Ninth Grade - ELA
• Literacy
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Early Civilizations and Migration (600 BCE)
Lesson 2
Early Agriculture
Students are explicitly asked to use the Internet or an atlas to find maps, average rainfall, and images for the Fertile Crescent activity and to consult pp. 16–17 of the National Geographic Almanac and an optional Big History video for background. Option 2 for domesticated animals tells students they may use Internet sources or outside reading to learn more about animals before responding. The Mapping Early Farming Civilizations homework directs students to locate early farming areas using a world map and referenced print materials (AP book/atlas) and an optional online video, demonstrating use of multiple print and digital sources.
Lesson 4
Mesopotamia
Students are directed to review specific print pages (pp. 44–49 of the National Geographic Almanac) and to use that reading as core information. Students are told they may need to complete additional online or library research and are explicitly asked to look up images of ziggurats online. The materials reference other print resources (AP World History coursebook) and provide a direct link to the Code of Hammurabi on Yale's Avalon site and a Resource List web link for podcasts/video blogs.
Lesson 5
Egypt
Students are directed to read pp. 50-55 of the National Geographic Almanac of World History and told that they may need to do additional online or library research to provide complete responses, so they gather information from a print source and seek supplemental sources. In Option 2 (WebQuest), students must identify at least one website for each of six topics, provide the URL, and explain why each website is worthwhile, which requires locating digital sources and evaluating their usefulness. The WebQuest activity explicitly asks students to state "One thing I think students should understand" and "Reason(s) why I chose to use this website," prompting students to articulate the relevance of each source.
Lesson 6
Trade and Empire Building
Students are asked to read specific print material (pp. 56-59 in the National Geographic Almanac of World History) and to view linked digital videos (Khan Academy/Big History Project and Crash Course), requiring them to gather information from multiple print and digital sources. Students then complete activity pages (Expansion of Empires, Early Trade Systems) and answer guided questions that require pulling facts and examples from those specified sources to explain trade, technological effects, and expansion.
Lesson 8
Historical Essay
Students are instructed to "go back to the readings from earlier lessons to look for specific evidence to support [their] main points," and to identify evidence when planning and drafting their essays. The lesson requires students to provide parenthetical references in the text for quotes and specific evidence, including a concrete example format (Daniels & Hyslop, 46). The rubric explicitly checks for "Accurate parenthetical citations for quotations and specific evidence" and asks students to choose and use evidence to answer the prompt.
Final Project
Flow Chart
Students are instructed to use the readings from earlier lessons to help fill in each piece of the template and to consult an Online Flowchart Resources link for tools. Option 2 explicitly invites students to use software or online diagram/flowchart tools, and the homework directs students to review online review questions, notes, activity pages, and readings. The rubric and project requirements ask for informative, well-written descriptions for each flowchart box, which implies students must collect factual information to include in their project.
Unit 1: Lord of the Flies
Lesson 3
Paths in the Jungle
Students are directed to read and annotate a linked Guardian article and an optional Artifice article, printing and marking the text to track ideas, questions, and reactions. Students complete a graphic organizer that asks for the author's main argument/thesis and key supporting points, and they record their reactions and a final opinion. The annotated-image example includes a footnote-style citation showing author, date, and publication.
Unit 2: World Religions (600 BCE - 600 CE)
Lesson 2
Shamanism, Animism, Ancestor Veneration
Students are asked to read specific print material (pp. 12-14 of The One-Stop Guide to World Religions) and to use online links or a public library to find folktales or information about holidays. Students must consult multiple sources (the textbook plus several web links or library sources) and complete comparative activity pages and a Dimensions of World Religions booklet using information they gather.
Lesson 3
Hinduism
Students are assigned a specific print source (The One-Stop Guide to World Religions, pp. 22-23, 34-43) to read and answer comprehension questions. The lesson provides a web link to an archived Ramayana slideshow and instructs students in Option 3 and in the homework that they should "do some research about [a festival] on the Internet" and that they "may need to do a bit of online research" to complete the Dimensions of World Religions booklet. Several activities require students to summarize, synthesize, or write about information from the reading and online sources (e.g., activity pages, a four-page storyboard, and booklet entries).
