Caitlin Brand

English Language Arts

9th Grade
Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Introductions

Syllabus &
Calendar
distribution

Classroom
management and
expectations

Paper bag introductory

speeches

Introduce: critical
thinking who,
what, when, where,
why

Introduce peer
grading sheet:
practice grading a
partners speech

Turn in letter of
introduction to Ms.
Brand

Paper bag speech

due Friday

Twitter about me
Name train

Introduce: critical
thinking who,
what, when, where,
why
Homework: Write a
brief letter of
introduction to Ms.
Brand
Introduce Greek
Roots: Why do we
learn them? Why
are they important?

Think of modern
words that use
Greek roots:
Instagram
Introduce Book
report: Fiction book
(End of semester)
Journal Write:
What is one event
that has happened
that made you who
you are?
Read: first two
paragraphs of
Battle Royal by
Ralph Ellison

Punctuation:
Comma Rule 1:
Use a comma to
separate elements
in a series

Preview paper bag

speech to a partner

Students: Write down

the name of each
student and at least one
interesting fact

Classroom
management:
turning in papers

Signed
syllabus due

Self-evaluation/peer
grading

Journal: Who am
I? Reflection of
identity wheel

Journal: Reflect on
the Identity Wheel.
Did you learn
anything new about
yourself?

Journal: Listen to
Born This Way by
Lady Gaga. How do I
feel about the treatment
of people who are seen
different in societys
eyes?

Homework: Get
syllabus signed
Introduce unit:
Identity
Journal: What does
the word identity
mean to you?
Class discussion to
define identity
(everyones idea of
identity is different)

Journal: What 3
words would you
choose to best
describe yourself?
What 3 words
would your family
or friends use to
describe you? How
does what others
think about you
affect how you
think about
yourself?
Punctuation:
Comma rule 2: use
a comma + a
coordinating
conjunction to
connect two
independent clauses

Introduce:
prewriting

Personal narrative
Rough Draft

Personal narrative

Introduce: color

Identity Wheel
Chapter one from
Like Water for
Chocolate by Laura
Esquivel

Journal: Does your

family have any
traditions? What
are they?
Read: Fish Cheeks
by Amy Tan
What words stood
out to you?
Punctuation:
Comma rule 3: Use
a comma to set off
introductory
subordinate clauses

Mini Lesson:
proofreading
symbols

Mini Lesson: Verb

tense

I have, I like, I am
How do labels
make you feel? Do
you think labeling
is fair? Unfair?
Journal: Where did
your name come
from?
Read: My Name
from The House On
Mango Street, by
Sandra Cisneros

Journal: How do YOU

define who you are?
Reflection: choose one
event from your life
that they believe
helped to shape your
identity

Punctuation:
Comma rule 4:
Use a comma to set
off nonessential
clauses.

Punctuation: Comma
rule 5: use a comma to
set off coordinate
adjectives

Personal Narrative
Revision/Final
Draft

Review paper for

comma errors: any that
you correct before
turning in will not be

Greek Roots Test

rewrite

coding corrections

Greek Roots

Correct for comma

errors!

Mini Lesson:
Adberbials
Intro to rhetoric/
persuasion
Discussion: why we
might want to use
persuasion
E.T: Critical
thinkingPersuasion

Personal narrative
Peer Edit
Discuss with your
partner

Ethos
Watch: Trust Colgate TV
Commercial Ad
Online dating
profiles

Pathos
Watch: Sarah
McLachlan
SPCA
Commercial
Create a pathos
cartoon

MLK I Have a
Dream

MLK I Have a
Dream

Fallacies: why are

they important

Read

Watch/listen

Fallacy Vocabulary

Underline Ethos
Bracket Pathos
Highlight Logos

Is there a difference
between reading
and watching? How
does he deliver his
speech?
Mini Lesson:
Denotation and
connotation

Homework: Start
fallacy book project

Greek Roots
Mini Lesson:
claims
Write Scripts in
group

Commercial must
use specific
assigned fallacy
Develop and
strengthen writing
as needed by
planning, revising,
editing, rewriting

held against you!

