English Grade9

Pan-Asia English Language Arts: Grade 9

Oral Presentation and Discussion

Standard One: Students will use agreed-upon rules for formal and informal discussions in small and large groups and they will pose questions, listen to the ideas of others and contribute their own information or ideas in discussions and interviews In order to acquire new knowledge. They will make oral presentations that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience, purpose and the information to be conveyed.

Benchmarks:

Use agreed-upon rules for informal and formal discussions in small and large groups such as Book Club, Literature Circles and Buddy Reading.
Facilitate discussion groups independent from the teacher; identify and practice techniques to improve group productivity such as discussion guidelines, setting time limits for speakers and deadlines for decision-making.
Organize and present ideas in a logical order.
Ask for clarification when others’ responses are unclear.
Actively listen, respond to, and build on ideas generated during group discussions.
Use information to inform or change their perspectives.
Support their responses with evidence or details; expect and request the same of others.
Summarize and evaluate what they have learned from the discussion.
Evaluate the productivity of group discussion using group created criteria and make suggestions to address the needs of the group.
Deliver informal and formal presentations, giving consideration to audience, purpose and content.
Identify elements and organizational structures of effective speeches made for a variety of purposes; work collaboratively to create and use an appropriate rubric or criteria to prepare, improve, and assess presentations.
Conduct interviews for research projects and writing.

Language

Standard Two: Students will acquire and understand new vocabulary and use it correctly in writing. They will analyze standard English grammar and usage and recognize how its vocabulary has developed and been influenced by other languages. Students will describe, analyze and use appropriately formal and informal English.

Benchmarks:

Identify and use correctly idioms, cognates, and words with literal and figurative meanings.
Identify and demonstrate understanding of patterns of structural and syntactic changes in words that indicate different meanings or functions.
Demonstrate understanding of how the features of different general dictionaries, specialized dictionaries, thesauruses, or related references are used to increase learning about different terms, content and ideas.
Within the context of their writing and craft studies, identify and effectively use sentences along the continuum from simple to compound-complex sentences.
Within the context of their writing, craft studies and the literature they read, identify and use clauses that function as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.
Within the context of their writing, craft studies, and the literature they read, recognize the functions of verbals as participles, gerunds, and infinitives.
Demonstrate correct use of mechanics, usage, and sentence structure in oral and written responses.
Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of written English and the relationship of letters and spelling patterns to the sounds of speech.

Reading and Literature

Standard Three: Students will understand the nature of written English and the relationship of letters and spelling patterns to the sounds of speech. They will identify the basic facts and main ideas in a text and use them as the basis for interpretation. They will deepen their understanding of a literary or non-literary work by relating it to its contemporary context or historical background. They will identify, analyze and apply knowledge of the characteristics of different genres and identify, analyze and apply knowledge of a theme in a literary work and of elements of fiction and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.

Benchmarks:

Develop fluency, accuracy and understanding when reading different texts.
Select books for independent reading.
Develop a language for talking about the books.
Use before, during, and after reading strategies.
Use background knowledge to make inferences and predictions and to make personal connections with what they are reading.
Set a purpose for reading.
Ask questions to clarify information.
Summarize information to check understanding.
Visualize information in text to support comprehension.
Identify the topic and main idea of different texts.
Understand genres and organizational structure and apply that knowledge to their reading of different texts.
Use their knowledge of text features and organizational structure to make meaning of what they are reading.
Self-monitor/be metacognitive: understand when comprehension breaks down; know and use self-correcting strategies to make meaning of what they are reading.
Identify the basic facts and main ideas in a text and use them as the basis for interpretation and to form a critical theory about what they are reading.
Identify patterns of imagery or symbolism in different literary texts.
Identify themes and give supporting evidence from a text.
Identify the logic and use of evidence in an author’s argument in informational and expository texts.
Connect a literary work to primary source documents of its literary period or historical setting.
Demonstrate an understanding of intratextuality and intertextuality.
Demonstrate an understanding of reader response, historical and structural criticism and utilize them when interpreting literary texts.
Compare and contrast the presentation of a theme or topic across genres to explain how the selection of genre shapes the message.
Identify, analyze and apply knowledge of theme in a literary work and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Identify and analyze their knowledge of the purpose, structure, and elements of nonfiction or informational materials and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
Identify, respond to, and analyze the effects of sound, form, figurative language, graphics, diction, and dramatic structure of poems.
1. Sound (alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyme scheme, consonance, assonance)
2. Form (ballad, sonnet, heroic couplet)
3. Figurative language (personification, metaphor, simile, hyperbole, symbolism)
Identify and describe how an author’s choice of words advances the theme or purpose of a work.
Identify and describe the importance of sentence variety in the overall effectiveness of an imaginary/literary or informational/expository work.
Identify and analyze the characters, structure, and themes of classical Greek drama and epic poetry.
Identify and analyze how dramatic conventions support, interpret, and enhance dramatic text.
Create a scoring guide with categories and criteria for assessment of an original performance or oral interpretation of literature.

