are asked to write a short (1-2 page) reaction/response paper as a homework option, with links and guidance for composing that response, which can be completed in a single sitting. Students may create an illustrated or narrative timeline of the Buddha's life, selecting and explaining key events (a multi-step product). Students fill out a chart (Activity 1) while reading and complete the 'Dimensions of World Religions' booklet (Activity 2) over the next several lessons and save it for a culminating World Religions project, indicating writing and record-keeping across an extended time frame.
Lesson 5
Daoism and Confucianism
Students are asked to write an informal journal entry reflecting on at least two Daoist concepts (Activity 1), an exercise that can be completed in a single sitting. Students are instructed to fill in the Daoism and Confucianism section of a "Dimensions of World Religions" booklet and to continue it "throughout the next several lessons," which indicates writing across an extended time frame. Homework options require written work as well: creating a poster with an explanation or writing 1–2 paragraphs comparing quotations (Option 1 and Option 2).
Lesson 6
Judaism
Students answer specific reading questions (QUESTION #1–#4) after completing the assigned text, which requires short-form written responses. Students fill in a "Dimensions of World Religions" booklet and are told to save and continue it over the next several lessons, using it as the jumping-off point for a unit project, which indicates writing across multiple class periods. Students complete a homework assignment that requires either writing a short narrative about a teenager celebrating a Jewish holiday or creating an educational slideshow to teach others about the holiday, demonstrating discipline-specific writing and presentation for an audience.
Lesson 7
Christianity
Students are asked to read assigned texts and answer specific short-response questions (Question #1-#4) during the lesson. In Activity 1 students write summaries of two sources or summarize and analyze Matthew 5-7, with designated spaces for written responses. Activity 2 directs students to fill in the Christianity section of a Dimensions of World Religions booklet that they are to save and complete throughout the next several lessons and later use for a unit project. Homework prompts students to answer reflective questions (which they may write down) about the spread of Christianity.
Lesson 8
Islam
Students write one-paragraph explanations for 5+ significant events in Muhammad's life when creating a timeline, and they answer short reading questions after assigned texts. Students complete a "Dimensions of World Religions" booklet over several lessons and save it for use in a later project, indicating an ongoing written product. Students also complete a comparative "Two Versions" activity page as homework that requires summarizing and contrasting Bible and Qur'an passages.
Final Project
Dimensions of World Religions
Students finish a multi-day Dimensions of World Religions booklet begun in previous lessons and are instructed to compare their work to a rubric and make adjustments, indicating time for reflection and revision. Students are assigned short identification responses (about two sentences each) and a timed essay (5–7 paragraphs with a 45-minute limit) on Day 2, providing a shorter-timeframe writing task. The unit includes discipline-specific tasks (a content booklet, short-answer identification, and a subject-focused essay) and an explicit rubric for evaluating completeness and quality.
Unit 2: Short Stories
Lesson 1
The Gift of the Magi
Students are asked to write multiple short, discipline-specific pieces: a homework descriptive paragraph, journal entries researching the Magi/King Solomon/Queen of Sheba (including sentences on historical significance and how the allusions affect understanding), and journal records of situational and dramatic irony. Students complete written responses on a Short Story Elements graphic organizer (characters, setting, plot, theme) and plan a rewritten version of the story on the "Same Story, Different Place" activity page. Students also annotate texts (marginal notes and highlights) as a written form of analysis for homework.
Lesson 2
The Necklace
Students write a one-paragraph objective summary in their journals and complete a journal homework response applying the story to their lives, which are short, discipline-specific writing tasks. Students also generate ideas and take notes in preparation for a literary response paper to be written in the next lesson, and they practice using textual evidence and the APE (Answer, Prove, Extend) structure for literary responses.
Lesson 3
Literary Response
Students plan and draft a comparison/contrast literary response across two days: Day 1 activities include brainstorming similarities, completing graphic organizers, and homework to expand details; Day 2 students use those pages to write the full four-paragraph paper. Students are asked to proofread, type the paper, and make revisions as homework, and the rubric awards points for inclusion of evidence, explanation, organization, and punctuation/grammar. The lesson explicitly sequences prewriting, drafting, and a subsequent revision/typing stage, showing work done in a single sitting and over a day or two.
Lesson 4
Characterization
Students write brief responses to text-dependent questions about "Thank You, Ma'am," demonstrating short-form writing in a single sitting. Students complete a "Characterization" activity sheet, recording examples of direct and indirect characterization across categories (speech, appearance, thoughts, actions, how others respond). Students complete a "Character Portrait" homework page to plan a main character for a future short story and are told that they will write their own short story at the end of the unit, indicating a forthcoming extended writing task.