Lesson 4
Buddhism
Students are assigned to read information about Buddhism on pages 44–53 of The One-Stop Guide to World Religions and to answer guided questions, which requires extracting information from an authoritative print source. Activity 2 tells students they "may need to do a bit of online research" to complete the map or dimensions in their booklet, prompting use of digital sources. The lesson also provides external web links (reaction-paper resources and guided meditation downloads) that students can access for support.
Lesson 5
Daoism and Confucianism
Students are assigned a print source to read (pp. 54–65 in The One-Stop Guide to World Religions) and answer content questions, which requires using an authoritative print source. Activity 2 tells students they "may need to do a bit of online research" to fill parts of their "Dimensions of World Religions" booklet, and Homework Option 2 asks students to find at least three other quotations or proverbs related to a Confucian saying, which requires locating additional digital or print sources. The lesson also provides a specific web link about feng shui as a digital source students can consult.
Lesson 6
Judaism
Students are assigned a print source (The One-Stop Guide to World Religions, pp. 66-75 and 120) to read and answer guided questions. Students are asked to perform online research for the "Jewish Diaspora," to use an atlas or online sources to label a historical map, and to research a Jewish holiday online for a narrative or slideshow. The slideshow option explicitly tells students to provide a citation for any images they found online.
Lesson 7
Christianity
Students are assigned multiple print sources to read (One-Stop Guide to World Religions; Almanac of World History) and are asked to answer content questions from them. Students in Option 1 are asked to read at least two articles and are given specific authoritative examples (Smithsonian, National Geographic) and search terms like "historical Jesus" or "archaeology and Jesus." Students are instructed to focus on secular, scholarly or museum-based publications, which guides them to gather information from authoritative digital sources.
Lesson 8
Islam
Students are assigned specific print readings (The One-Stop Guide to World Religions pp.86-95 and National Geographic Almanac pp.114-117) and directed to read them and answer targeted questions. Students are provided multiple digital sources (several Qur'an sites, Bible sites, a PBS timeline, and a list of online presentation tools) and are told to do online research as needed to complete activities. Students create products that integrate information from those sources: a timeline with one-paragraph explanations for each date, completed sections of a "Dimensions of World Religions" booklet, and a compare-and-contrast Venn-diagram activity summarizing and synthesizing Bible and Qur'an versions of stories.
Unit 2: Short Stories
Lesson 1
The Gift of the Magi
Students are asked to go online and research the Magi, the Queen of Sheba, and King Solomon for homework, with specific authoritative web links provided (Matthew 2:1-12 and 1 Kings 10:1-10 on BibleGateway and a PBS page on the Queen of Sheba). The assignment directs students to take notes and write journal sentences describing the historical significance of these figures and explaining how that knowledge contributes to their understanding of the story. The lesson also gives students digital access options for the primary text (links to read or download the story online), so students engage with multiple print/digital sources.
Lesson 2
The Necklace
Students are prompted to use direct quotations, summaries, and paraphrase when pulling evidence from the text (homework and Activity 2 guidance). Students are instructed to "present information in your own words" and to use textual evidence to support ideas in analyses and objective summaries. The lesson also directs students to skim another short story ("The Gift of the Magi") and to watch an external video resource, showing some use of digital/print materials for literary support.
Lesson 7
Everyday Use
Students are asked to gather biographical information about Alice Walker using two specific web links and to record findings on an "Author's Biographical Data Sheet." Students are also directed to browse multiple online quilt galleries (three museum links) and to complete a "Quilted Heritage" activity page describing and analyzing a quilt. Students complete these research pages and use their notes to draw parallels between Walker's life and "Everyday Use."
Unit 3: Rise of the Empires (600 BCE - 600 CE)
Lesson 3
Qin and Han Empires
The lesson directs students to read multiple named print sources (National Geographic Almanac of World History pp. 90–93 and AP World History: An Essential Coursebook pp. 98–105) and to use the AP book map on p. 102 as source material. Students are instructed to extract information from those readings to answer explicit reading questions, to add Qin and Han entries to a timeline, and to complete Activity 2 by filling a chart on politics, religion, and culture using different colors for Qin, Han, and shared information. Students are also asked to save their notes and activity pages for later comparative work, indicating use of gathered material across tasks.
