Ninth Grade - ELA
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Lord of the Flies
Lesson 2
Life on the Island
The Skills section explicitly requires students to "Use various types of phrases ... and clauses ... to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations," which names domain-specific grammar categories. The clauses lesson defines and models independent and dependent clauses, subordinating and coordinating conjunctions (FANBOYS), comma rules, and gives practice identifying and writing sentences that use those structures. The characterization activities introduce literary vocabulary (direct/indirect characterization, the STEAL acronym) and ask students to record speech, thoughts, actions, effects on others, and looks using page-numbered evidence.
Lesson 3
Paths in the Jungle
Students are given explicit definitions of domain-specific terms in the "Things to Know" section (annotate, thesis, topic sentence, omniscient narrator, first-person narrator). Students are instructed to mark words they don't understand and then look them up, and to re-read replacing unknown words with definitions. Activities require students to annotate an article, identify the author's thesis and supporting points on a graphic organizer, and complete written responses and a character journal entry that could employ literary terms.
Lesson 4
Images from Paradise
Students identify and analyze specific word choices and imagery by filling a Five Senses chart with quotations and explanations, noting whether descriptions create a ‘paradise' or ‘dystopia' tone. The Skills section asks students to determine meanings of words and phrases (including figurative and connotative meanings) and to analyze the cumulative impact of word choice on meaning and tone. In the Types of Clauses activity, students label noun, adjective, and adverb clauses and write three sentences about the book, each using a specific clause type to convey meaning.
Lesson 5
Not Hunting, But Hunted
Students are asked to "use slow motion narrative pacing to recreate an important moment," and the lesson models breaking a moment into discrete actions with a series of precise verbs (e.g., looked, spilt, leapt, laughed). The lesson identifies specific descriptive elements for students to include—mindset, voice inflections, posture, facial expressions, and physical motions—and contrasts a vague Example A with a detailed Example B that shows concrete word choices and sensory detail. The activity and examples direct students to choose language that slows time and conveys tension, demonstrating attention to selecting words that shape reader experience.
Lesson 6
Symbolism, Part 1
The lesson defines key terminology (e.g., "A symbol is…"; "symbolism") in the Getting Started and Things to Know sections, giving students an explicit domain term to use. The Student Activity Page lists domain-relevant interpretations (e.g., civilization, democracy, social order, savagery, fear, ignorance) and directs students to circle an interpretation and "write an explanation supported by the text." The journal and STEAL character activities require students to describe characters, priorities, and effects using written explanations that can incorporate the lesson's vocabulary.
Lesson 7
Bowed and Bowed Again
The lesson explicitly defines dramatic irony and multiple grammatical terms (noun phrase, verb phrase, adjective/adverb phrases, absolute phrases, prepositional phrases) in the "Things to Know" and activities. The Parent Plan skills state students will "use various types of phrases ... and clauses ... to convey specific meanings and add variety and interest to writing or presentations." Activities require students to write journal sentences containing noun/verb/adjective/adverb/absolute phrases and to identify and analyze prepositional phrases in context. Activity 1 asks students to apply reader knowledge vs. characters' knowledge (dramatic irony) to predict and compare character responses.
Lesson 8
Defects of Human Nature
Students practice academic and domain-related vocabulary through two vocabulary options that require matching words to definitions and filling blanks from a word bank (incredulity, guano, oblong, propitiatingly, ululation, etc.). Students also write brief explanatory responses (3–4 sentences) about how chosen minor themes support Golding's major theme and are asked to support choices with details from the novel.
Lesson 9
Symbolism, Part 2
The lesson defines archetype and allegory and provides domain-specific terms (e.g., hero, villain, mentor, innocent, archetype, allegory, symbolism). Students complete the "Recognizing Archetypes" page by naming examples and labeling Lord of the Flies characters (e.g., Piggy = Mentor, Ralph = Hero) and complete the "Allegory Analysis" page by describing what characters and settings might represent in society. The lesson also models vocabulary with examples (Wonder Woman, Gandalf, Piggy's glasses as a concrete symbol) that students can reference when answering prompts.
Lesson 10
Which Is Better?
The lesson defines and uses domain-specific terms such as "civilizations," "savagery," "infrastructure," "social structure," and "aqueducts" in the "Things to Know" and Activity 1 text, providing students with explicit vocabulary and definitions. Students are instructed to complete a "Developing Civilization" chart comparing "Similar to Early Peoples" and "Different from Early Peoples," which asks them to analyze features like shelters, water systems, and laws. The journal-entry task asks students to analyze and contrast Jack's and Ralph's leadership and relate those contrasts to "civilized aspects" of the boys' prior lives, prompting application of concepts introduced earlier.
Lesson 11
The Film
The lesson provides explicit definitions of key terms such as adaptation and subtext and asks students to recall the omniscient narrator concept, giving students domain-specific vocabulary to recognize. Students are asked to complete a "Movie vs. Book" chart and to write journal answers and a final essay comparing the novel and film, which requires using literary terms and concepts. The Parent Plan repeatedly tells students to review "terms (words in bold) and vocabulary from the book" in preparation for the unit test, signaling attention to specialized vocabulary.
Final Project
Now You Have the Conch
Students engage with vocabulary practice on the Unit Test that asks them to match words such as furtive, susurration, discursive, and errant with precise definitions. Students are prompted to use specific examples and quotes from the text in their outlines and body paragraphs, which requires selecting language tied to the source material. The Parent Plan lists a skill about using various types of phrases and clauses to convey specific meanings and add variety to writing.
Unit 2: Short Stories
Lesson 1
The Gift of the Magi
The lesson defines and uses domain-specific literary vocabulary such as setting, conflict, theme, character, plot, allusion, situational irony, and dramatic irony. Students are asked to record short story elements, identify and record instances of situational and dramatic irony, and research and write journal entries explaining the historical significance of the Magi, King Solomon, and the Queen of Sheba and how those allusions contribute to meaning. Students also write a descriptive paragraph for homework and use annotation practices that call attention to descriptive language and thematic opposites.