Think, pair, share
paper
Turn in final draft

Classroom
Management: Final
draft expectations

Mini Lesson: colon

to introduce a list or
quotation

Logos

Introduce Satire

Watch: The
Snuggie
Commercial

Read: A Modest
Proposal

Read: The False

Alert of
Global
Warming
By Tom
Bethell and
Global
Warming is
Very Real
by Jeff
Goodell
Do they both
employ logos?
Fallacy writing
Activity
Homework: Fallacy
book project

Underline Ethos
Bracket Pathos
Highlight Logos
Greek Roots Test

Fallacy book project

due
Pair/share book
Write up: your favorite
fallacy

Mini Lesson:
Semicolons

Greek Roots Test

Edit Commercial

Film commercial
Write Scripts in
group
Each member must
participate
Group roles

Film commercial
Use precise
language and
domainspecific
vocabulary to
manage the
complexity of the
topic

Cite strong and

thorough textual
evidence to support
analysis of what the
text says explicitly
as well as
inferences drawn
from the text

Remember:
proofreading symbols

Greek Roots

Presentation

Presentation

Presentation

Reflection of your
commercial and others

Edit commercial

Self Evaluation

Self Evaluation

Self Evaluation

Group evaluation

Group evaluation

Group evaluation

Ethos, pathos, logos

test

Grammar:
Descriptive words

Peer grading
Grammar:
ellipses

Peer grading
Grammar:
Adjectives

Peer grading
Grammar:
Pronouns

Grammar:
Gerund

MLA practice:
choosing resources

MLA practice:
Choosing quotes

MLA practice:
in-text citations

MLA practice:
Works cited

MLA: Formatting your

paper
Greek Roots Test

2nd Quarter
Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Poetry Introduction

Poetic Devices

Rhyme Scheme

Mini Lessons:
Figurative language

Introduce Poetry
portfolio

Poetry Vocabulary

Read/analyze: Fire
and Ice by Robert
Frost

Journal: What is
your favorite
season? (Use
critical thinking:
who, what, when,
where, why)

Journal: What is
poetry?

Article: Poetry is
like music to the
mind, scientists
prove- PBS
Purpose of reading
poetry
Portfolio: write an
acrostic poem
Homework: finish
acrostic poem
Greek Roots
Allusions: Music
With a partner:
Movies with a
moral

Notes: Tree map

Portfolio: Free
verse with an
allusion

Article:
Discovering your
voice through
poetry Guide:
How to Read a
Poem from the
Great Books
Foundation: Prior
assumptions,
reading a poem
aloud, talking back
to the poem,
embracing
ambiguity

Mark the rhyme

scheme
Portfolio: write a
poem about an
animal using an
ABAB rhyme
scheme

Create an example
of personification,
simile, hyperbole
and metaphor
Portfolio: Paint
chip poetry

Mini Lessons:
Haiku
Read Haikus
Portfolio: Write
Haiku based on
journal response

Portfolio: Write I
am poem
Mini Lesson: Tone
Prose vs Poetry:
Venn diagram
Portfolio: Write a
poem with your
assigned tone

William Blakes
The Tyger

William Blakes
The Lamb

Portfolio:
Annotations

Portfolio:
Annotations

Use a Haiku to
summarize

Use a Haiku to
summarize

Compare and
contrast The Tyger
and The Lamb
discussion
Venn Diagram
Turn in Poetry
Portfolio
Greek Roots Test

Introduce creative
writing:

Plot line

Mini lesson:
Suspense:

Mini Lesson:
Mood

Mini Lesson:
Plot Twists

Descriptive words
review

Read: The Raven

The Raven
storyboard

Character/setting

Edgar Allan Poe:

biography
Facebook page for
Poe
Greek roots
Watch The
Simpsons: The
Raven

Similarities and
differences between
Poes and The
Simpsons The
Raven
Greek Roots
Mini Lesson: main
character/ minor
characters

Put the pieces

together: Rough
Draft Due
Greek Roots
Journal: Define the
American Dream

Mini Lesson:
dialogue

Read: Paradox and

Dream by John
Steinbeck

Plot the events on a

plotline
Creative writing
workshop: scary
story starters

Write-around
groups; writing
train

Think/pair/share

Scary story: build

plot line

Mini lessons:
sensory details

Decide how you

want your story to
end

Scary story: build

background

Start your scary

story:
Character chart

Scary Story: embed

Dialogue into your
story (at least 10
lines)

Think of a fairy
tale/folklore and
plot it

Editing groups:
must be edited by 2
peers

Mini Lesson: Word

Choice
Short Story
Proposal due

Journal: describe an
old house: use
sensory details then
draw a picture. Do
they match?