Lesson 4
Roman Empire
Students are assigned a specific print source (National Geographic Almanac of World History, pp. 80–85) for reading and use maps on pp. 83 and 85 as source material for Activity 1. Activity 1 directs students to use a modern map or atlas as a reference and to label modern countries, indicating use of multiple sources. Activity 2 explicitly tells students they "may need to do a bit of online research" to fill in information not found in the reading, and homework suggests using websites or apps (e.g., Quizlet) as tools.
Unit 3: Grammar, Part I
Lesson 3
Pronoun Problems
Activity 2 instructs students to read the book pages and optionally online sources and then explain the chosen topic in their own words using a poster or slideshow. The activity explicitly tells students to "close both the book and lesson before writing to ensure that you don't accidentally copy information word for word," which guides them to avoid plagiarism. The Parent Plan repeats that students may refer to the book, lesson, or online sources but should produce original examples and explanations.
Lesson 4
Commas
Students are directed to use explanations in the book (pp. 117–123) and material at provided websites (Purdue OWL and Towson University) to find explanations and examples for their comma guide. The lesson asks students to gather information from those print and digital sources and record each rule, explanation, and examples in a reference (poster, booklet, or slideshow). The Parent Plan skill list also names "Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally," indicating students will work with multiple media types.
Unit 4: Poetry
Lesson 5
What Does It Mean?
Students are directed to consult multiple specific print and digital sources (the class poetry anthology pages and several web links such as PoetryFoundation.org, Poets.org, LiteraryDevices.net, WritersWrite, and tnellen.com) to read poems and background information. Students are asked to look up unfamiliar words, read background/context about authors and traditions, and to research the references and allusions to better understand the poems. Students complete activity pages and journal responses that require summarizing and using information from those sources to explain meaning and allusions.
Lesson 9
The Crossover
Students are asked to compare the book's vocabulary entries with dictionary definitions using the provided Resource List link to online dictionaries and to discuss differences between the book and dictionary definitions. The vocabulary activity directs students to explain how the book's method of defining words aids understanding, using one word as an example. The lesson includes web links (an online resource list and videos) that students could consult while completing activities.
Lesson 10
Poems and Poets
Students are asked to research the poet they selected using the "Poet Biography Boxes" and to record biographical details, influences, and interesting facts. The lesson provides multiple web links (Poetry Foundation, Poets.org, MyLifeElsewhere, and poem-specific links) and directs students to look up any unfamiliar references in a poem. Students must take notes on culture-specific information, prepare a one-page biographical presentation, and write a journal response summarizing the poem and how cultural references enrich it.
Lesson 11
Reciting Poetry
Students are directed to read at least 10 poems from the Poetry Out Loud "25 Lines and Fewer" webpage and to choose one for recitation, and several external digital sources are provided (Poetry Out Loud tips page, Poetry Foundation, Poets.org, and a PBS video). Students are asked to watch multiple recitation videos and note in a journal what makes each performance effective, which requires them to gather and compare information from those digital sources.
Final Project
Poetry
Students are directed to consult multiple print and digital sources via provided web links and resource lists (e.g., Review Sheet, Resource List, Maier Museum journal, Getty ekphrasis PDF, sample director's notebook, Dylan articles and lyrics). Students are instructed to use digital tools to create presentations or digital projects (animation tools, slideshow software, music notation tools) and to find audio/video recordings online. The Dylan assignment explicitly tells students to read articles on both sides of the debate and instructs them to give credit if they use other writers' arguments or quotations.
Unit 5: Nonfiction
Lesson 1
Types of Nonfiction
Students examine a print book's catalog record, front matter, and back matter to determine whether it is a biography, autobiography, or memoir and to collect evidence about the book's accuracy. Students read and respond to two web articles (an interview with Patricia McCormick and a Guardian article) as additional digital sources. Students compare multiple books, citing specific examples from the texts to support conclusions about themes, viewpoints, and evidence of accuracy.
Lesson 2
Pakistan
Students are directed to use the book (I Am Malala) and two specific web links (Wikipedia: Pakistan and a Facts & Details languages page) to answer the Pakistan activity questions. The activity asks students to use the book's timeline and details from chapters, and the Parent Plan skills note that students should "integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words."
Lesson 3
The Taliban
Students are asked to consult a provided PBS webpage and "any other sites you'd like to consult" to gather information for a written paragraph or slideshow. Students are explicitly instructed not to copy and paste and to put "all text in your own words," and the lesson notes that "you'll also practice paraphrasing." The activities give guidance on organizing information (introductory sentence, body details answering specific questions, transitional words to "smoothly link your thoughts") and require students to note the source under each image they include.