Lesson 2
The Necklace
The lesson defines and repeatedly uses domain-specific terms such as theme, textual evidence, objective summary, narrative present, imagery, and symbolism. Students are asked to analyze how literary elements (e.g., imagery, symbolism) develop theme, complete a theme web using annotations, and write a one-paragraph objective summary that must include the title, author, setting, plot, and main idea while using the narrative present. The homework and APE guidance require students to provide quotations, paraphrase, and summarize text-based evidence when responding to literary questions.
Lesson 3
Literary Response
Students are prompted to identify and discuss literary elements using domain-specific terms in Activity 1 (for example, the brainstorming list names hyperbole, third-person omniscient narrator, irony, theme, pride, love, and sacrifice). The APE/Details and Support pages require students to provide quotations and explain how evidence supports their claims, encouraging precise connection between evidence and analysis. The lesson supplies a list of transitional words and phrases and guidance on structuring thesis and topic sentences, which guides students in organizing language to clarify relationships between ideas.
Lesson 4
Characterization
The lesson introduces and defines the domain-specific terms "direct characterization" and "indirect characterization" in the "Things to Know" and activity explanations. The Student Activity Page requires students to label examples as direct or indirect and to highlight those examples, making students use and apply the vocabulary. The Parent Plan Skills list explicitly includes "Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture," and the homework asks students to plan a character using the "Character Portrait" page, which prompts specific descriptive categories (appearance, actions, thoughts, quotes, how others respond).
Lesson 5
Edgar Allan Poe
The Parent Plan lists the skill "Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of a topic." The "Things to Know" section defines domain terms (Romanticism, Gothic fiction, foreshadowing, unreliable narrators), and students are asked to identify and record specific examples of those features in activities (Characteristics of Gothic Fiction, Foreshadowing). Homework and activity prompts require students to cite text evidence and explain whether the narrator is reliable, and storyboard tasks require quoting corresponding sections of the story.
Lesson 6
The Lottery
The lesson defines key domain vocabulary (e.g., "symbol" and "literary device") in the "Things to Know" section and repeatedly uses terms like symbol, theme, setting, and dystopian throughout activities. Students are asked to analyze and record textual elements (physical description, reactions, historical connections) on the Black Box worksheet and to compare themes and controversies on the Controversy page, which requires use of literary concepts in responses. The Parent Plan Skills also list "Apply knowledge of language" and instruct students to cite textual evidence to support interpretations.
Lesson 7
Everyday Use
The lesson defines and reviews domain-specific terms (first-person, second-person, third-person, omniscient, limited, narrator, symbolism) and asks students to identify the narrator's point of view in questions. Students are asked to rewrite a scene from another character's point of view and to write a reflective paragraph on how the change alters meaning, which requires applying narrative vocabulary. The Symbolism activity page prompts students to describe physical attributes and actions as symbols, guiding use of literary terminology in analysis.
Lesson 8
Harrison Bergeron
Students encounter and are asked to analyze domain-specific film and literary terms: the lesson defines 'film adaptation,' 'medium,' and 'voice-over' in the Things to Know section and asks students to review these terms. Students complete a comparison activity and journal prompts that require them to identify and explain changes made in the film (e.g., added/altered/deleted scenes, character changes, film techniques like voice-over and lighting). The Day 2 activities ask students to discuss how film techniques affect emphasis and meaning, prompting use of media-related vocabulary when explaining differences.
Final Project
Writing a Short Story
The Parent Plan lists "Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters," and the "Show, Don't Tell" section instructs students to use sensory details, concrete words, and poetic language rather than vague statements. The rubric and revision guidance emphasize descriptive language, asking students to add descriptive language during revision and to aim for "excellent use of descriptive language and literary devices." The lesson also cautions that "every sentence, every word needs to count," encouraging careful word choice during drafting and editing.
Unit 3: Grammar, Part I
Lesson 1
Parts of Speech
Students are taught and defined a broad set of domain-specific grammar terms (noun, pronoun types, verb types, preposition, conjunction, adjective, adverb, interjection, comparative/superlative forms) in the 'Things to Know' and activity descriptions. Students practice identifying and labeling those terms in multiple activities (matching pronoun types, circling/identifying pronouns in sentences, underlining adjectives/adverbs, completing comparisons, and labeling every word in passages or a stanza of 'Jabberwocky'). Students are encouraged to make flashcards and routinely review terminology to reinforce precise definitions and usage.
Lesson 2
Subject-Verb Agreement
Students read and record notes on many commonly confused word pairs (e.g., affect/effect, advice/advise, a/an) and complete exercises that require them to choose the precise word in context. Students are introduced to and use domain-specific grammatical terms (prepositional phrase, indefinite pronoun, compound subject) when isolating subjects and matching verbs, and they are asked to write rules in their journals. Option 2 asks students to create a quiz and explain why particular verb choices are correct, requiring them to use grammatical vocabulary in explanations.
Lesson 3
Pronoun Problems
The lesson explicitly teaches domain-specific terms (antecedent, pronoun reference, possessive adjectives, subject/object case, point of view) in the "Things to Know" and explanatory sections. Students complete practice exercises correcting pronoun agreement, case, and indefinite-pronoun usage, and they must create a poster or 4-slide presentation that explains either vague pronoun references or shifts in point of view, includes two example sentences with errors, and shows strategies for fixing them. The activities require students to explain topics in their own words and to show corrected versions of sentences, which asks students to produce an informative/explanatory artifact using grammatical concepts.
Lesson 4
Commas
Students are asked to name rules, write short descriptions, and provide explanations and examples when they create a comma guide, which requires using terms like "Items in a Series," "Between Coordinate Adjectives," and "Separating a Compound Sentence." Activities require students to identify and label independent and dependent clauses, participial phrases, appositives, nonessential elements, and the FANBOYS conjunctions. Students must explain punctuation choices on the "Commas, Parentheses, and Dashes" page and justify why they chose commas, dashes, or parentheses for specific interrupters. Journal and homework tasks (e.g., explaining the Oxford comma) ask students to describe punctuation concepts using precise terminology.