Composition

Standard Four: Students will write with a clear focus, coherent organization and sufficient detail and will write for different audiences and purposes. They will demonstrate improvement in organization, content, paragraph development, level of detail, style, tone and word choice in their compositions after editing them. They will organize ideas in writing in a way that makes sense for their purpose. They will gather information from a variety of sources, analyze and evaluate the quality of the information they obtain , and use it to answer their own questions.

Benchmarks:

Collect ideas for writing from different texts and sources (dialogue, artifacts, memories, images, etc.).
Maintain a process for recording, collecting, referring to, and sharing their ideas for writing, as well as more formal writing products, including drafts.
Write for different purposes and for different audiences.
Understand different genres and organizational structures.
Select appropriate genres and organizational structures for drafts.
Select appropriate strategies for developing ideas into drafts.
Select appropriate strategies for revising the organization and ideas in drafts.
Have a language for talking about pieces of writing (e.g. craft, focus, structure, genre, voice, audience).
Use their knowledge of standard English conventions (mechanics, grammar, and spelling) to edit work.
Reflect on and self-monitor their development as a writer.
Write well-organized stories or scripts with an explicit or implicit theme and details that contribute to a definite mood or tone.
Write poems using a range of poetic techniques, forms (sonnet, ballad), and figurative language.
Write well-organized essays (persuasive, literary, personal) that have a clear focus, logical development, effective use of detail, and variety in sentence structure.
Write a well-organized research paper that proves a thesis statement using logical organization, effective supporting evidence, and variety in sentence structure.
Use different levels of formality, style, and tone when composing for different audiences
Revise writing by attending to topic/idea development, organization, level of detail, language/style, sentence structure, grammar and usage, and mechanics.
Use knowledge of types of clauses (main and subordinate), verbals (gerunds, infinitives, participles), mechanics (semicolons, colons, hyphens), usage (tense consistency), sentence structure (parallel structure), and standard English spelling when writing and editing.
Integrate all elements of fiction to emphasize the theme and tone of the story.
Organize ideas for a critical essay about literature or a research report with an original thesis statement in the introduction, well constructed paragraphs that build an effective argument, transition sentences to link paragraphs into a coherent whole, and a conclusion.
Formulate open-ended research questions and apply steps for obtaining and evaluating information from a variety of sources, organizing information, documenting sources in a consistent and standard format, and presenting research.
Use group-generated MCAS-like criteria for evaluating different forms of writing and explain why these are important before applying them.

Media and Technology

Standard Five: Students will identify, analyze and apply knowledge of the conventions, elements and techniques of films, radio, video, television, multimedia productions, the Internet, and emerging technologies and provide evidence from their works to support their understanding.

Benchmarks:

Create presentations using computer technology, posters, reports, and graphic design
Develop and apply criteria for assessing the effectiveness of presentations
Gather information using the Internet and information databases
Use their understanding of television to distinguish between fact and fiction
Examine and explain advertising
View, understand and discuss informational media productions.
Compare stories in print with their filmed adaptations, describing the similarities and differences in the portrayal of characters, plot, and settings
View, understand, and discuss informational media productions.
Use film, radio, TV and the Internet to demonstrate an understanding of how these mediums convey information and entertain in ways that are different from text.
Create a media production using effective images from text, music, software or graphics.
Analyze the techniques used in different media to affect the readers’ or viewers’ emotions.
Create media presentations and written reports on the same subject and compare the differences in effects of each medium.

Oral Presentation and Discussion

Standard One: Students will use agreed-upon rules for formal and informal discussions in small and large groups and they will pose questions, listen to the ideas of others and contribute their own information or ideas in discussions and interviews In order to acquire new knowledge. They will make oral presentations that demonstrate appropriate consideration of audience, purpose and the information to be conveyed.