Lesson 5
Edgar Allan Poe
Students answer guided comprehension and analysis questions in the Reading and Questions and Homework sections, producing written responses about narrator motivation, irony, point of view, and reliability. Students complete Student Activity Pages where they record specific textual examples of Gothic characteristics and list instances of foreshadowing in a journal. Students create a 6–8 panel storyboard and write quoted sections from the story beneath each panel, producing a composed adaptation of the text.
Lesson 6
The Lottery
Students are asked to write a journal paragraph for homework answering whether increased public acceptance of dystopian and disturbing material is positive or negative, which they must support with evidence and observations. Students complete the "Controversy" activity page by answering several written questions comparing The Lottery with another book or movie. Students complete the "How the Black Wooden Box Functions as a Symbol" activity page by recording and categorizing textual evidence and written observations about the box's physical description, reactions of others, and connections to the town's history.
Lesson 7
Everyday Use
Students write a rewritten scene from a different character's point of view in their journals and then write a brief paragraph reflecting on how the change affected the story (Activity 2). Students complete discipline-specific writing tasks such as the 'Author's Biographical Data Sheet' after online research and fill out the 'Quilted Heritage' and 'Symbolism' activity pages as homework. The lesson occurs across two days and includes homework that asks students to record symbols and plan a symbol for a future short story, showing writing tasks across multiple sessions.
Lesson 8
Harrison Bergeron
Students are asked to write journal entries in response to three homework questions that require explanation rather than yes/no answers. Students take notes in a journal while watching the film and complete a multi-question activity page comparing the printed story to the movie. The lesson spans two days and includes in-class questions and a take-home activity, indicating writing tasks occur across more than one session.
Lesson 9
Dialogue
Students complete short, timed writing and practice tasks: they finish workbook exercises on quotation marks and punctuation (Activity 1) and write a journal paragraph analyzing an author's use of dialogue (Activity 2). Students create a short scene as homework in which each character has 3–5 lines of dialogue, practicing composing dialogue for a specific story context. Students are also told that they will write a short story for the unit final project, linking this lesson's activities to a larger writing task.
Final Project
Writing a Short Story
Students are assigned a multi-day short story project (500–700 words) with explicit Day 1–Day 4 tasks and homework requiring drafting across three days and a Day 4 revision session. The lesson requires shorter, single-sitting strategies (freewriting/invisible writing) for idea generation and overcoming writer's block. Students complete a sequence of discipline-specific tasks—brainstorming, plot diagramming, scene-writing, drafting, peer reader review, critical self-reading, revision, and proofreading—and submit a final typed draft assessed with a rubric.
Unit 3: Rise of the Empires (600 BCE - 600 CE)
Lesson 1
Persian Empire
Students answer focused reading questions (e.g., Describe Persia's beginnings; Summarize the Persian form of government), which requires short-form discipline-specific writing. Students complete Activity 2 by recording politics, religion, and culture information on a multi-column page and are instructed to save these pages and repeat the activity for other empires, indicating repeated writing across the unit. The lesson also assigns map and timeline tasks that can be completed as classwork or homework, showing writing/recording tasks both in a single sitting and as homework across days.
Lesson 2
Greek Empire
Students answer specific reading questions in the "Reading And Questions" section, producing short written responses about Sparta/Athens, women's lives, colonies, and theater. Students complete Activity 1 by creating and labeling a map and adding the Greek empire to a timeline, which requires written labels and brief annotations. Students complete Activity 2 by filling an activity chart about politics, religion, and culture (using color-coded notes) and are instructed to save these pages for later comparative work, implying work collected across the unit.
Lesson 3
Qin and Han Empires
Students answer directed reading questions in writing (Question #1-#4) that require summarizing government, causes of civil war, Confucian influence, and Han innovations. Students create and label a map and add entries to a timeline, producing discipline-specific written/visual artifacts and labels. Students complete an activity page recording politics, religion, and culture in organized notes (using different colored pens) and are instructed to save these notes to use in later lessons.
Lesson 4
Roman Empire
Students write answers to specific reading questions based on pp. 80-85, producing short constructed responses about Roman government, the army, slavery, and the Pax Romana. Students add written entries to a timeline and annotate a continuing map, with instructions to save and extend these products in later lessons. Students complete a written chart comparing politics, religion, and culture for the Republic and Empire and create vocabulary flashcards as homework.
Unit 3: Grammar, Part I
Lesson 2
Subject-Verb Agreement
Students are asked to record notes and examples on multi-part "Commonly Confused Words" activity pages (Sets I–VII) and to "write down in your journal any rules you weren't aware of," which requires written entries over the unit. Option 2 directs students to create a short quiz of at least five sentences (a written product) and to have a friend or sibling take it, providing a real audience and purpose. Students complete and self-check multiple written activity pages (subject-verb agreement worksheets) and are instructed to review and redo items they miss.