Lesson 6
Colons and Semicolons
Students are taught and asked to use terms such as "independent clause," "conjunctive adverb," "complex lists," and the semicolon/colon formulas (e.g., independent clause + semicolon + conjunctive adverb + comma + independent clause). Students must write two formal opening statements (one for the semicolon and one for the colon) that "utilize the listed claims" and include specific examples demonstrating technical uses. During the courtroom activity students must answer focused questions (e.g., "What is a conjunctive adverb?" and "Why must a colon follow a complete sentence?") and explain rules using examples.
Lesson 7
Spelling
Students practice selecting the correct words from commonly confused sets (e.g., carat/karat/caret/carrot; cite/sight/site; compliment/complement; council/counsel) by circling the correct choice on multiple activity pages. Students read short definitions and tips that distinguish meanings (for example, "cite" as the verb related to citation and "site" as in website) and record notes and examples in their activity pages. Students create detective cards, spell words aloud, write them, and use them in sentences, and they keep a spelling journal and use mnemonics to remember precise spellings and meanings.
Final Project
Wrapping Up
Students create a mini-project (Option 1) that requires them to explain grammar rules such as subject-verb agreement, indefinite pronouns (singular/plural), pronoun case, and who vs. whom, which requires use of grammatical terms. Students create a quiz (Option 2) using commonly confused words and must make an answer key and explain missed words to another person, practicing precise word distinctions. The unit test includes short-answer items asking students to describe when to use a semicolon and when to put a comma between adjectives, prompting students to use domain-specific punctuation and grammar vocabulary in their responses.
Unit 4: Poetry
Lesson 1
Introduction to Poetry
Students explicitly identify and record denotation and connotation on the Denotation and Connotation activity page, writing the dictionary meaning and associated feelings for chosen words. Students choose similar words and explain why the original word is more or less effective, which requires analysis of precise word choice. In Activity 1 and the homework Poem Response, students write and revise their own definition of poetry and answer questions that ask them to explain why particular words with strong connotations are effective.
Lesson 2
Sound and Rhythm
The lesson explicitly teaches and defines domain-specific vocabulary (alliteration, consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, rhyme types, meter, foot, scansion) in the "Things to Know" and Parent Plan sections. Students are asked to identify and label examples of these terms in poems (e.g., mark alliteration, assonance, consonance in "Nothing Gold Can Stay," identify rhyme scheme in "Counting-Out Rhyme," mark devices in "The Tyger"). Students write short responses and journal reflections explaining why a repetition or rhyme is effective and describing the poem's rhythm and meter.
Lesson 3
Figurative Language
Students are asked to identify and explain examples of figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, symbolism, imagery, irony, paradox, understatement, overstatement) in poems and to record stanza/line numbers and explanations on activity pages and in journals. The Parent Plan lists language skills students will practice, including applying knowledge of language, demonstrating understanding of figurative language and nuances, and analyzing the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone. Option 2 asks students to write a poem that includes imagery and at least two other figurative devices, which requires selecting descriptive words and naming devices in their responses.
Lesson 4
Voice and Tone
Students are asked to identify and record words or phrases that convey tone for multiple poems and to use a provided Tone List to find appropriate vocabulary. Activities require students to analyze specific word choices (for example, considering the phrase "sexual seeds" and its denotation/alliteration) and to explain how those choices create tone. In creative tasks, students must write letters or new stanzas in the voice of a poem's speaker and refer to parts of the poem to justify their language choices.
Lesson 5
What Does It Mean?
The lesson defines relevant domain terms (symbolism, allusion, extended metaphor) in the "Things to Know" section and provides examples (e.g., Whitman poem symbolism, Sandburg's "Grass"). Student activities ask learners to look up unfamiliar words, identify the speaker, symbols, allusions, and themes, and to write brief summaries or journal responses using those analyses. The parent-plan skills include demonstrating understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
Lesson 6
Fooling with Words
Students are prompted to listen for metaphors, allusions, and literal versus figurative language as they watch the poets, and the Skills section explicitly states students will "demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings." The Student Activity (Poet Profile) asks students to research a poet, list additional poems, and write a personal reflection explaining why they chose that poet. The wrap-up and discussion questions ask students to articulate preferences and connections between music and poetry, encouraging descriptive responses about language and craft.
Lesson 7
Analyzing Poetry
Students are asked to analyze and mark word choice, denotation and connotation, sound and rhythm, figurative language, tone, imagery, symbolism, and literary devices (Activities and Poetry Map sections). The student activity pages and sample annotations show students labeling features such as rhyme scheme, alliteration, attitude of the statue, theme, and commenting on vocabulary and structure. The lesson directs students to look up references (e.g., Bluebeard) and to identify specific sensory language and precise words in poems (Poetry Map hints and Parent Plan examples).
Lesson 8
Types of Poems
Students are given a Skills objective that tells them to "Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture." The lesson defines and uses domain-specific terms (stanzaic, continuous form, fixed form, sonnet, iambic pentameter, Petrarchan, Shakespearean, apostrophe, ekphrasis, ballad, epic, dialect) in the "Things to Know" and activities. In writing tasks, students are prompted to mark rhyme schemes, follow iambic pentameter, include specific literary devices (simile/metaphor, personification, apostrophe), and to choose strong, vivid verbs and sensory details when composing poems.
Lesson 9
The Crossover
Students are asked to complete a vocabulary activity that lists specific words (e.g., "cross-o-ver," "calamity," "pul-chri-tu-di-nous," "hy-per-ten-sion") and to compare the book's definitions with dictionary definitions. Students are guided to analyze how the author breaks words into syllables, gives pronunciation/part of speech, and uses three contextual "As in:" sentences to illustrate meaning. Option 2 requires students to write their own vocabulary poem modeled on the author's method, using people and events from their own lives in three example sentences. The homework/reflective task asks students to track how the domain-specific term "crossover" shifts in meaning across poems, connecting a basketball term to larger thematic meanings.
