English 9A

About This Course

This course is the first in a two-semester sequence designed to develop students’ reading, writing, and analytical skills. Throughout the course, students explore two central themes, Courage and Choice, and engage with essential questions that guide their learning. Students read a range of texts, including novels, short stories, informational articles, and poetry. They also analyze informational videos to strengthen their ability to interpret ideas across multiple media. Writing assignments focus on a variety of purposes and audiences, with major projects including a research paper and a narrative essay. To support their writing development, students participate in targeted grammar challenges that build conceptual understanding and promote mastery of key language conventions. In addition to strengthening their writing, students develop essential reading strategies, such as using graphic organizers to identify key information and summarizing to monitor comprehension. The course also introduces foundational literary and rhetorical concepts, including symbolism, figurative language, theme, setting, and other analytical tools that support deeper interpretation of texts.