Lesson 4
Dear Diary
Students are taught how to quote, summarize, and paraphrase, with definitions and guided practice on paraphrasing (watching a paraphrasing video and completing paraphrase exercises). Students analyze sample paraphrases for accuracy and fidelity to originals and produce their own paraphrases of quoted passages, with source footnotes shown for original excerpts. Students are explicitly told they must cite sources (except common knowledge) and are warned about plagiarism and its consequences.
Lesson 5
Displacement
Students are asked to view The Guardian photo gallery and an article about how kids get to school and then choose images or transportation types to research and report. In Option 1 students are instructed to use library resources and are given example search terms (e.g., "education + [country name]" or "school conditions + [country name]") to find information about school conditions and statistics. The Parent Plan indicates students will conduct short research projects and integrate content from diverse media into a photo report or mini-book.
Lesson 6
A Day Like Any Other
The APE strategy's "Prove" step instructs students to "Provide evidence to support your answer. Use specific examples and quotations from the text." The Parent Plan states students will "Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research." The Parent Plan also directs that quotations should include the page number from the book.
Lesson 7
Life in England
Students read specified chapters of I Am Malala and watch an 11-minute documentary (and are given links to an original documentary and the Nobel Peace Prize site and Malala's acceptance excerpt). Students are asked to take notes and compare how the book and video differ in focus, portrayal of family members, and effectiveness as sources. Guided questions prompt students to evaluate the filmmaker's focus versus Malala's account and to discuss how each medium shapes impressions of events and people.
Lesson 8
Civil Rights
Students access and read multiple print and digital sources provided by the lesson (e.g., PBS Freedom Riders videos, Africa.upenn text of King's letter, poets.org and Poetry Foundation pages for Hughes and Angelou). Students perform directed tasks using those sources: arranging timeline pieces, answering journal questions about video clips, matching authors to descriptions, and writing short responses about each author's contribution. One activity option (People of the Past, Option 2) explicitly asks students to supply information either from prior knowledge or through brief research.
Lesson 9
Civil Disobedience
Students read and analyze multiple primary texts (excerpts from Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" and Martin Luther King Jr.'s speeches) in Activity 1 and Activity 2, using activity pages that prompt comparison and identification of overlapping ideas. The Parent Plan Skills explicitly list that students will "Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research" and will "Develop the topic with... quotations," indicating students practice extracting and using textual evidence. Homework directs students to read additional excerpts and answer questions, reinforcing gathering information from provided print texts.
Lesson 10
Learning from the Past
Students read primary and secondary materials (Elie Wiesel's speech, linked videos of Martin Luther King Jr., and a link to the Elie Wiesel Foundation website) and are asked to use quotes from those sources to support written responses. Students are instructed to skim Wiesel's speech and draft paragraphs comparing his statements with quotations from other unit authors (Malala, MLK, Thoreau). Students create a museum wall that requires selecting images and writing one- or two-sentence formal explanations that synthesize information from the studied texts.
Lesson 11
A Boy's Story
Students are directed to gather information from multiple sources: they read the book's Chronology pages (pp. 222-224) and specific chapters, watch a linked author interview video, and use a map of Sierra Leone to track the author's movements. Students are also asked to look up vocabulary words in a dictionary and record definitions in their own words. These tasks require students to extract relevant facts and details from both print (book, chronology, map, dictionary) and digital (video) sources.
Lesson 12
Running from War
Students practice integrating quotations into their own writing by using three explicit methods: introducing a quotation with a complete sentence followed by a colon, using a short introductory phrase with a comma, or weaving a small section of the quotation into their sentence. Students learn conventions for quoting accurately (use of quotation marks), how to mark changes with square brackets, and how to indicate omissions with an ellipsis. Students complete guided practice (Part I punctuation items and Part II requiring them to introduce a provided quotation) and use the APE strategy that requires including a quotation to 'prove' an answer.
Lesson 13
Child Soldier
Students are asked to use the print text (A Long Way Gone) and a linked six-minute video (YouTube: "Eye to Eye: Ishmael Beah") to complete a "Different Accounts" worksheet that has separate "Book" and "Video" columns and to discuss similarities and differences. The lesson's Skills section explicitly says students should "Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words." Students are prompted to cite examples or quotes from the book to back up answers on the activity pages.