Benchmarks:

1.1 Use agreed-upon rules for informal and formal discussions in small and large groups such as Book Club, Literature Circles and Buddy Reading.
1.2 Facilitate discussion groups independent from the teacher; identify and practice techniques to improve group productivity such as discussion guidelines, setting time limits for speakers and deadlines for decision-making.
1.3 Organize and present ideas in a logical order.
1.4 Ask for clarification when others’ responses are unclear.
1.5 Actively listen, respond to, and build on ideas generated during group discussions.
1.6 Use information to inform or change their perspectives.
1.7 Support their responses with evidence or details; expect and request the same of others.
1.8 Summarize and evaluate what they have learned from the discussion.
1.9 Evaluate the productivity of group discussion using group created criteria and make suggestions to address the needs of the group.
1.10 Deliver informal and formal presentations, giving consideration to audience, purpose and content.
1.11 Identify elements and organizational structures of effective speeches made for a variety of purposes; work collaboratively to create and use an appropriate rubric or criteria to prepare, improve, and assess presentations.
1.12 Conduct interviews for research projects and writing.

Language

Standard Two: Students will acquire and understand new vocabulary and use it correctly in writing. They will analyze standard English grammar and usage and recognize how its vocabulary has developed and been influenced by other languages. Students will describe, analyze and use appropriately formal and informal English.

Benchmarks:

2.1 Identify and use correctly idioms, cognates, and words with literal and figurative meanings.
2.2 Identify and demonstrate understanding of patterns of structural and syntactic changes in words that indicate different meanings or functions.
2.3 Demonstrate understanding of how the features of different general dictionaries, specialized dictionaries, thesauruses, or related references are used to increase learning about different terms, content and ideas.
2.4 Within the context of their writing and craft studies, identify and effectively use sentences along the continuum from simple to compound-complex sentences.
2.5 Within the context of their writing, craft studies and the literature they read, identify and use clauses that function as nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.
2.6 Within the context of their writing, craft studies, and the literature they read, recognize the functions of verbals as participles, gerunds, and infinitives.
2.7 Demonstrate correct use of mechanics, usage, and sentence structure in oral and written responses.
2.8 Demonstrate an understanding of the nature of written English and the relationship of letters and spelling patterns to the sounds of speech.

Reading and Literature

Standard Three: Students will understand the nature of written English and the relationship of letters and spelling patterns to the sounds of speech. They will identify the basic facts and main ideas in a text and use them as the basis for interpretation. They will deepen their understanding of a literary or non-literary work by relating it to its contemporary context or historical background. They will identify, analyze and apply knowledge of the characteristics of different genres and identify, analyze and apply knowledge of a theme in a literary work and of elements of fiction and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.

Benchmarks:.

3.1 Develop fluency, accuracy and understanding when reading different texts.
3.2 Select books for independent reading.
3.3 Develop a language for talking about the books.
3.4 Use before, during, and after reading strategies.
3.5 Use background knowledge to make inferences and predictions and to make personal connections with what they are reading.
3.6 Set a purpose for reading.
3.7 Ask questions to clarify information.
3.8 Summarize information to check understanding.
3.9 Visualize information in text to support comprehension.
3.10 Identify the topic and main idea of different texts.
3.11 Understand genres and organizational structure and apply that knowledge to their reading of different texts.
3.12 Use their knowledge of text features and organizational structure to make meaning of what they are reading.
3.13 Self-monitor/be metacognitive: understand when comprehension breaks down; know and use self-correcting strategies to make meaning of what they are reading.
3.14 Identify the basic facts and main ideas in a text and use them as the basis for interpretation and to form a critical theory about what they are reading.
3.15 Identify patterns of imagery or symbolism in different literary texts.
3.16 Identify themes and give supporting evidence from a text.
3.17 Identify the logic and use of evidence in an author’s argument in informational and expository texts.
3.18 Connect a literary work to primary source documents of its literary period or historical setting.
3.19 Demonstrate an understanding of intratextuality and intertextuality.
3.20 Demonstrate an understanding of reader response, historical and structural criticism and utilize them when interpreting literary texts.
3.21 Compare and contrast the presentation of a theme or topic across genres to explain how the selection of genre shapes the message.
3.22 Identify, analyze and apply knowledge of theme in a literary work and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
3.23 Identify, analyze, and apply knowledge of the structure and elements of fiction and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
3.24 Identify and analyze their knowledge of the purpose, structure, and elements of nonfiction or informational materials and provide evidence from the text to support their understanding.
3.25 Identify, respond to, and analyze the effects of sound, form, figurative language, graphics, diction, and dramatic structure of poems.
3.26 Sound (alliteration, onomatopoeia, rhyme scheme, consonance, assonance)
3.27 Form (ballad, sonnet, heroic couplet)
3.28 Figurative language (personification, metaphor, simile, hyperbole, symbolism)
3.29 Identify and describe how an author’s choice of words advances the theme or purpose of a work.
3.30 Identify and describe the importance of sentence variety in the overall effectiveness of an imaginary/literary or informational/expository work.
3.31 Identify and analyze the characters, structure, and themes of classical Greek drama and epic poetry.
3.32 Identify and analyze how dramatic conventions support, interpret, and enhance dramatic text.
3.33 Create a scoring guide with categories and criteria for assessment of an original performance or oral interpretation of literature.