Greek roots test

Silent reading: one
month to finish
your books

Mini Lesson:
Conflict
Scary story: write
the conflict of your
story.

Remember
figurative language

Scary story: setting:

draw a picture in
the minds of your
readers

Final draft due

Discuss book report

Dramatic reading of
scary story

Creative Writing
Quiz

Silent reading

Assign decade
groups (1950s-now)

Small group
discussion on
findings

Each decade
presents

Exit Ticket: What is

your conflict? man
vs. man, man vs.
nature, man vs.
himself
Greek roots test

Make revisions and

begin final draft

Read: The New

American
Dreamers by Ruth
Sidel
Free write: what are
your reactions?

Research the
American dream
from each decade.
How did this differ
for each gender?

Decades switch
groups (jigsaw)

Class definition of
the American dream

Group roles

Mini Lesson:
ellipses

Mini Lesson:
academic writing

Mini Lesson:
academic language

Mini Lesson:
opinions

Silent reading (last

day given to read in
class)

Analyzing
academic writing

Main idea

Read an opinion
piece: main idea

Academic
vocabulary

Greek Roots test

Work on book
report

Book Reports due

Book reports

Book reports

Book reports

Missing assignment
list distributed

Peer grading

Peer grading

Peer grading

Make up any
missing
assignments

Question/praise/
polish

Question/praise/
polish

Question/praise/
polish

Final assignments
due

Semester Two
3rd Quarter

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Greek roots

Background:
Shakespeares
world

Mini Lessons:
elements of drama

Mini Lesson:
soliloquy

Journal: greed is the

root of all evil

Pre-reading
Questions

Introduce the
character list

Mini Lesson:
human nature

Analyze
characteristics and
draw a symbol for
each character

Act one quiz

Greek roots test

Think about the

death of a wellknown person, how
has the public
reacted?

Students act out

scene 2

Mini Lesson: guilt

and paranoia

Act 2 and 3 test

Introduce William
Shakespeare:
Biography
Should the lack of
info affect the way
we read his works?
Macbeth
Read: Macbeth Act
1; scenes 1-3

Begin character
charting

Greek roots

Write a newspaper
story about the
death of Duncan:
Due Wednesday

Venn diagram:
Shakespeares
world vs our world

Read Macbeth Act

1; scene 4-7
Key characteristics
of Macbeth and
Lady Macbeth
Predictions
Journal: how would
you feel if someone
took your place? Or
position?
Read: Macbeth Act
3; scenes 1-3

Write a paragraph
explanation for
each
Read: Macbeth Act
3; Scenes 4-6

Silent reading
Journal reflection:
correlate the quote
what goes up must
come down to
Macbeth

Discuss Macbeth
Act 3; Scenes 4-6

What should we
expect in a
Shakespearian
battle?

Act 5 Quiz

Greek roots test

Assign Essay
Topics

Brainstorm Essay

Facebook project
due

Macbeth test

discuss

Read: Macbeth Act

4

Read: Macbeth Act

5; scenes 1-3

Discuss the attempt

to overthrow the
monarch

Think/pair/share

Greek roots

Perform Macbeth
as a Telenovela

Group: Rewrite
Macbeth as a
Telenovela

Finish Act 5

Peer critique

Discuss the witches

of Macbeth. What
would omitting the
witches do to the
story?