Lesson 15
A New Life
Students are directed to read information on provided websites (the Malala Fund and Human Rights Watch links) and to use that information to create a flyer or webpage, which requires gathering digital source material. The lesson teaches quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing: students practice summarizing chapters, are told to put information in their own words, may include brief quotations with quotation marks, and are advised to close the text before writing to avoid accidental copying. The skills list and activity instructions tell students to use technology and Internet resources to produce and publish materials, implying integration of external information into their products.
Final Project
Expository Essay
Students are directed to locate appropriate online sources and to prefer .edu/.gov sites or reputable newspapers and to list at least three possible sources on the K-N-S chart. Students are required to record keywords used for searches, choose three most relevant facts from multiple sources, and note the source for each fact on the Quoting/Summarizing/Paraphrasing activity sheet. Students practice integrating source material (quoting, paraphrasing, summarizing), include in-text citation formats, and produce a Works Cited page in MLA format using a citation builder.
Semester Exam
Semester Exam
Students are directed to review multiple unit review sheets and to skim lessons (links to online review pages are provided), so they work with print and digital curriculum sources. Students practice integrating source material by introducing and correctly quoting a Wordsworth excerpt and by paraphrasing passages in Part V, demonstrating how to incorporate quotations and restatements into their writing. Students answer a multiple-choice item about when credit is required, which engages them in thinking about when to give credit for sources.
2: Semester 2
Unit 1: Ender's Game
Lesson 1
Born to Genius
Students are directed to read pp. xi–xiii of the book's introduction (a print source) and to use Internet search tools to complete the "About the Author" activity page. The student activity explicitly instructs students to "Answer the following questions using Internet research as needed," prompting them to locate historical facts, influences, and biographical details from online sources. The Parent Plan reiterates that students should look up information online to answer five specific questions about the author and his influences.
Lesson 2
We're People, Not Thirds
The lesson offers a research option (Activity 2, Option 2) that asks students to "research eugenics and record ten facts you learned" and to "briefly researching historic reasons why children have been limited and then recording facts about what they learned." The Planned Procreation activity page explicitly tells students they can "browse the Internet for ideas" and suggests search terms (e.g., "procreation" or "childbearing" plus chart terms) as a starting point. The parent notes reiterate that students may use the Internet to gather information for brainstorming answers in four categories (religious, environmental/ethical, personal/financial, governmental/legal).
Lesson 3
Science Fiction
Students are directed to read a specified web article (the Supersummary link) and the lesson introduction and then use those texts to fill out a graphic organizer titled "Science Fiction." Students complete activity sheets (Science Fiction and Quiz Prep) that require them to extract definitions, themes, historical eras, and examples of authors from the provided sources.
Lesson 7
Leaders Motivate
Students are instructed to read about John Locke and Demosthenes using multiple provided digital resources (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, HISTORY.com, Ancient History Encyclopedia and a video) and to watch a short presentation. Students are asked to reflect on those readings and write a journal entry linking the historical figures to characters in the novel, which requires them to synthesize information from more than one source. Activity 2 asks students to match famous leadership quotes and apply them to characters, prompting students to integrate sourced ideas into character analysis.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are explicitly directed in Box 8 (Historical References) to "look up NATO and the Warsaw Pact," use the "Historical Alliances" activity pages to identify member countries, and in their journal "list two key similarities" and "two key differences" and explain why the author used the historical reference. The activity requires students to locate factual information about historical alliances and to synthesize that information into written comparisons. The Think‑Tac‑Toe tasks also direct students to use an online storyboard tool (Boords) for a Hero's Journey project, indicating some use of digital resources.
Unit 2: Grammar, Part II
Lesson 2
Capitalization and Numbers
The lesson explicitly directs students to use multiple online resources: it lists web links (OWL Purdue and Grammarbook.com) and tells students, "You can use the following websites for reference," and to take an online capitalization quiz. Students are asked to record rules and examples on activity pages (e.g., "Writing Numbers" and "Commonly Confused Words") and to use the Answer Key to check their work, which requires consulting provided print and digital materials.
