Ninth Grade - ELA
• Literacy
Literacy Standards
The following standards are literacy standards and not content standards. The evaluation includes units from our science, social studies, and language arts curriculum.
1: Semester 1
Unit 1: Early Civilizations and Migration (600 BCE)
Lesson 1
Preshistory
Students are assigned to read pp. 40–43 of the National Geographic Almanac of World History and answer specific comprehension questions (e.g., list three physical differences of early hominids; explain how Homo habilis and Homo erectus changed/adapted their environment; describe Ice Age opportunities). Students also complete a map activity tracing human migration using a keyed timeline and use the text to inform mapping and survival/activity descriptions (A Day in the Life; Your Own Environment).
Lesson 3
Early Civilizations
Students are assigned to read specific pages (pp. 44-49) in the National Geographic Almanac of World History and to answer guided comprehension questions (Q1–Q4) that require drawing information from that text. Students are instructed to "use the readings as a guide" to fill in charts and to "use textual information to annotate each stage" on the Urbanization Flowchart and Cultural Hearths activity pages. Students must summarize Sumerian social organization using information from specified pages and complete the Elements of Civilization chart using the reading as a source.
Lesson 4
Mesopotamia
Students are assigned specific pages (pp. 44–49) from the National Geographic Almanac and must answer focused reading questions about priests, writing, Hammurapi, and the Iron Age. Students are directed to read examples of laws from the Code of Hammurabi (page 42 of the AP Coursebook or an online link) and list four things they can infer about Babylonian society based on their analysis of those laws. Students must use the reading and any additional research to complete a multi-page mini-project or a time-traveling report that draws on precise details about geography, economy, politics, social structure, culture, and religion.
Lesson 8
Historical Essay
Students are asked to "go back to the readings from earlier lessons to look for specific evidence to support [their] main points" and to provide parenthetical references in the text (example: (Daniels & Hyslop, 46)). The rubric explicitly requires "Accurate parenthetical citations for quotations and specific evidence are provided throughout." Students are also guided to choose evidence for body paragraphs and to include citations for quotations and specific evidence during revision.
Unit 1: Lord of the Flies
Lesson 3
Paths in the Jungle
The Parent Plan skills explicitly list "Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis..." and the activities require students to print and annotate a nonfiction article, identify the author's thesis, and list "Key points that support the thesis" on a graphic organizer. Students are asked to read the article(s), annotate for important ideas and supporting evidence, and record their reactions and a reasoned opinion based on the organizer. The reading comprehension questions and character journal prompt require students to refer to details from Lord of the Flies when answering.
Lesson 6
Symbolism, Part 1
Students are asked in Activity 1 to choose interpretations for symbols and "back up [their] explanation with support from the text," and the Student Activity Page explicitly directs students to provide text-based reasoning for their choices. In Activity 2 students must write a one-page journal entry that "should record actions and quotes from the other main characters," requiring selection and use of specific textual details. The Chapter 7 reading questions ask students to answer and cite plot events and character behavior drawn directly from the text.
Unit 2: World Religions (600 BCE - 600 CE)
Lesson 3
Hinduism
Students are assigned The One-Stop Guide to World Religions and must answer specific reading questions (e.g., "Explain the idea of karma in your own words" and "Describe two ways in which early Harappan religion was influenced by the proximity to the Indus River"), which require using the text. The lesson tells students to "pay particular attention to the discussion of caste on pages 38 and 40-41" and to summarize portions of the Ramayana slideshow and answer analytical questions connecting the story to Hindu beliefs and practices. Activities require students to summarize plot sections, describe artwork details (medium and culture), and write multi-paragraph perspective pieces that show understanding drawn from the readings.
Lesson 7
Christianity
Students are asked in Option 1 to read at least two scientific or archaeological articles about the life and times of Jesus (examples: Smithsonian and National Geographic) and to write summaries for each source. The Parent Plan and activity directions require that students' answers be connected to the readings and show awareness that representations can be analyzed using historical and archaeological data. The Reading and Questions section includes model answers with parenthetical citations to sources (e.g., Almanac of World History, 98).
Unit 4: Poetry
Lesson 9
The Crossover
Students are directed to finish reading specified sections and answer comprehension questions about events (e.g., Josh's punishment, championship ring, presents), which requires referencing the text. In the vocabulary activity, students compare how words and definitions 'appear in the book' versus a dictionary and must use one word from the book as an example. The homework asks students to look at specific poems/pages (pp. 227-228 and pp. 234-237) and explain what 'crossover' means in each poem, requiring students to examine particular text passages.