Lesson 10
Poems and Poets
Students complete a Poetry Map that asks them to analyze and label word choice, imagery, symbols or allusions, tone, sound devices, and other figurative language. The lesson's guided questions require students to identify meter (iambic tetrameter) and name devices such as simile and alliteration. The Parent Plan skills instruct students to determine meanings of words and phrases, including figurative and connotative meanings, and to analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.
Lesson 11
Reciting Poetry
Students are instructed to mark unfamiliar words and look up their meanings and pronunciations, and to determine the meaning of words and phrases including figurative and connotative meanings. The lesson defines and uses domain-specific terms such as enjambment and imaginative focus and gives examples (e.g., marking pauses with / and //). Students analyze why a poet chose particular words (the Housman "chaired" example) and are asked to consider how word choice creates images and tone. Students are asked to note in a journal what makes recitations effective, which can include analysis of language choices.
Final Project
Poetry
Students study and review a defined list of poetry terms (review sheet link) and take a unit test that asks for definitions of denotation/connotation, meter, onomatopoeia, and voice. The Poetry Explication choice asks students to create an explanatory presentation that must address rhyme scheme, meter, sound devices, speaker, tone, imagery, notable word choice, figurative language, symbols/allusions, literal meaning, and theme, and to highlight and demonstrate those features on slides. The skills section explicitly lists 'Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language' and 'Determine the meaning of words and phrases...; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone.'
Unit 5: Nonfiction
Lesson 1
Types of Nonfiction
Students are asked to study and define domain-related terms (biography, autobiography, memoir) on the Student Activity Page and to write definitions in their own words. The lesson directs students to consult a glossary (p. 213) for unfamiliar terms and to read an interview to consider authorial roles, which requires attention to specific vocabulary about genres. The Parent Plan skills also state that students will interpret words and phrases, including technical meanings, and analyze how word choices shape meaning or tone.
Lesson 3
The Taliban
The lesson presents and defines domain-specific terms (e.g., talib/taliban, Pashto, madrassas, Sharia law) in the "Things to Know" section and in the reading prompts. Students are asked to write an informational paragraph or create slides that explicitly answer questions about where Taliban members are located, who composes the group, and what they believe/goals are, requiring use of those topic-specific facts. The lesson instructs students to paraphrase information in their own words and suggests using transitional words and phrases (with a reference to a grammar book), and asks students to practice paraphrasing in the wrapping-up section.
Lesson 4
Dear Diary
Students receive explicit guidance on word choice for paraphrasing (e.g., "use different terms," consult a thesaurus but ensure replacements retain meaning) and tips to change sentence order and re-read context to ensure accuracy. The Student Activity Page has students analyze paraphrases for accuracy and copied wording and requires them to produce paraphrases of complex sentences (for example, paraphrasing a sentence about the Taliban's ideological aims). The Parent Plan lists a related skill: interpreting words and phrases, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings and analyzing how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.
Lesson 5
Displacement
The lesson explicitly asks students to define IDP in Question #1, requiring them to state that it stands for "internally displaced persons" and explain the meaning. In Option 1 students are asked to research school conditions and "record information about challenges... and any notable statistics they find," which could require use of domain-specific terms. Activities ask students to write assumptions and short first-person statements about schools, prompting descriptive word choice tied to educational contexts.
Lesson 10
Learning from the Past
Students are given a targeted vocabulary list (Balfour Declaration, xenophobia, Auschwitz, Gestapo, Hebrew, ghetto, nationalism) and instructed to look up terms, write who/what they relate to, and define each in complete sentences. Students annotate Wiesel's speech, circle key terms, and consult provided answer keys that define domain-specific terms (e.g., xenophobia, abstraction, nationalism). Students are also asked to write formal museum-wall descriptions and compare quotations in written paragraphs, which require use of precise language and references to specific historical/legal concepts such as "war crimes" and "oration."
Lesson 11
A Boy's Story
Students complete a Vocabulary activity in which they look up words, record definitions in their own words, and use the words to fill blanks in sentences taken from the book (directions A–D). Students are directed to keep a list of foreign terms, initialisms, and acronyms from the text (examples given: RPG, UNAMSIL, imam, lorry). The Parent Plan explicitly models correct definitions and shows students using the vocabulary in context sentences from the memoir.
Lesson 13
Child Soldier
Students are asked to identify the white tablets and the teacher text notes they are probably a stimulant and possibly methamphetamine, introducing a precise, domain-specific term. The homework and introductory notes refer to the International Criminal Court and that enlisting youth under 15 is a war crime, providing legal vocabulary (war crime, enlist). In the Different Accounts and Child Soldiers activities, students must compare book and video accounts and list advantages/disadvantages from a commander's point of view, tasks that invite use of specific terms (e.g., recruit, commander, stimulant, trauma).
Lesson 14
Rehabilitation
Students are introduced to domain-specific terms such as "Geneva Conventions," "non-combatants," "prisoners of war," and a listed set of war crimes (torture, forced recruitment, use of child soldiers, destruction of property). Students complete a comparative activity page titled "RUF vs. Government Soldiers" that lists infractions (e.g., "Recruiting children under 15," "Torturing, causing infliction, or deliberately killing a prisoner of war") and asks them to mark and support whether each side committed those actions. Students are asked in Option 2 to write a journal response stating a conclusion about war crimes and to provide examples or quotations from the text to support that conclusion, which requires use of the book's terminology.
Lesson 15
A New Life
Students are asked to analyze authors' use of rhetoric and writing style and are given vocabulary for those concepts (rhetoric, writing style) and adjectives to describe style (e.g., conversational, literary, descriptive). The summarizing activity gives students steps for producing concise, coherent summaries and points them to transitional words. The nonprofit marketing activity requires students to write a flyer or webpage using information from organization websites, which asks them to include background, how the organization helps, and accomplishments in their own words.