Lesson 3
Pronoun Problems
Students are asked to create a poster or a short slideshow presentation in which they explain a grammar topic in their own words, provide two example sentences with errors, and show corrected versions, which requires composing explanatory text for an audience. Students complete multiple written activity pages (Pronoun Agreement, Indefinite Pronouns, and Pronoun Cases) that require producing corrections and choosing correct pronouns. The lesson directs students to share their poster or presentation with family, establishing a real audience for at least one task.
Lesson 4
Commas
Students are asked to create and continually add to a comma guide (poster, booklet, or slideshow) that collects rules, explanations, and examples, which they can refer to when writing. Students complete multiple short written exercises: rewrite sentences with correct commas on activity pages, circle correct words on commonly confused words worksheets, and insert punctuation on focused worksheets. Students write brief journal responses (e.g., create sentences showing essential vs. nonessential clauses and reflect on the Oxford comma video) and record examples for parent review.
Lesson 6
Colons and Semicolons
Students are asked to write two well-developed opening statements (one for the semicolon and one for the colon) on activity pages, including specified examples for each use. Students complete shorter, single-sitting written exercises such as the Semicolons, Colons, and Commonly Confused Words worksheets. Students are prompted to record notes and examples in a journal or activity pages and to present their writing orally to a judge, answering questions about their examples.
Lesson 7
Spelling
Students are asked to keep a spelling journal or highlighted list to track words over time and to set up a schedule to work through problem words, which supports ongoing practice. Students create detective cards where they write the correct spelling, underline tricky parts, and write mnemonic clues, and they repeatedly spell and write words aloud and on paper during the Investigation Round. Students complete short, single-session activity pages (circle the correct word, choose correct spellings) and are instructed to write misspelled words correctly multiple times for reinforcement.
Final Project
Wrapping Up
Students create discipline-specific writing products: they must write a short paragraph quiz (with at least five items) and an answer key, and they may produce a visual aid or digital graphic explaining a grammar rule. Students also complete timed/short-response writing on the unit test (short answer questions and punctuation insertion) and are assigned the unit test as homework to be taken that night. The mini-project instructions ask students to make work that is "thorough, accurate, neat, and appealing," and to have someone else take the quiz and explain missed items, indicating audience-directed work.
Unit 4: Poetry
Lesson 1
Introduction to Poetry
Students complete a timed two-minute journal freewrite listing words/phrases and drafting a definition of poetry, then revise that definition after reading poets' quotations. Students annotate and mark a printed poem as homework and answer a multi-question Poem Response page, producing analytic written responses. Students complete denotation/connotation worksheets in which they write denotations, connotations, similar words, and explanations of word effectiveness for selected words.
Lesson 2
Sound and Rhythm
Students are asked to write short responses in their journals for Activity 1 (identify devices and explain effectiveness) and for homework (reflect on how rhyme is used in "The Tyger"). The lesson schedules work over a two-day sequence and includes a homework assignment asking students to mark a poem and write a journal reflection, showing writing across class time and outside of class. Several activities require written answers on student activity pages (Rhyme page, Rhythm and Meter pages) completed in a single sitting.
Lesson 3
Figurative Language
Students complete the Figurative Language I activity by reading "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" and identifying similes/metaphors, personification, symbolism, and imagery with stanza and line numbers and written explanations. Students record examples of irony, understatement, overstatement, and paradox in their journals for multiple short poems in Activity 2 (Option 1 or 2). Students write an original poem for homework (Option 2), taking sensory notes and including imagery plus at least two additional figurative language devices.
Lesson 4
Voice and Tone
Students complete written analyses on activity pages by identifying the speaker and listing three things they know about the speaker for three poems. Students write a short letter in their journal as a poem's speaker or another character, explaining who they are and referring to parts of the poem. Students write new stanza lines or at least four lines in a different voice, matching style, rhythm, and rhyme where applicable.
Lesson 8
Types of Poems
Students are assigned to write their own Shakespearean sonnet or a free-verse poem as homework, using provided activity pages and a sonnet template to compose at least part of a sonnet or a 5–10 line free-verse poem. Students also write journal responses to poems (Billy Collins, Whitman) and complete analysis and activity pages (Sonnet Types, Ekphrasis Analysis) that require written answers and short reflections. The lesson spans two days and includes guided writing tasks (templates, brainstorming prompts, and prompts to use strong verbs and literary devices).
Lesson 9
The Crossover
Students are asked to write answers on the Student Activity Page comparing book definitions to dictionary definitions and explaining how the book's method aids understanding (three written responses). Students may write a vocabulary poem in Option 2, composing three "As in:" sentences that use people and events from their own lives. Homework asks students to write journal responses: analyze how "crossover" changes meaning across poems or write a 3-4 sentence reflection about basketball rules.
Lesson 10
Poems and Poets
Students complete a Poetry Map analysis where they paraphrase the poem, identify theme, tone, imagery, sound devices, and record a personal reaction. Students research a poet using the Poet Biography Boxes and create a one-page biographical presentation (including facts, dates, language, and cultural context). Students write a journal response summarizing a poem and explaining how cultural references enrich meaning; these tasks are assigned across the three-day sequence and as homework.