Lesson 5
Hyphens and Apostrophes
Students are prompted to consult outside resources (e.g., "How can writers use outside resources, such as dictionaries, to prevent errors?" and repeated advice to "consult the dictionary"). The lesson directs students to read print pages in the book (assigned pp. references) and to complete a linked online quiz (GrammarBook.com Hyphens (Advanced Level) Quiz), showing use of both print and digital materials. Students are asked to take notes in a journal and check answers against an Answer Key, which involves retrieving information from provided sources.
Lesson 6
Word Choice
Students are instructed to read and take notes from multiple specified digital and print sources (GrammarBook.com quiz, OWL Purdue pages, UNC Writing Center page, and the textbook/Appendix B). Students complete activities and quizzes based on those sources (common confused words quiz; who/which quiz) and are asked to record notes and use the book appendix as a reference. Students practice revising writing (College Essay Editor) using ideas about word choice drawn from the readings.
Lesson 8
Parallelism
Students are directed to read an online explanation (Towson University parallel structure webpage) and information from the course book, so they gather information from both a digital and a print source. Students are instructed to take notes on the "Parallelism" activity page and to use linked exercises and the book examples to complete practice items. The activities require students to extract specific rules and examples from those sources to record and apply to parallelism problems.
Final Project
Wrapping Up
Students are told they may "consult outside sources as needed, but remember to give credit when you quote them" in the Explanatory Guide instructions. Students are directed to use online searches (for example, "Use a search term like 'elementary grammar posters' in an online search engine") and are provided web links to resource lists and online creation tools for slideshows, posters, and presentations. The skills list indicates students will "use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products," implying use of digital sources and linking to other information.
Unit 3: Informational Texts
Lesson 1
What Are Informational Texts?
Students are asked to locate and check features such as a bibliography, index, footnotes/endnotes, and other citation-related elements in the book Outliers, and the answer key notes where bibliography information appears (in the endnotes). The lesson includes a digital source (a linked TED talk) that students watch and discuss, showing one example of using a print and a digital source. The Student Activity Page prompts students to identify rare features and to note elements that are more literary than informational, which requires examining how sources and features are used.
Lesson 5
Harlan, Kentucky
Students are asked to do brief research about who first settled their area using an Internet search (suggested query: "[city] settlers") and to read a footnote that names a book tracing settlement patterns. Students are directed to consult reference materials for vocabulary (a Collins Dictionary link) to find pronunciations and definitions. Students are asked to take notes on their findings and to write/share an informal journal reflection about settlers and local stereotypes.
Lesson 6
The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes
Students are directed to gather and use multiple print and digital sources: they read sections of Outliers (print), a linked blog post ("Ask a Korean"), Gladwell's linked response, and a Hofstede website link. Activities require students to summarize and compare the blog author's criticisms with Gladwell's responses (Activity 4 and Activity 5), and Option 2 asks students to complete a chart noting criticisms, Gladwell's responses, and the effectiveness of those responses. Discussion prompts ask students to judge the blog author's credibility and to draw on evidence from texts and other research to support their analysis.
Lesson 10
Science Writing
Students are directed to read specific pages of an online science booklet and to watch a linked video, giving them at least two digital sources to consult. Students complete an "Investigating Claims in Science Writing" activity that asks them to explain how the author supports claims, identify methods the author uses to explain terms (e.g., highlighting, explanation, example, illustration), and judge audience appropriateness. The skills list and activity require students to "cite specific textual evidence" and to compare the effectiveness of the written explanation versus a video, which asks students to assess usefulness of those sources.
Lesson 11
Technical Writing
Students are instructed to back up the introduction with information from an outside source, to record where they got the information, and to put quoted information in quotation marks. The Guide Checklist requires that the benefit be supported by an outside source that is properly credited and that a "Works Cited" section be included with properly formatted citations. Activity 6 shows a sample MLA "Works Cited" entry and tells students to add a Works Cited and give credit to the source(s) used in the introduction.
Lesson 12
Logical Fallacies
Students are asked to watch four online videos and complete the "Common Fallacies" activity, and they are instructed to "look these two fallacies up online and record their meaning" (hasty generalization and false dilemma). Students are directed to read or print Andrew Jackson's speech via a provided archives.gov link and to highlight or copy portions that show fallacious reasoning. Students also gather examples from a provided "Fallacy Bank" and identify examples that match named fallacies.