Final Project
Expository Essay
The Parent Plan lists as a skill: "Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to manage the complexity of the topic." Student-facing materials include a "Learned Terms" column in the K-W-S graphic organizer and a Style rubric that assesses "word choice" and "sentence variety." The lesson also instructs students to avoid vague qualitative adjectives and the word "should," and to read aloud to spot awkward wording and improve clarity.
Semester Exam
Semester Exam
Students are asked to review and know definitions of domain-specific literary and grammar terms (e.g., characterization, symbolism, allusion, irony, parts of speech, punctuation, commonly confused words). Multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, short-answer, and poem-analysis items require students to identify and label literary devices, rhyme scheme, narrative point of view, and grammatical concepts. Part V asks students to introduce and correctly quote a passage and to paraphrase selected sections, requiring attention to precise wording and accurate restatement.
2: Semester 2
Unit 1: Ender's Game
Lesson 2
We're People, Not Thirds
Students complete a focused vocabulary activity matching nine words (e.g., conscript, albedo, dirigible) to definitions, and the parent plan skill explicitly targets determining word meanings and analyzing the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone. The lesson introduces the domain-specific term "eugenics" and gives an option (Planned Procreation) where students research historical reasons for limiting children and record facts, which could require encountering and noting domain-specific vocabulary.
Lesson 3
Science Fiction
Students are prompted to define and paraphrase the genre of science fiction in a written response and to complete a fill-in-the-blank definition that uses genre vocabulary. Students match examples to terms such as romanticization and anachronism and decide whether scenarios represent hard or soft science fiction, applying domain-specific labels. The answer key and activity pages provide explicit definitions of terms (e.g., romanticization, anachronism, hard/soft science fiction) that students are expected to use in their responses.
Lesson 4
Divergence
Students are asked to write a definition of science fiction and to label examples as science fiction or fantasy, which requires choosing precise language to distinguish genres. The matching exercise asks students to connect terms (soft science fiction, hard science fiction, anachronism, romanticization) to example sentences, so students must recognize and apply domain-specific vocabulary. The Things to Know section defines convergent and divergent thinking and introduces the term polyglot, giving explicit vocabulary for students to learn and use.
Lesson 5
Movement and Time
Students are asked to define the literary term "flashback" and to name its functions on the Student Activity Page, providing direct use of domain-specific vocabulary. Activity 1 asks students to narrate motions using "strong descriptive phrases" and lists action verbs (e.g., sliding, melting, growing, shrinking) that model precise verb choice. The Answer Key and discussion prompts require students to explain how flashbacks slow pacing, provide background, and create suspense, which uses and reinforces domain-specific concepts.
Lesson 6
Performance Is Personal
The lesson provides explicit vocabulary for students to review (puerile, invective) and presents a "Text Structure" activity that asks students to identify foreshadowing, explain how conversations create tension, and discuss the job roles of authority figures—tasks that invite use of literary/domain-specific terms. The "Competing Commanders" activity asks students to determine and write three criteria (e.g., battle strategies, attitude toward Ender, willingness to learn) and to organize and justify scores, which requires choosing precise evaluative categories and language. Several prompts require students to provide examples and explanations from the text, implying use of discipline-specific terms in responses.
Lesson 7
Leaders Motivate
The lesson explicitly defines domain-specific terms: students are presented with definitions of authority, power, leadership, and institutions and are asked to review the differences among them. Students are asked to write a journal entry relating John Locke and Demosthenes to characters and to explain links between personalities, which requires them to apply those political/leadership terms. Students complete activities that match leadership quotes to characters and fill a chart explaining why a quote fits a character, prompting use of vocabulary about leadership and authority.
Lesson 9
Conflict Within and Without
The lesson explicitly defines and labels domain-specific vocabulary such as internal conflict, external conflict, character vs. self, character vs. character, character vs. society, and character vs. nature. Students complete a chart that requires them to identify and sort textual examples into those conflict categories and to write a paragraph considering how the conflict affects relationships, plot development, and character change. Activity 2 asks students to analyze the historic allusion "Veni, vidi, vici" and to explain how the allusion foreshadows plot developments, using literary terms (e.g., allusion, foreshadow).
Lesson 10
View from Valentine
Students are given explicit definitions of domain-specific and precise vocabulary (dirigible, albedo, ascetic, impassively, feint) in the "Things to Know" and vocabulary review sections. Students are taught the literary term "third person omniscient" with a definition that distinguishes it from other points of view. Students are asked to produce word-based products (acrostics, including an option to form sentences related to the novel's plot or themes) that require selecting words deliberately to convey meaning.
Lesson 11
Thud, Whump, Huut
The lesson defines the domain term onomatopoeia and gives examples (buzz, thump, swoosh), which introduces at least one piece of domain-specific vocabulary. Students are directed to compare the novel and its adaptations, take notes on differences, and identify what narration or dialogue was omitted or changed on the Comic Adaptation activity page. The activity asks students to judge whether Marvel communicated omitted words through pictures and whether omissions compromised the original, prompting analytical use of terms like 'narration,' 'dialogue,' and 'omission.'
Lesson 12
Campbell's Comparisons
Students are asked to record the 12 steps of Campbell's "hero's journey" in their journals and to choose six steps to describe parallels to Ender's Game. The lesson explicitly names domain-specific stages (e.g., Ordinary World, Call to Adventure, Crossing the Threshold, Tests, Allies, and Enemies, Reward, Return, Resurrection/New Life). Students complete a graphic organizer where each box is labeled "STEP" and they must provide examples from the novel that fit each stage.