Lesson 11
Reciting Poetry
Students are asked to "note in your journal what makes each performance effective" as they watch Poetry Out Loud recitation videos, which requires written observations. Students are directed to mark up their chosen poem with pause markings (/ and //), to identify unfamiliar words and look up meanings and pronunciations, and to prepare written annotations as part of memorization. The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes "cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking," linking writing to analysis of the poem.
Final Project
Poetry
Students are asked to choose two final-project options and to "re-read each one carefully and take notes on how you will approach each choice," begin sketches and initial ideas on Day 1, continue work on Day 2, and put finishing touches and present on Day 3, indicating multi-day project work. Students must produce several written products: a one-page typed, double-spaced opinion response arguing whether Bob Dylan deserved the Nobel Prize, a poetry explication presented digitally (including analytical writing of structure, sound devices, theme, etc.), and paragraph explanations for the director's notebook. Students also prepare written study materials and test responses (short answer, fill-in-the-blank) during the unit test, showing shorter-timeframe written work.
Unit 5: Nonfiction
Lesson 3
The Taliban
Students are asked to research the Taliban using a provided webpage and other sources and then write an informational paragraph in their journal (Option 1) or create one or more slideshow slides (Option 2). Instructions require students to put information in their own words, start with an introductory sentence, use transitional words and end with a concluding sentence; the parent notes also state students will conduct short as well as more sustained research projects and produce clear, coherent writing.
Lesson 4
Dear Diary
Students are asked to write a one-page diary entry for homework, which requires composing a discipline-specific (diary/journal) text in a short time frame. Students practice paraphrasing on the Student Activity Page and analyze paraphrases, and the unit indicates students will practice quoting and summarizing in later lessons.
Lesson 5
Displacement
Students are asked to create a photo report (Option 1) by pasting pictures, recording school name/location/grade, writing three assumptions about the school, and composing 3–4 sentences from a student point of view. Students are asked to produce a mini-book (Option 2) by selecting four transportation types, printing or drawing images, and writing advantages and disadvantages for each type, then assembling and sharing the mini-book with family. The Parent Plan and activity directions instruct students to research school conditions (search terms suggested) and "record information" about challenges, indicating short research and written reporting tasks.
Lesson 6
A Day Like Any Other
Students answer focused reading questions (both in-class and homework) that require written responses to comprehension and analysis prompts. Students complete an APE (Answer, Prove, Extend) graphic organizer, writing an answer in their own words, citing quotations with page numbers, and providing an extension that explains their reasoning. The activity page and parent plan require students to produce written justification and to be prepared to discuss and explain their opinions.
Lesson 7
Life in England
Students answer chapter reading questions and take notes while watching the documentary, producing short written responses and summaries. Students are asked to write an informal journal response imagining work that could qualify them for a Nobel Peace Prize (a single-sitting or short homework writing task). The Parent Plan also states that students will eventually write a paper about an issue important to them as a final project.
Lesson 8
Civil Rights
Students are asked to write short responses in a journal to questions after watching multiple "Freedom Riders" video clips and after reading excerpts of King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail." Students complete written activity pages such as the "African-American Authors" page (matching and writing sentences about each author's contribution) and a "Just and Unjust Laws" double-entry diary to record thoughts and opinions. The unit culminates in a homework creative task in which students produce a poetic response (original or found poem) or a graphic response, which involves composing or assembling a written/creative product.
Lesson 9
Civil Disobedience
Students analyze and write about paired excerpts from Thoreau and King using the "MLK and 'Civil Disobedience'" activity pages, filling an "Overlapping Ideas" column and marking phrases with a highlighter. Students complete the "Opposing Quotes" pages by deciding which thinker they agree with and writing explanations in the "Your Views" space. Students read assigned excerpts for homework and answer comprehension and analysis questions in written form.
Lesson 10
Learning from the Past
Students complete multiple written tasks: short-answer and matching exercises on the "Importance of Memory" activity pages after reading each half of Wiesel's speech. Students draft a paragraph in their journal comparing a universal truth from Wiesel with quotes from other human rights advocates. Students produce a model museum wall with one- to two-sentence formal descriptions and complete a homework journaling or poetic composition about a sad or traumatic experience.
Lesson 12
Running from War
Students practice discipline-specific writing by completing the "Using Quotations" activity where they select correctly punctuated sentences and produce introductory lead-ins for a quoted line from the text. Students write a journal response for homework using the APE strategy (Answer, Prove, Extend), which requires them to introduce and integrate quotations and to explain/extend their ideas. In Activity 2 students record detailed memories in a journal or create an illustrated scene and then share that work with a parent or older relative, producing writing for a real audience and purpose.