Unit 5: Nonfiction
Lesson 6
A Day Like Any Other
Students are directed to use the APE strategy, with the "Prove" step explicitly asking them to "Provide evidence to support your answer. Use specific examples and quotations from the text." The Parent Plan lists the skill "Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research," and guidance tells students to include quotations with page numbers in the "prove" section. The activity requires students to answer questions about events and then back up their answers with specific textual quotations or examples.
Lesson 9
Civil Disobedience
Students are asked to analyze excerpts from Thoreau and King by using a highlighter to mark phrases that discuss similar ideas and to explain the overlapping ideas they identified (Activity 1 and Parent Plan). The "Opposing Quotes" and "The Role of Government" activity pages require students to read paired quotations and write explanations of which author's views they align with and why. The homework directs students to read excerpts from "Civil Disobedience" and answer passage-based questions, and the Parent Plan explicitly lists the skill "Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research."
Lesson 12
Running from War
Students are taught explicit methods for introducing and blending quotations (complete sentence + colon; short introductory phrase + comma; integrate a small section of the quote) in Activity 1 and see demonstrations using text from A Long Way Gone. The Student Activity Page has Part I practice choosing correctly punctuated quotation sentences and Part II requires students to write introductions for a specific quotation from Chapter 5. The homework APE task requires students to "Prove" their answer by using a quotation from the text and to apply one of the quotation-integration methods taught earlier.
Lesson 15
A New Life
The lesson's Skills list explicitly includes "Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research," and Activities review quoting and paraphrasing and allow inclusion of brief quotations with guidance on accuracy. Activity 2 and the Comparing Memoirs page direct students to examine specific scenes (for example, pp. 6–7 and pp. 24–25) to compare how events are presented. The summarizing activity asks students to annotate, note page or paragraph numbers, and use text-based notes when composing summaries.
Final Project
Expository Essay
Students are required to gather facts from multiple credible sources and record which source supports each of three key facts (Homework/Day 1 and Audience, Purpose, and Sources). The lesson requires students to use at least two of quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing and to note sources for each fact (Day 2, Quoting/Paraphrasing/Summarizing activity). Students are instructed to provide in-text citations (parenthetical author or title) and to produce a properly formatted Works Cited page (Part 4 and Part 6). The rubric explicitly rewards presenting facts as quotes, paraphrases, or summaries with adequate credit to sources under the Support and Sources/Documentation criteria.
2: Semester 2
Unit 3: Informational Texts
Lesson 1
What Are Informational Texts?
Students read the social-science text Outliers and complete comprehension questions (Questions 1–4) that require them to explain events and researchers' conclusions from the text. Students are asked to infer the meaning of the phrase "egalitarian ethos" from context (Question 5) and then check dictionary definitions, which engages attention to textual detail. In Activity 1, students locate and check for text features such as footnotes, endnotes, and a bibliography, directing them to where source/citation information appears in the book.
Lesson 2
Outliers
Students are directed to reread specific pages (p. 3, p. 7, and pp. 10–11) and answer questions about how Gladwell defines "outlier" and how the Roseto study functions as an analogy, requiring them to use passage details. Students answer targeted homework questions about details in "The Matthew Effect" (e.g., why the birthday cutoff matters and the source and meaning of the Matthew Effect), which require explanation based on the text. Vocabulary and activity pages ask students to use words in context and to test synonyms in the original sentences, prompting attention to precise wording and meaning.
Lesson 3
The Matthew Effect
The lesson's Skills section explicitly lists "Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text" as an objective. In Activity 1 (Option 2) students must read the TIMSS paragraph and sketch a graphic that communicates the study findings, which requires attending to precise details of a technical explanation. Homework questions ask students to explain the 10,000-hour rule and relate it to sports examples, prompting students to draw explanations from the text.
Lesson 4
The 10,000 Hour Rule
The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes "Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis," signaling that students are expected to use text-based evidence. The Looking Closely activity asks students to identify "words, phrases, or sentences" Gladwell uses and to summarize and analyze specific sections, requiring students to point to precise textual details. Activity 2 instructs students to mark key opportunities in the book as they read and to use those notes for a homework product, which has students gather and rely on specific textual details in support of their analysis.