Lesson 13
The Enemy's Gate Is Down
Students are asked to identify and explain the subplot concept (Things to Know defines subplot and the lesson repeatedly uses terms like subplot, main plot, and text structure). Students complete the "Discovering Subplots" activity page, comparing Graff, Ender, and Peter/Valentine and listing unanswered questions and mysteries, which requires using narrative-structure vocabulary. The lesson's skills and review lists name domain terms (parallel plots, pacing, flashbacks, conflicts, science fiction) and the Leadership Lessons activity asks students to label and write one- to two-sentence summaries of specific leadership lessons.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students complete an explicit vocabulary section (Part I) asking them to use the word "invective" in a sentence, fill in definitions (polyglot), and choose correct domain words (puerile, ascetic, dirigible). The acrostic puzzle and answer key require students to identify and supply domain-specific terms (e.g., convergent, divergent, anachronism, onomatopoeia, leadership, Asimov). Parent Plan skill statements require students to determine meanings of words and analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone. Several extended writing tasks (Box 5 compare/contrast of military vs. civilian leadership; Box 8 historical comparisons; Box 3 rewriting narrative perspective) ask students to produce multi-paragraph explanatory responses.
Unit 2: Grammar, Part II
Lesson 1
Review of Grammar, Part I
Students identify and match domain-specific grammar terms (e.g., coordinating/subordinating conjunctions, transitive/intransitive verbs, conjunctive adverbs, appositives, indefinite pronouns) in the Grammar Matching activity. In the Mad-Libs-style "Parts of Speech Zombie Apocalypse," students must select words by named parts of speech and insert them appropriately. In Homework Option 2, students create paragraphs containing grammar errors and write an answer key that names the applicable rules, explicitly using grammatical terminology.
Lesson 2
Capitalization and Numbers
Students practice precise word choice in Activity 1 by selecting correct words from a word bank (envelop/envelope, every day/everyday, fewer/less, etc.) and recording notes and examples on the "Commonly Confused Words" pages. Students record rules and examples on the "Writing Numbers" page, learn number-related terminology (numeral, fractions, mixed fractions, hyphenate, commas with large numbers), and choose a consistent style for numeric usage. In the Capitalization activity students identify correctly capitalized sentences and write the rule that explains each pair, reinforcing terminology for titles, proper nouns, seasons, and compass points.
Lesson 3
Sentence Fragments and Run-on Sentences
Students learn and use grammatical terms (sentence fragment, run-on, gerund, participle, infinitive, participial/gerund/infinitive phrases, fused sentence, comma splice) and practice identifying them: they underline participles/gerund/infinitive phrases, draw arrows to the nouns they modify, and classify infinitive phrase functions. Students complete exercises that require correcting fragments and run-ons and take quizzes that give feedback. Students also complete a Creative Writing Challenge that requires them to use a set of commonly confused target words correctly and naturally in a 1–2 page narrative.
Lesson 4
Modifier Errors
Students read explicit definitions and examples of modifiers, participial phrases, misplaced/dangling/squinting modifiers, and limiting modifiers, and are shown how participial phrases must sit next to the noun they modify. Students practice selecting precise words in Activity 1 by choosing among commonly confused words (peak/peek/pique, past/passed, pear/pare) and record notes and examples to reinforce correct usage. Students rewrite sentences in Activity 2 to fix misplaced and dangling modifiers and either create a modifier quiz or produce corrected versus original sentences in drawings, applying grammatical vocabulary while correcting ambiguity.
Lesson 5
Hyphens and Apostrophes
Students read explicit definitions and explanations of domain-specific terms (hyphen, en dash, em dash, compound adjective, suspended hyphen, apostrophe, contraction, possession) in the Things to Know and Hyphens/Apostrophes sections. Students complete activities that require applying those terms: explaining how hyphenation changes meaning and rewriting sentences with correct hyphenation, marking up apostrophe errors, and answering discussion prompts such as "What is an en dash and when is it used?" and providing sentences that use a suspended hyphen. The lesson also asks students to record notes and examples and to explain differences (e.g., in the Hyphen or No Hyphen? activity), which prompts use of precise terminology when justifying revisions.
Lesson 6
Word Choice
Students practice precision through multiple revision activities that ask them to eliminate wordiness, redundant phrases, and clichés (Activities 3 and 4, Word Choice worksheet). The College Essay Editor activity has students identify vague language, replace weak verbs with vivid ones, and rewrite a paragraph using clearer, more specific wording. The Skills and Parent Plan statements explicitly tell students to "choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely" and to "choose strong verbs" and "use specific words instead of generic ones."
Lesson 7
Verb Voice and Mood
The lesson explicitly defines domain-specific terms such as active voice, passive voice, past participle, and the moods (indicative, imperative, subjunctive, interrogative, conditional) and provides a subjunctive verb-forms chart. Students practice identifying and revising passive constructions in Activity 1 and are directed to use definitions and examples when creating a subjunctive-mood explanation project in Activity 2. The project rubric requires that the project "clearly shows what the subjunctive mood is using definitions, examples, and/or context," which asks students to use grammatical terminology to explain the topic.
Lesson 8
Parallelism
Students identify and correct grammatical forms (e.g., recognizing gerunds vs. infinitives) and rewrite sentences to fix faulty parallelism (Activity 2 example). Students list and describe grammatical categories on the Parallelism activity page (coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions, linking verbs, comparisons) and take notes using domain-specific terms. Students practice precise word choice by completing the Commonly Confused Words activities (there/their/they're, to/too/two, your/you're) and using answer keys to check usages.
Final Project
Wrapping Up
Students are directed to review the unit's "concepts and definitions" and the "Things to Know" sections, which require engagement with grammatical terms. The unit test asks students to identify and use grammatical labels (e.g., gerund, participial phrase, imperative mood) and to rewrite sentences (passive to active), requiring use of domain-specific vocabulary. Several mini-project options (slideshow, explanatory guide) explicitly require students to "clearly define any terms and provide examples," and the rubric asks that each mini-project "clearly explains the topic" and "demonstrates that the student understands the topic."
Unit 3: Informational Texts
Lesson 1
What Are Informational Texts?
Students are asked to identify and locate glossary entries, bold or italicized vocabulary words, and other informational text features (Activity 1 and the Student Activity Page checklist). Students are prompted to infer the meaning of the phrase "egalitarian ethos" from context and then look up the component words in a dictionary (Homework Question #5). The Things to Know and Parent Plan sections define text features (e.g., sidebars, footnotes) and note that students should determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text.