Lesson 13
Child Soldier
Students are asked to write a journal response about the memoir controversy, directly producing an extended written reaction to an argument. Students complete multiple written activity pages ("Role of Rap," "Different Accounts," and "Child Soldiers") that require short-answer analysis, comparison of book and video, and listing advantages/disadvantages. Students answer reading comprehension and analysis questions after chapters and complete homework prompts that require written responses across Day 1 and Day 2.
Lesson 14
Rehabilitation
Students are asked to write journal responses (Option 2 of Activity 1 and both homework Options) where they state a conclusion and support it with examples/quotations. Students complete discipline-specific written tasks such as the "RUF vs. Government Soldiers" comparison worksheet and the "Wiesel's Words" page, explaining how a quotation relates to the memoir. The lesson schedules writing across classwork and homework over two days, asking students to reread passages and then produce analytic or reflective prose.
Lesson 15
A New Life
Students are asked to read Chapter 20 and write a 1–2 paragraph summary in their journals to be finished as homework, which requires composing a concise, discipline-specific text in a short time frame. Students complete a Comparing Memoirs activity answering guided questions that require written analysis of authors' style and rhetoric. Students choose and produce a discipline-specific product (a flyer or a simple webpage) that requires drafting text for a target audience and using technology to publish or display writing.
Final Project
Expository Essay
Students are assigned a researched five-paragraph expository essay to complete across Days 1–4, with explicit steps for developing a research question, drafting body paragraphs, writing an introduction and conclusion, producing a Works Cited page, and submitting a final draft. The schedule includes revising and proofreading stages (Day 4: Revising; Part 8: Proofreading) and homework tasks between class sessions, which provide time for reflection and revision. The lesson identifies a specific audience and purpose (inform other students who completed the unit) and requires discipline-specific tasks such as researching credible sources, quoting/paraphrasing/summarizing, and using MLA-style citation.
Semester Exam
Semester Exam
Students are asked to write paragraph-length responses in Part IV: Discussion and are explicitly told to "read back over the paragraphs and revise them as needed," which requires revision after initial drafting. The schedule gives students several days (Days 1–3) they can use to complete or revise longer pieces such as the informative essay from the Nonfiction unit or a paper from Lord of the Flies. Shorter, discipline-specific writing tasks appear throughout the exam (Part II fill-ins, Part III short answers, Part V quoting and paraphrasing) that students complete in a single sitting or a day or two.
2: Semester 2
Unit 1: Ender's Game
Lesson 2
We're People, Not Thirds
Students answer short written homework questions about Chapters 3–4 (QUESTION #1–#4), practicing brief, single-sitting responses. Students complete the "Planned Procreation" activity by writing brainstormed reasons in four categories (religious, environmental/ethical, personal/financial, governmental/legal). Students can choose an option to research eugenics and "record ten facts" they learned, which requires researching and writing findings.
Lesson 4
Divergence
Students are asked to write a definition of science fiction and to label examples as science fiction or fantasy on the Science Fiction Quiz, which requires short written responses. The Defeating the Giant activities prompt students to write alternative uses for common objects with lines provided for at least three unconventional uses of each item. Homework requires students to read Chapter 7 and answer specific questions in writing, producing short, discipline-related responses to comprehension and analysis prompts.
Lesson 6
Performance Is Personal
Students complete the "Competing Commanders" activity by writing three evaluation criteria, assigning numeric scores, totaling results, and composing a ranked leaderboard (short, task-focused writing). Students answer the "Text Structure" page prompts by reviewing chapter openings and writing responses to four analytical questions about foreshadowing, tension, roles, and stylistic differences. Homework requires students to read Chapter 9 and write answers to four content questions about plot details and character actions.
Lesson 7
Leaders Motivate
Students are asked to read about John Locke and Demosthenes, reflect on their roles, and write a journal entry describing links between the personalities (Activity 1). Students complete the "Complete the Thought" worksheet by matching quote endings and then choose three characters to match to quotes and explain their choices in a chart, producing short analytical written responses (Activity 2). Students answer specific written homework questions about Chapter 10, producing brief discipline-specific written responses.
Lesson 9
Conflict Within and Without
Students are asked to write one to two paragraphs in their journal speculating about the chapter title (Activity 2). In Activity 1 students complete a chart and write a paragraph addressing three questions about a conflict's impact on relationships, plot development, and character change; they also write a journal paragraph describing the development of the conflict over the course of the text. Homework requires students to answer specific reading questions in writing.
Lesson 11
Thud, Whump, Huut
Students answer comprehension and short-response questions about Chapters 14 and 15, which requires written responses. Students take notes comparing a book scene to its movie adaptation and complete a multi-row "Comic Adaptation" student activity page that asks them to list omitted or changed narration and evaluate the comic's choices. Students are also asked to write responses on the activity page and to discuss their notes with a parent (an identified audience).