Silent reading
Final Essay Due
Macbeth review

Facebook project

Introduce
Persuasive Speech

Mini Lesson:
Thesis

Review MLA
format

Review Persuasion:
Ethos, pathos, logos

Practice writing
thesis

Brainstorm topics

Greek roots

Practice Speech
with partner

Speeches

Speeches

Speeches

Peer evaluation

Peer evaluation

Peer evaluation

Self evaluation

Self evaluation

Self evaluation

Computer lab:
research topic

Mini Lesson: Irony

Greek roots test

Distribute Topic list

Choose Topic
Homework: begin
to research topic

Critique

Must have at least 5

statistics

Revisions

Introduce Animal
Farm

Animal Farm
Vocabulary

George Orwell
biography

Guided Notes

1 page refection of
speech due for all
students
Mini Lesson:
Propaganda
Aesops Fables

Pre reading
Questions

Silent read Chapter

1

Thinking maps

Background to the
novel

Question

Read: Chapters 1-3

Read: Chapters 1-3

Read: Chapters 4-6

Read: Chapters 7-8

active reading chart

Seven
Commandments

active reading chart

active reading chart

Greek roots test

Read: Chapters 910

active reading chart

Mini Lesson:
Allegory info text
Seven
Commandments

4th Quarter

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Greek roots

Animal Farm Test

Get into groups for

the project

Create Propaganda
for each rule

Revise rough draft

Animal Farm: Test

Review

Introduce Project
Assign group roles

Rough Draft of
poster

Final Draft of
poster due

Group evaluation
Reflection

Group Presentation
Peer
evaluation/notes

Each group must

find 3 school rules
Study Skills 1:
Finding a Time and
Place to Study

Study Skills 2:
Taking Notes

Computer Lab:
Type work

Greek roots test

Silent Reading

Mini-lesson: notetaking/paraphrasing

Greek roots

Study Skills 3:
How to Study

Study Skills 4:
Managing Stress

Study Skills 5:
Process of
Elimination

Wacky words

Mini Lesson:
Critical Reading
Learning Style

Personality Quiz
Journal: what do
you think magical
realism is?

Gabriel Garcia
Marquez biography

Greek roots

Discussion: have
you read anything
else with magical
realism? (i.e. Harry
Potter)

Personality quiz/
learning style
reflection
Think/pair/share

Introduction to
Magical Realism

Elements of
Magical Realism

Read: Like Water

for Chocolate

Explore the history

Think/pair/share

Summarize

Guided notes

How is this the

same or different
than other genres
we have read?
Surrealism vs
expressionist vs
magical realism

Define elements of
magical realism

Greek roots test

Silent read

The controversy
surrounding
magical realism
Guided notes

Whats the
difference?

Magical Realism
review

Introduction to The
Alchemist by Paulo
Coelho

Quiz: elements of
magical realism

Universal Truths

Read: Chapters 6-7

Greek roots test

Universal Truths

Introduce group
presentation

Read: Chapter 13

The Alchemist Quiz

Chapters 11-13

Discussion/debate
Journal

Read: Chapters 1-3

Read: Chapters 4-5

Universal Truths

Universal Truths

The Alchemist
chapters 1-5 quiz
Discussion/ notes
Universal Truths

Greek roots

Read: Chapters 910

The Alchemist Quiz

Chapters 6-10

Read: Chapters 1112

Choose
Group/group roles

Universal Truths

Universal Truths
Work to finalize
group projects

Choose Religion

Presentation
Judaism

Presentation
Catholicism

Presentation
Christianity

Presentation
Buddhism

Group Evaluation

Group Evaluation

Group Evaluation

Group Evaluation

Peer Evaluation

Peer Evaluation

Peer Evaluation

Peer Evaluation

Reflection

Reflection

Reflection

Reflection

Presentation
Islam

Students must bring

in one song that
reflects on their
year (lyrics)

Think/pair/share

Peer edit

Write rough draft

Proofreading
symbols

Group Evaluation
Peer Evaluation
Reflection

Highlight 3
quotes/lines/lyrics

Work on final draft

One page write-up

due
Greek roots test
Introduce My
Personal Theme
Song Assignment

My Personal
Theme Song Due
My Personal
Theme Song
Presentations
Wrap up class