Lesson 2
Outliers
Students are asked to determine and explain the meaning of the term "outlier" using dictionary definitions and analogies (Activity 1) and to identify outliers in number-line and real-world scenarios on the student activity page. Students complete a multi-part vocabulary activity (Activity 2) in which they look up words (e.g., arbitrary, profoundly, patronage, beneficiary, persist) in a thesaurus and dictionary, choose synonyms, and test whether the synonym fits the sentence contextually. The Parent Plan explicitly includes the skill of determining the meaning of words and phrases as used in a text, including technical meanings, which students practice through the vocabulary and definition tasks.
Lesson 5
Harlan, Kentucky
Students are instructed to underline unfamiliar words in the Chapter 6 reading and to complete a "Chapter 6 Vocabulary" activity in which they guess meanings from context, then look up and record definitions (Section 1 and Section 2). The materials provide a link to Collins Dictionary for pronunciations and explicitly tell students to consult a dictionary and record pronunciations. The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes "Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases" and "Consult general and specialized reference materials...to determine or clarify [a word's] precise meaning."
Lesson 6
The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes
Students complete a Chapter 7 Vocabulary activity that directs them to use a dictionary, write synonyms/antonyms, and use words in context (e.g., obscure, speculation, mitigate, deferential). The lesson explicitly teaches and has students discuss domain-specific terms such as mitigated speech, euphemisms, Power Distance Index (PDI), and uncertainty avoidance in reading questions and activities. Students are asked to write journal responses, prepare oral explanations, and complete analysis charts that require them to explain Gladwell's claims and the blog author's objections using those terms.
Lesson 7
Rice Paddies and Math Tests
Students are provided an explicit vocabulary preview (autonomous, efficacy, recompense, disparagement) to encounter and learn before reading. The Parent Plan skills ask students to consult general and specialized reference materials to determine precise meanings and pronunciations, and to identify patterns of word changes (e.g., analyze → analysis). Activities ask students to explain the Chinese counting system, practice accurate pronunciation and tones, and create an infographic that communicates complex concepts from the chapter.
Lesson 8
With Malice Toward None
Students are asked to "analyze Lincoln's rhetorical strategies including the choices he made regarding tone, organization of ideas, and word choice," which directs attention to precise language. The "Things to Know" section defines domain-specific terms (rhetoric, parallelism, antithesis) and the activity requires students to identify quotes, label the literary device (parallelism, antithesis, allusion), and explain the intended effect. The parent plan notes that "students learn about parallelism and antithesis and reviewed the meaning of allusion," indicating explicit teaching of domain-specific vocabulary.
Lesson 9
Writing about History
Students are given explicit definitions of primary and secondary sources in the "Things to Know" section and the term "squaw" is discussed as antiquated language, providing domain-specific vocabulary. Students complete a graphic organizer titled "Secondary Source Claim / Supporting Primary Source," requiring them to identify and match claims with primary-source evidence and to cite textual testimony. Activities ask students to read and analyze testimonies, identify bias and motives, and answer questions that require use of terms such as "testimony," "primary source," "secondary source," "oral histories," and "artefacts."
Lesson 10
Science Writing
Students read specific pages on forces and circular motion and answer direct questions defining equilibrium, centrifugal force, and centripetal force. The Investigating Claims activity asks students to explain how the author supports claims (e.g., about noncontact forces and fictitious forces) and to identify methods the author uses to explain the term "centripetal force" (highlighting, explanation, example, illustration). The Parent Plan skills explicitly require students to determine meanings of key terms and domain-specific words and to analyze relationships among scientific concepts.
Lesson 11
Technical Writing
Students are taught to identify jargon and specialized vocabulary and to decide which terms need definition for a general audience (Activity 4: Glossary). They are instructed to create a glossary with definitions, add glossary entries to their guide, and highlight the first use of those terms in the text (Activity 6 and Guide Checklist). The Guide Checklist and parent notes require a glossary and instruct students to assume readers have little or no knowledge, prompting students to explain or avoid jargon and to revise wording to ensure clarity.
Lesson 12
Logical Fallacies
Students complete fill-in-the-blank and matching activities that require use of domain-specific terms such as premise, non-sequitur, straw man, ad hominem, slippery slope, bandwagon, hasty generalization, and false dilemma. Students are asked to look up and record definitions for hasty generalization and false dilemma and to label examples from a Fallacy Bank with the correct fallacy names. Students identify ethos, pathos, and logos in sample speeches and are asked to note where those appeals occur in a speech they write or analyze.
Final Project
Argumentative Research Essay
The Essay Rubric assesses Style by noting that "Word choice specialized vocabulary used accurately," and the Thesis criterion requires "clear and specific language," which asks students to use precise wording. The Parent Plan Skills list includes "Introduce precise claim(s)" and "Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone," which frame student expectations for precise language. The oral-presentation guidance asks students to shorten long sentences and adapt complex ideas for listeners, indicating students practice adjusting language for different audiences.
Unit 4: Drama
Lesson 1
What Is Drama?
Students are taught a focused list of drama terms and definitions (e.g., tragedy, comedy, melodrama, script, stage directions, blocking, proscenium, thrust, theater-in-the-round) in the "Things to Know" and Activity 2 sections. Students practice applying that vocabulary by watching video clips and recording genre guesses in their journals (Activity 1) and by identifying types of stages used in clips. Students are asked to write a paragraph about a play using guided questions that prompt mention of the play type, setting, and differences between live and filmed productions (Homework).
Lesson 2
How to Read Drama
The lesson includes a dedicated Diction/Language activity page that asks students to identify figurative language, dialect, and how language evokes feeling, prompting analysis of language choices. The lesson explicitly presents Aristotle's domain-specific terms (Plot, Character, Diction, Thought, Melody, Spectacle, unity, tragic hero, catharsis) and directs students to apply those elements on the Applying Aristotle's Six Elements of Tragedy activity page. The answer key models use of technical vocabulary (e.g., simile, symbolism, dialect, chorus, spectacle) and provides example explanations that use those terms.