Lesson 12
Campbell's Comparisons
Students are asked to record the 12 steps of the hero's journey in their journal after watching a video, which requires written note-taking in a single sitting. Students choose six steps and use the Hero's Journey activity sheet to describe parallels between those steps and Ender's Game, producing discipline-specific written analysis. Students retake an issues survey and compare their new responses to earlier answers, which involves reflective comparison of prior written responses.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students complete short, single-sitting writing tasks on the unit test (e.g., use a vocabulary word in a sentence, define terms, short answers about flashbacks). Students write one- to three-paragraph pieces (flashback), rewrite 3–4 paragraph passages from a different point of view, and compose 2–3 paragraph compare-and-contrast responses, demonstrating both creative and analytical writing. Students choose three Think-Tac-Toe activities and work across the four-day window to plan and produce a final project (storyboard, illustrations, essays, or multimedia), and are instructed to share their work with family as an audience.
Unit 2: Grammar, Part II
Lesson 1
Review of Grammar, Part I
Students complete short, discipline-specific writing tasks such as filling in parts of speech in the Mad-Libs activity and creating two short paragraphs (one requiring commas/semicolons and one containing subject-verb/pronoun errors) as described in Homework Option 2. Students generate an answer key that explains the applicable grammar rules and share their paragraphs with a friend or relative as an intended audience. Students also correct punctuation and grammar in given paragraphs (Option 1) and cut, match, or arrange term/example cards, which requires producing or manipulating short written examples.
Lesson 3
Sentence Fragments and Run-on Sentences
Students are assigned a Creative Writing Challenge to write a 1–2-page narrative that uses all target commonly confused words correctly and to "review your draft carefully" and "revise as needed" before sharing with a parent. The lesson includes shorter writing and correction tasks (sentence/fragment identification, sentence corrections on activity pages, and a paragraph editing exercise) and web quizzes that require students to produce answers and make corrections. Several activities ask students to record notes, examples, and journal reasons (e.g., explain whether a sentence is a fragment), which involve short written reflection.
Lesson 5
Hyphens and Apostrophes
Students are asked to take notes in their journal while reading about apostrophes and to record notes and examples for commonly confused words, which requires written note-taking and short responses. Students complete multiple activity pages that require rewriting sentences with correct hyphenation, filling in blanks in a short narrative (choosing between commonly confused words), dividing words at syllable boundaries, and marking up a travel post for apostrophe errors. Students also complete an online multiple-choice hyphen quiz and can check answers against an answer key, providing immediate written practice and self-review.
Lesson 6
Word Choice
Students practice revising and rewriting in the College Essay Editor activity, where they read a draft, mark clichés/wordiness, and rewrite the paragraph, then share original and edited versions. Students complete short, focused writing tasks that require concise rewriting (Avoiding Wordiness worksheet) and journal assignments to take notes on levels of formality and word-choice strategies. The lesson spans two days and includes homework that asks students to produce written journal notes and a revised draft, implying opportunities for revision between class and homework.
Lesson 7
Verb Voice and Mood
Students complete a short online quiz that requires revising passive constructions (a task that can be done in a single sitting). Students plan and produce a subjunctive mood project (poster, slideshow, comic, or card game) intended for a younger audience, with a rubric and homework assignment to finish the project over time. The rubric and presentation criteria require students to create definitions, examples, and strategies and to present their work, indicating an extended product and an audience-driven purpose.
Final Project
Wrapping Up
Students select and produce two mini-projects from four discipline-specific writing tasks (slideshow, poster, explanatory guide, or song/rap/skit), each with explicit audience and purpose requirements (elementary audience for posters, teen/adult for explanatory guides, instructional/entertaining for slideshows and songs). Students are asked to plan the content of projects, type up lyrics or guides, and use presentation tools or create finished artifacts, and they are given two days plus homework time to complete the work. The rubric and instructions require products to explain concepts clearly and be appropriate for the target audience.
Unit 3: Informational Texts
Lesson 1
What Are Informational Texts?
Students are asked to jot down in their journals what they already know about the David and Goliath story before watching the TED talk, which requires a short, single-sitting written response. Students complete the Student Activity Page by locating informational text features in Outliers and answering specific questions, producing written analysis tied to a discipline-specific text. Students complete homework by reading a section of Outliers and answering multiple written comprehension and analysis questions, composing responses outside of class.
Lesson 3
The Matthew Effect
Students answer focused written homework questions (four short-response items) after reading Sections 1-3 of "The 10,000 Rule," which requires composing answers in a single homework period. Students write in a journal to brainstorm factors contributing to sports success and select their top three, an in-class short writing/reflection task. Students create and label charts or sketches (Option 1 and Option 2) that require drafting text labels, titles, and explanatory notes to translate information into visual form. The Parent Plan explicitly lists "Write routinely over extended time frames... and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two)" as a targeted skill.
