Google Classroom Codes
3rd period: d0lid60
4th period: ekwjx1a
5th period: 8dmk7cg
6th period: nie8rbs
7th period: h69iqnw
Late Work Submission: p6m95by
9th Grade Composition and Literature
Welcome to 9th Grade Composition and Literature! This year, we will engage in deep literary analysis, connecting our focus texts to other texts, to ourselves, and to the world. We will explore the interdisciplinary connections that naturally follow. Speaking and listening skills will improve through regular debate, presentation, and collaborative work. You will become better writers, skillfully using various forms and styles. As you read critically, you will learn to generate questions with confidence, demonstrating insight and inspiring peer discussion. You will be expected to read and write extensively. It is critical that you understand this is a high school course and the grade earned will become a permanent part of your high school transcript. The course can be repeated in a high school setting. However, your original grade will only be averaged with your new grade, not replaced. Prepare to be challenged. Our goal is that by the end of the year, you will be able to share your ideas at a professional level! While this is a lofty goal, know that your teachers are here for your support and guidance.
Texts
Unit One: Various short stories, poems, TED talks, articles, essays, and artwork
Unit Two: Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury (student-purchased copy required)
Unit Three: Code Talker, Joseph Bruchac (student-purchased copy required)
Unit Four: Students select ONE of the following: My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult, All American Boys by Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds, Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario (YA version) OR I am Malala by Christina Lamb and Malala Yousafzai (YA version) - (student-purchased copy required)
***Amazon is recommended for discounted pricing.
Assignments/Classwork
Journals
Socratic Seminar
Projects and presentations
Essays
RACE responses
Reading (Class texts and independent reading choices)
Grades
The grade breakdown (per Board policy) is as follows:
Classwork - 40% Assessment - 60% (Assessment retakes are offered at teacher discretion)
Tech Rules
You are expected to bring your iPad every day. With this great power comes great responsibility.
- iPads are for educational use only.
- Permission is required to handle another individual’s iPad.
Choice Reading Letter
Dear Parents,
One of the goals of the school year will be to instill a love for reading in all of our 8th graders. We hope that we can work together to achieve this goal. In addition to capturing a love for reading, we are working to expand perspective, so students can be the best problem solvers and contributors to the world as possible. Throughout the year, we will be using fiction and nonfiction texts to gain insight into additional perspectives and universal themes and apply them to the problem-solving approach embedded in our STEM curriculum.
Alongside the assigned texts for the school year, students will be selecting texts for independent reading. It is very important to note that as teachers we will not know the detail of every book students read, nor will we remember every detail of the books we may recommend to students. Our goal for students is to see the benefit of reading and how it can enrich both their academic and personal life. We hope that as your child selects texts to read, that you will discuss these texts with them, as we will be in class, and maybe even choose to read books alongside your student for deeper discussion.
We very much respect your role as a parent and your family’s beliefs and traditions. If you would like us to more closely monitor the texts your child is reading, please email and we will work out a plan that we can both contribute to. As a general rule, we will not be banning books in our class, and your child will be allowed to choose what he/she reads. We will be glad, as stated above, to work together to create a plan with you, if your child needs certain parameters for text selection.
If you are so inclined, we are always accepting donations of used books to enhance and grow our classroom libraries! Thank you so much for your support this school year. If you have any questions about our curriculum or the ELA standards, we are happy to discuss those at your convenience.
Thank you,
Sophia Williams and Joanna Dickinson
Comp/ Lit Teachers
(912) 395-3500
[email protected]; [email protected]
Dear Parents,
One of the goals of the school year will be to instill a love for reading in all of our 8th graders. We hope that we can work together to achieve this goal. In addition to capturing a love for reading, we are working to expand perspective, so students can be the best problem solvers and contributors to the world as possible. Throughout the year, we will be using fiction and nonfiction texts to gain insight into additional perspectives and universal themes and apply them to the problem-solving approach embedded in our STEM curriculum.
Alongside the assigned texts for the school year, students will be selecting texts for independent reading. It is very important to note that as teachers we will not know the detail of every book students read, nor will we remember every detail of the books we may recommend to students. Our goal for students is to see the benefit of reading and how it can enrich both their academic and personal life. We hope that as your child selects texts to read, that you will discuss these texts with them, as we will be in class, and maybe even choose to read books alongside your student for deeper discussion.
We very much respect your role as a parent and your family’s beliefs and traditions. If you would like us to more closely monitor the texts your child is reading, please email and we will work out a plan that we can both contribute to. As a general rule, we will not be banning books in our class, and your child will be allowed to choose what he/she reads. We will be glad, as stated above, to work together to create a plan with you, if your child needs certain parameters for text selection.
If you are so inclined, we are always accepting donations of used books to enhance and grow our classroom libraries! Thank you so much for your support this school year. If you have any questions about our curriculum or the ELA standards, we are happy to discuss those at your convenience.
Thank you,
Sophia Williams and Joanna Dickinson
Comp/ Lit Teachers
(912) 395-3500
[email protected]; [email protected]