Lesson 5
Harlan, Kentucky
The lesson's Skills section explicitly lists "Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text." Students are instructed to read "Harlan, Kentucky" and answer specific comprehension questions (Questions #1-#4) that require drawing answers from the chapter. The Parent Plan and Homework ask students to draw evidence from texts and take notes about settlers and stereotypes, indicating expectation to use text-based information.
Lesson 6
The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes
The Skills section explicitly lists "Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text." Activity 2 directs students to read specified page ranges and answer questions that require citing details about causes and clues (e.g., pilot condition, weather, cockpit communication). Day 2 and Day 3 questions ask students to use precise technical details (glide slope light, VOR/DME approach, cockpit transcript, footnotes) to explain causes and communication failures, and Activity 5 Option 2 requires completing a chart noting specific criticisms and how Gladwell responded.
Lesson 7
Rice Paddies and Math Tests
The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes "Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research" and "Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text." Students are asked to read Sections 1–3 and 4–7 and answer text-based questions, and to create an infographic using information found in the book (with option to use other sources). The activities require students to take notes from the chapter and present or explain findings to a parent, which involves using information from the text.
Lesson 9
Writing about History
Students read multiple secondary summaries and answer questions that require listing facts all sources agree upon and identifying which source discusses the aftermath. Students complete a graphic organizer that links secondary-source claims to supporting primary-source quotations (example answers cite exact lines from John S. Smith and Robert Brent). Students are asked to write an editorial using facts from the accounts and to analyze testimonies for truthfulness, which requires locating and citing specific textual details.
Lesson 10
Science Writing
Students are asked to read specific pages of a science booklet and answer questions that require precise details from the text (e.g., the equilibrium example with a 2 lb book and the frame-of-reference explanation of centrifugal vs. centripetal force). The Parent Plan explicitly lists the skill "Cite specific textual evidence (including precise details from the text) to support an analysis of a piece of scientific writing." The Investigating Claims activity directs students to explain how the author supports claims and to identify methods (highlighting, explanation, example, illustration) used to clarify terms.
Lesson 11
Technical Writing
Students annotate and analyze a technical passage about hydroponics and coco coir, marking main topics, highlighting terms, and answering questions about appropriate images or diagrams. Students are asked to support the introduction to their how-to guide with information from an outside source, to record where they got the information, to include quoted information in quotation marks, and to add a Works Cited entry in MLA format. The Guide Checklist explicitly requires that a stated benefit be supported by an outside source and properly credited.
Final Project
Argumentative Research Essay
Students are instructed to locate and record quotations, statistics, and specific examples from library databases and websites and to copy citation information for use in in-text citations and a Works Cited page. The lesson explains how to write in-text MLA citations (author name in parentheses) and requires students to include quotes, paraphrases, and statistics with corresponding citations. Students practice integrating quantitative/technical analysis (charts, research data) into their writing and are given activities about spotting misleading statistics and misleading graphs. The unit also directs students to use trusted sources (.edu, .gov, library databases) when researching technical topics.
Unit 4: Drama
Lesson 6
Act III
Students are asked to identify five similes in Langston Hughes's poem with numbered lines, requiring them to locate specific textual details. Students must relate a poem comparison to a character's deferred dream and explain which comparison best describes that character, which requires referring to text-based imagery and examples. The quiz section asks students to match quotations to the correct person, giving practice in linking specific lines to speakers.
Lesson 12
Time and Tension
Students are directed to use the online play to search for specific time-related words and record how many times each word appears, which requires locating exact text instances. Students are asked to analyze Scene 1 (line 90) and list all the ways Friar Lawrence mentions time, examine Capulet's repeated use of a time word in Scene 2, and analyze the Nurse's monologue in Scene 5 for time references and foreshadowing. The activity asks students to explain how these textual details create tension or suspense, linking specific words and lines to analytical claims.
Semester Exam
Semester Exam
The Parent Plan skills list explicitly includes "Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis..." as a target skill. Day 2 and the exam focus on Informational Texts, including science and technical writing, and ask students to explain Gladwell's claims in Outliers, distinguish primary vs. secondary sources, and evaluate the appropriateness of technical writing. Several short-answer and discussion prompts require students to explain ideas from informational texts and give examples drawn from those texts.