Lesson 3
Life and Times
Students are given explicit definitions of domain-specific terms in the "Things to Know" section (tenements, presage, Brown v. the Board of Education, Civil Rights Act of 1964). Students watch a video about the Civil Rights Act and are instructed to take notes and answer questions about what the Act prohibited and major events leading to it, exposing them to historical vocabulary in context. Students read biographical and introductory texts and answer comprehension questions that require recognition and use of those terms.
Lesson 4
A Raisin in the Sun
Students complete an "Act I Vocabulary" activity that asks them to determine word meanings from context and to consult a dictionary if needed, with a provided word bank and definitions (vindicated, proposition, permeated, etc.). The Skills section instructs students to "consult general and specialized reference materials" and to "apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions...to make effective choices for meaning or style." Students also read explicit mini-lessons on dialect, vernacular, linguists, and the International Phonetic Alphabet, and they are asked to take notes and discuss dialectal differences.
Lesson 5
Act II
Students practice vocabulary skills by determining meanings from context, writing provisional definitions, and then consulting dictionaries to revise those definitions (Activity 1 vocabulary page). The Parent Plan lists skills to consult general and specialized reference materials and to clarify the meaning of unknown words. Students complete written tasks (character analysis, reader-response paragraph, journal entries on songs) that require composing explanatory text about characters and themes.
Lesson 6
Act III
Students are asked to define the verb "defer" and explain the concept of a "dream deferred," and to identify five similes and analyze the poem's imagery (Activity: A Dream Deferred). The student activity requires students to relate the poem's comparisons to a play character and explain which comparison best describes that character's deferred dream. The homework quiz includes a vocabulary match section with words (e.g., precipitately, prefigured, reflected, reverie, plaintively) that students must define or match to precise meanings.
Lesson 7
Fences
Students are asked to compare and contrast Fences and A Raisin in the Sun by theme, characters, plot, and setting using a structured comparison chart, which invites use of literary/dramatic terms. The lesson tells students to "review the drama terms from Lesson 1," and asks them to write paragraphs analyzing character insights after watching an interview with the actors. Students also complete written journal entries and short paragraphs reflecting on themes and character development, activities that can involve domain-specific vocabulary.
Lesson 8
Shakespeare
Students are directed to clarify the meaning of unfamiliar words using context clues or a dictionary (Student Activity Page, Word Understanding). The Skills section explicitly lists consulting general and specialized reference materials and applying knowledge of language to make effective choices for meaning or style. The activity requires students to rewrite the passage in their own words and to note peculiarities of Shakespearean spellings and meanings, which engages them with domain-specific/archaic vocabulary.
Lesson 9
Romeo and Juliet
The lesson explicitly defines domain-specific terms in the "Things to Know" section (comic relief; dowry). Students are directed to read a focused article titled "Weddings and Dowries" and then answer journal questions about marriage practices, exposing them to discipline-specific vocabulary. The Parent Plan section lists an objective for students to "acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases," linking vocabulary learning to the unit.
Lesson 10
Figurative Language
The lesson explicitly defines domain-specific terms (oxymoron, pun, idiom, euphemism) in the "Things to Know" section and the sonnet refresher names terms like iambic pentameter, quatrain, and couplet. Students are asked to identify and label these devices on multiple activity pages (circle/underline oxymorons and paradoxes, match modern oxymorons, mark rhyme scheme, and label puns/idioms/euphemisms in panels). The Skills list also states that students should "acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases," indicating vocabulary instruction and practice is an explicit target.
Lesson 11
Nuanced Meaning
Students are asked to identify denotation and connotation and to explore how word meanings change over time (Things to Know; Ideas to Think About). The "Nuances in Meaning" activity directs students to read bolded words from Romeo and Juliet and select meanings from a provided word box, and Part II requires matching archaic words (e.g., gyves, cheveril) to modern meanings. In Part III, students must find synonyms with positive and negative connotations and use each in a sentence, and the Parent Plan notes students can use a thesaurus to support word choice.
Lesson 12
Time and Tension
Students are directed to search for and count specific time-related words (minute, hour, day, to-night, to-morrow, Wednesday, Thursday) and record frequencies across the play. Students analyze scene-by-scene how time is referenced (e.g., list ways Friar Lawrence mentions time, examine Capulet's repetition of 'three times', analyze the Nurse's monologue for foreshadowing and time references). The skills list names domain-specific concepts (pacing, flashbacks, foreshadowing) that students are asked to investigate in relation to tension.
Lesson 13
Tragic Hero
Students are given explicit definitions of domain-specific terms (tragic hero, dynamic/static, round/flat, epic poem) and an example analysis that models use of those terms. Students watch a video about types of heroes and answer questions that require them to state the characteristics of a tragic hero and explain how Romeo meets each criterion. Students complete a Timeline and Character Development activity in which they must record actions by scene and then determine and justify whether a character is static or dynamic and round or flat, using those specific terms in their explanations.
Final Project
Drama
The lesson's Skills list explicitly tells students to "Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture" and to "Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings." Students must label stage types and parts on the unit test (e.g., proscenium, upstage right, downstage left) and are prompted to review definitions and important concepts on the Unit Review Sheet. Multiple project tasks require students to write descriptive paragraphs (costume and set descriptions), summaries, and explanations that ask for specific details and reasoning.
Semester Exam
Semester Exam
Students are asked to define and apply literary and rhetorical terms in multiple formats (fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, and short answer) — e.g., oxymoron, euphemism, flashback, foreshadowing, rhetoric, ethos/pathos/logos, mitigated speech, and jargon. Part V: Grammar and Usage requires students to produce precise language in tasks such as rewriting a verbose sentence for brevity, writing a sentence with a participial phrase, identifying verb moods, correcting misplaced modifiers, and fixing punctuation and hyphenation errors. Discussion and short essay prompts ask students to respond in 1–3 paragraphs about plays, Outliers, and informational vs. persuasive writing, which require use of domain-specific vocabulary and precise explanations.