Final Project
Argumentative Research Essay
Students are instructed to find at least five high-quality sources and to begin research in library databases (CQ Researcher, ProQuest, SIRS, encyclopedias) and library print resources. The lesson guides students to evaluate online sources by examining author, publisher, purpose, bias, accuracy, relevance, and currency and to track which information came from which source. Students are told to record or copy citation information, use MLA in-text citations after quotations/paraphrases/summaries, and produce a Works Cited page; the rubric requires three or more authoritative sources and addresses plagiarism consequences. The activities include note-taking templates (Present the Evidence) that require recording source quotes/ideas and students reflecting on how those items influence their thinking.
Unit 4: Drama
Lesson 2
How to Read Drama
Students are instructed to read a linked article (Reading Drama PDF) and to use two additional linked sources (a YouTube performance of Trifles and the Project Gutenberg script) as they watch and read the play. Students are asked to answer journal questions and to complete the "Applying Aristotle's Six Elements of Tragedy" activity page using the video and script as evidence. The lesson requires students to pull information from these multiple print and digital sources to analyze the play's plot, character, diction, and other elements.
Lesson 3
Life and Times
Students read multiple print and digital sources including Nemiroff's Introduction (pp. 5-14), the cast and setting pages (pp. 21-22), the text of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and an online biography of Lorraine Hansberry. Students watch a History Channel video about the Civil Rights Act and are asked to take notes and answer questions about the video. Students follow web links to contemporary images of 1940s–1950s Chicago housing to gather contextual information about the play's setting.
Lesson 4
A Raisin in the Sun
Students are directed to consult general and specialized reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to determine word pronunciations and meanings. The vocabulary activity explicitly instructs students to use context and, if unclear, look up definitions in a dictionary. Students are given multiple digital sources (an infographic, two YouTube videos, and five Speech Accent Archive links) to listen to and take notes from, and they are asked to reflect on and discuss information from those sources.
Lesson 5
Act II
Students are asked to listen to provided digital recordings and "choose three additional songs from the links provided" and record each song's title, year, and what it says about the American Dream, which requires gathering information from multiple digital sources. The Parent Plan skills list explicitly tells students to consult general and specialized reference materials (dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, and the vocabulary activity directs students to look up words in a dictionary and revise their definitions. The Reader Response task requires students to use the APE method, directing them to provide evidence and quotations from the text to support their answers, which asks students to integrate sourced material into their responses.
Lesson 8
Shakespeare
Students are instructed to "use your book, the video, and other web resources to create a timeline of Shakespeare's life," which requires gathering information from both print (the Folger edition) and digital (video and web links) sources. The lesson provides specific web links (Folger Shakespeare Library and Shakespeare-online) and a video URL, and students are told to use those resources and others to look up and include specified biographical details. The timeline activity and graphic organizers ask students to locate dates and facts from these multiple sources and place them in chronological order.
Lesson 9
Romeo and Juliet
Students are directed to read Act I of Romeo and Juliet and to use multiple digital resources (a Globe Theatre video, a Globe virtual tour, and an Italian Renaissance article on weddings and dowries) as part of class activities and homework. Students answer guided questions and write journal summaries based on the play and the linked web resources. The lesson explicitly links several authoritative print/digital sources (the play text and curated web links) for students to consult.
Lesson 13
Tragic Hero
Students are directed to use multiple print and digital materials: they read Act V of Romeo and Juliet and excerpts of Ovid's Pyramus and Thisbe (print excerpts) and watch several online videos (TedEd on types of heroes, two YouTube clips on character types, and a recorded Act V production). Students are also instructed to locate and print monologues from a book or online sources and to search for online videos of actors delivering the monologues.
Final Project
Drama
Students are explicitly instructed to cite outside information, including a parenthetical reference in the project and an attached Works Cited page. The lesson repeatedly tells students to "give credit" for images, quotations, and facts, and the project rubric includes a "Sources" category that will be evaluated. The lesson provides multiple web links and resource suggestions (e.g., Google Images, Renaissance clothing sites, podcast tools, website-creation resources) for students to use in their projects.
Semester Exam
Semester Exam
Students are asked to evaluate source credibility in Discussion question B, and the answer guidance lists specific evaluation criteria (domain like .edu/.gov, author qualifications, sponsor/publisher purpose, and bias). Students are asked to distinguish primary and secondary sources in a short-answer question and are given examples of each. The Parent Plan skills also state that students should "draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research," which supports use of sources for research tasks.