Lesson 4
The 10,000 Hour Rule
Students write brief summaries of Sections 1–3 and answer focused analysis questions on the "Looking Closely" worksheet, demonstrating short, in-class writing. Students mark key opportunities in their book or record them in a journal while reading Sections 4–6, documenting observations outside of class. For homework, students transform their notes into a visual product (flowchart, infographic, PowerPoint slide, or hand-drawn graphic) that communicates evidence and connects an example to the chapter's larger ideas.
Lesson 6
The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes
Students are asked to write multiple short responses and reflections: they answer reading questions after each set of sections, complete journal prompts (e.g., speculate about Gladwell's structure and predict the cultural issue; reflect on Hofstede scores), and fill out an analysis chart of Gladwell's responses (Activity 5 Option 2). The lesson unfolds over three days and includes both single-sitting tasks (answering guided questions, vocabulary exercises) and multi-day work (reading sections across days and journal/homework reflections). Students also prepare a short oral explanation or written analysis of a blog critique, which targets different purposes and audiences (parent/class discussion, charted analysis).
Lesson 7
Rice Paddies and Math Tests
Students write answers to reading comprehension questions after each set of sections, which are short, single-sitting written tasks. Students take notes in a journal while watching videos and present findings to a parent, practicing brief explanatory writing and oral presentation. Students begin an infographic project on Day 1 and finish it on Day 2, producing a discipline-related visual/written product and are invited to add material from later reading, indicating time for further work.
Lesson 8
With Malice Toward None
Students complete a student activity page that asks them to identify quotes from Lincoln's speech, name the literary device, and write the intended effect, which requires short analytical writing. Students answer directed comprehension and analysis questions about the speech in writing. For homework, students choose three sentences from the address and write them as a three-item bulleted list in their journals, a brief written task tied to the discipline-specific purpose of analyzing speech structure.
Lesson 9
Writing about History
Students are asked to write a journal paragraph planning a visit to the Sand Creek site as homework and to compose an editorial supporting the Indians' side (Option 2), which asks them to use facts from sources to persuade readers. Students complete structured written activities such as the graphic organizer linking secondary claims to supporting primary-source quotations, the double-entry diary, and the "Primary Falsehoods" worksheet that require students to produce written analyses and quotes. The Parent Plan lists writing goals such as "Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content" and introducing precise claims and counterclaims, indicating disciplinary writing tasks are assigned.
Lesson 11
Technical Writing
Students plan, draft, revise, and finalize a how-to guide over a three-day sequence (Day 1 planning and Activity 1 short formatting exercise; Day 2 drafting, glossary work, and homework; Day 3 infographic, revision, and testing). Students perform a single-sitting formatting/editing task (Activity 1) and complete a multi-day product that includes an introduction, first draft, glossary, infographic, Works Cited, and a revision cycle. Students test their guide by having another person follow it silently, observe problems, interview the tester, and then make revisions based on that feedback.
Lesson 12
Logical Fallacies
Students are assigned a final project to write a persuasive essay and told they will begin preparing for the project in the next lesson. Students complete shorter writing tasks such as the "Common Fallacies" activity page (fill-in-the-blank and example-selection) and the bandwagon/Fallacy Bank exercises. Students also write a short speech in Option 2 of the appeals activity, noting where they used ethos, logos, and pathos and delivering it to an audience (parents or council).
Final Project
Argumentative Research Essay
Students undertake a seven-day project that requires choosing a topic, researching (Days 1–3), drafting (Days 4–5), revising (Day 6), and producing a final essay and slideshow (Day 7). The Skills section explicitly states: "Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences." Students also adapt their written essay into an oral presentation and slideshow, practicing discipline-specific citation (MLA) and use of digital media.
Unit 4: Drama
Lesson 1
What Is Drama?
Students are instructed to "record your guesses in your journal" after watching video clips to identify genres, which requires brief written responses. The homework directs students to "write a paragraph in your journal" recalling a play or imagining the difference between live theater and film, a short, discipline-related reflective writing task. The activities ask students to review vocabulary and note types of stages, prompting occasional written notetaking tied to drama specifics.
Lesson 2
How to Read Drama
Students are asked to "answer the following questions in your journal" after watching the play and to complete the "Applying Aristotle's Six Elements of Tragedy" activity page. The lesson assigns the activity page and journal responses as classwork/homework and provides guided, discipline-specific prompts (plot, character, diction, theme, melody, spectacle) for literary analysis.
Lesson 3
Life and Times
Students are asked to watch a video and "jot down some major points in your journal," indicating short, in-class or homework note-taking. Students regularly answer directed comprehension questions after readings (e.g., questions about the introduction, setting, and biographical homework) which require producing short written responses. The lesson also instructs students to "be ready to answer questions" about the Civil Rights Act video, implying short-response preparation.