Composition

Standard Four: Students will write with a clear focus, coherent organization and sufficient detail and will write for different audiences and purposes. They will demonstrate improvement in organization, content, paragraph development, level of detail, style, tone and word choice in their compositions after editing them. They will organize ideas in writing in a way that makes sense for their purpose. They will gather information from a variety of sources, analyze and evaluate the quality of the information they obtain , and use it to answer their own questions.

Benchmarks:

4.1 Collect ideas for writing from different texts and sources (dialogue, artifacts, memories, images, etc.).
4.2 Maintain a process for recording, collecting, referring to, and sharing their ideas for writing, as well as more formal writing products, including drafts.
4.3 Write for different purposes and for different audiences.
4.4 Understand different genres and organizational structures.
4.5 Select appropriate genres and organizational structures for drafts.
4.6 Select appropriate strategies for developing ideas into drafts.
4.7 Select appropriate strategies for revising the organization and ideas in drafts.
4.8 Have a language for talking about pieces of writing (e.g. craft, focus, structure, genre, voice, audience).
4.9 Use their knowledge of standard English conventions (mechanics, grammar, and spelling) to edit work.
4.10 Reflect on and self-monitor their development as a writer.
4.11 Write well-organized stories or scripts with an explicit or implicit theme and details that contribute to a definite mood or tone.
4.12 Write poems using a range of poetic techniques, forms (sonnet, ballad), and figurative language.
4.13 Write well-organized essays (persuasive, literary, personal) that have a clear focus, logical development, effective use of detail, and variety in sentence structure.
4.14 Write a well-organized research paper that proves a thesis statement using logical organization, effective supporting evidence, and variety in sentence structure.
4.15 Use different levels of formality, style, and tone when composing for different audiences
4.16 Revise writing by attending to topic/idea development, organization, level of detail, language/style, sentence structure, grammar and usage, and mechanics.
4.17 Use knowledge of types of clauses (main and subordinate), verbals (gerunds, infinitives, participles), mechanics (semicolons, colons, hyphens), usage (tense consistency), sentence structure (parallel structure), and standard English spelling when writing and editing.
4.18 Integrate all elements of fiction to emphasize the theme and tone of the story.
4.19 Organize ideas for a critical essay about literature or a research report with an original thesis statement in the introduction, well constructed paragraphs that build an effective argument, transition sentences to link paragraphs into a coherent whole, and a conclusion.
4.20 Formulate open-ended research questions and apply steps for obtaining and evaluating information from a variety of sources, organizing information, documenting sources in a consistent and standard format, and presenting research.
4.21 Use group-generated MCAS-like criteria for evaluating different forms of writing and explain why these are important before applying them.

Media

Standard Five: Students will identify, analyze and apply knowledge of the conventions, elements and techniques of film, radio, video, television, multimedia productions, the Internet and emerging technologies and provide evidence form the works to support their understanding.

Benchmarks:

5.1 Identify visual or aural techniques used in a media message for a particular audience.
5.2 Create media presentations that effectively use graphics, images, and/or sound to present a distinct point of view on a topic.
5.3 Apply established criteria for assessing the effectiveness of the presentation, style, and content of films and other forms of electronic communication.