Lesson 4
A Raisin in the Sun
Students are asked to take notes in their journals while listening to dialect samples and to respond to guided questions about those samples. Students must write a paragraph summarizing Act I in their journals and a predictive sentence about Act II as homework. Students complete written activities such as the "Characters and Their Dreams" organizer and vocabulary exercises that require written responses and matching definitions.
Lesson 5
Act II
Students write short, discipline-specific pieces such as a five-sentence Reader Response paragraph using the APE method and journal entries about songs (recording title/year and analyzing the American Dream). Students complete a vocabulary activity in which they write a definition from context and then consult a dictionary to revise that definition, explicitly requiring revision. Students complete a character analysis as homework and later use it to write a six-sentence monologue, showing writing that spans multiple days and connects preparatory work to a final product.
Lesson 7
Fences
Students are asked to write in a journal while watching the movie and to jot down similarities and differences between Fences and A Raisin in the Sun. On Day 2 students complete a Comparison activity page, writing at least two sentences about similarities and two about differences for theme, characters, plot, and setting. Students write a paragraph listing at least three insights after watching the interview and a homework paragraph reflecting on what they learned from the play and movie.
Lesson 8
Shakespeare
Students answer focused comprehension questions in writing after reading introductory material, demonstrating short-term written responses. Students complete an activity sheet that asks them to identify speakers, determine meaning, visualize the scene, and rewrite a passage in their own words, including a reflection step. Students produce a timeline as homework using book, video, and web resources, creating a multi-step written product.
Lesson 9
Romeo and Juliet
Students are asked to write brief, discipline-specific responses: after Act I Scene 1 and subsequent scenes they "summarize" the most important event in their journal and answer scene-specific comprehension questions. Students are prompted to take notes about performance elements (costumes, props, movement) while watching the Globe production and to answer guided journal questions about Renaissance marriage customs. Multiple short writing prompts appear throughout the lesson (scene summaries, question answers, journal reflections tied to readings and videos).
Lesson 10
Figurative Language
Students write short, discipline-specific responses in journals after reading Act II scenes, summarizing the most important events and answering guided questions. Students complete written activity pages that require explaining oxymorons and paradoxes, identifying and explaining idioms and euphemisms, and producing a pun for a bumper-sticker idea. Students fill out a Spouse Survey form and compare their written responses with a parent, producing written comparisons and reflections for homework.
Lesson 11
Nuanced Meaning
Students write brief journal summaries of each scene and answer guided reading questions, which require composing responses. Students complete vocabulary parts that ask them to write definitions, synonyms, and sentences (Part III). On Day 2 students rewrite a six-line character exchange as a modern text-message conversation, producing a discipline-specific adaptation of Shakespearean dialogue. The lesson is organized as a two-day sequence with distinct writing tasks on each day.
Lesson 12
Time and Tension
Students are directed to "answer the following questions" after reading Act IV and to "summarize" the most important event in their journal, which requires composing a short written response. The Student Activity Page asks students to record counts of time-related words and to write analyses for specific scenes (e.g., list ways time is mentioned, explain how Capulet's repetition creates tension), which requires written, discipline-specific responses.
Lesson 13
Tragic Hero
Students are asked to write short responses in a journal after reading Act V (summarize the most important event and answer guided questions about Romeo's dream, the apothecary, etc.). Students complete written analysis on the 'Timeline and Character Development' activity page by filling in scenes, actions, and answering questions about static/dynamic and round/flat characters. Students also record similarities between Pyramus and Thisbe and Romeo and Juliet on a comparison activity sheet, which requires written comparison and analysis.
Lesson 14
Modern Retelling
Students are asked to write an informal three-paragraph analysis comparing the Luhrmann film and the Globe Theatre production, with work begun in class and finished for homework. Students watch the film across Day 1 and Day 2 and are directed to finish and type the analysis as homework, which demonstrates writing over a short time frame (a day or two). Students are given a revision checklist that directs them to read their paragraphs aloud, revise or edit as needed, and produce a typed final version, indicating time for reflection and revision.
Final Project
Drama
Students produce written products across multiple modalities (scripts for podcasts and commercials, paragraphs describing costumes and set designs, 4–5 sentence article leads for the news site, song/rap lyrics with verses and chorus, game instructions, comic-strip summaries, and playlist descriptions with sample lyrics). The schedule asks students to develop rough drafts, continue work across Days 1–4, and then polish/finalize projects, indicating time for reflection and revision. Students must cite sources and prepare works for presentation to an audience (parents/family), showing attention to discipline-specific purposes and audiences.
Semester Exam
Semester Exam
The lesson's Skills list explicitly states that students should "write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences." The schedule invites students to revise writing assignments or projects from previous units during the multi-day study period. The exam includes a Part IV discussion that asks students to write 1–3 paragraph responses to three prompts, which students produce in a single sitting or short time frame.