Our Curriculum › Reading › 9th Grade
English 9: Literature
A year of high school literature built around close reading of novels, plays, short stories, poetry and a few nonfiction texts. Over twenty named works are read in whole or in part, with steady practice in theme, character, craft and literary-analysis writing.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
9 units
Each opens to its lessons
20+ named literary works
Many need a library card
Standards
Common Core Grade 9 reading & literature
What's taught, unit by unit
Foundations: evidence, theme & argumentDays 1–20
Strong and thorough textual evidence, how a theme develops, objective summaries, complex characters, cumulative word choice, world literature (starting with a Maupassant story), how authors transform source material such as Shakespeare, fallacies, foundational US documents, rhetorical devices and tone.
- 1 · Welcome to English 9: Strong and Thorough Textual Evidence
- 2 · Analyzing Theme Development and Refinement
- 3 · Writing an Objective Summary
- 4 · Analyzing How Complex Characters Develop
- 6 · Analyzing How Complex Characters Interact
- 7 · Analyzing the Cumulative Impact of Word Choices
- 8 · Analyzing Structural Choices That Create Mystery or Tension
- 9 · Introducing World Literature: Analyzing POV from Outside the US
- 11 · Analyzing How Authors Transform Source Material
- 12 · Delineating and Evaluating an Argument
- 13 · Identifying False Statements and Fallacious Reasoning
- 14 · Analyzing Seminal US Documents
- 16 · Analyzing Author's Purpose Across Genres
- 17 · Analyzing Rhetorical Devices
- 18 · Analyzing Tone and Its Shifts
- 19 · Comparing Two Interpretations of a Text
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Drama, poetry & literary devicesDays 21–35
How a play's structure creates meaning, a text compared with its film adaptation, foils, symbolism, extended metaphor, unreliable narrators, allusion, poetic form, sound devices, diction and irony, plus synthesizing several texts on a theme.
- 21 · Analyzing How a Play’s Structure Creates Meaning
- 22 · Comparing a Text to Its Film Adaptation
- 23 · Analyzing Foil Characters
- 24 · Analyzing Symbolism
- 26 · Analyzing Extended Metaphor
- 27 · Analyzing Unreliable Narration
- 28 · Analyzing Allusion
- 29 · Synthesizing Multiple Texts on a Theme
- 31 · Analyzing Poetic Form
- 32 · Analyzing Sound Devices in Poetry
- 33 · Analyzing an Author's Diction Choices
- 34 · Analyzing Irony
Plus 3 review days, not listed.
Short story, novella & To Kill a MockingbirdDays 36–50
Setting and conflict through Shirley Jackson's The Lottery and Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea; a read-along of To Kill a Mockingbird (motif, epigraph, juxtaposition, social issues); excerpts of Fahrenheit 451 and Lord of the Flies; writing a literary analysis thesis.
- 36 · Analyzing Setting's Role in Meaning
- 37 · Analyzing Types of Conflict
- 38 · Analyzing Foreshadowing
- 39 · Analyzing a Text's Central Argument About the Human Condition
- 41 · Analyzing an Author's Use of Motif
- 42 · Analyzing an Epigraph's Function
- 43 · Analyzing Juxtaposition
- 44 · Analyzing an Author's Use of Understatement
- 46 · Analyzing How a Text Engages With a Social Issue
- 47 · Analyzing Historical Context's Influence on a Text
- 48 · Evaluating a Text's Enduring Relevance
- 49 · Writing a Literary Analysis Thesis
Plus 3 review days, not listed.
Time, argument & war literatureDays 51–70
Frame narratives and nonlinear time in Slaughterhouse-Five, repetition in The Great Gatsby, ambiguous endings, King's Letter from Birmingham Jail, comparing nonfiction accounts, villains and restraint, then war narratives and trauma, including Bao Ninh's The Sorrow of War.
- 51 · Analyzing the Function of a Frame Narrative
- 52 · Analyzing Nonlinear Chronology
- 53 · Analyzing an Author's Use of Repetition
- 54 · Analyzing an Ambiguous Ending
- 56 · Analyzing Character Motivation
- 57 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Multiple Narrators
- 58 · Analyzing an Author's Argumentative Strategy in Nonfiction
- 59 · Comparing 2 Nonfiction Accounts of the Same Event
- 61 · Analyzing a Villain's Complexity
- 62 · Analyzing an Author's Use of Understated Emotion
- 63 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Contrast Between Characters' Values
- 64 · Analyzing an Epilogue's Function
- 66 · Analyzing a War Narrative's Perspective
- 67 · Analyzing How Literature Processes Trauma
- 68 · Comparing World Literature Perspectives on Conflict
- 69 · Analyzing a Poem's Response to Historical Events
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Satire, social themes & dystopiaDays 71–90
Satire and hyperbole, Of Mice and Men, economic and political themes in The Grapes of Wrath and Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451 as a warning, literature as a record of an era, suspense in The Lottery, circular structure in The Alchemist, character arcs, and a full single-text analysis.
- 71 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Satire
- 72 · Analyzing Hyperbole and Its Effect
- 73 · Analyzing a Character's Internal Conflict
- 74 · Analyzing an Author's Use of Understated Titles
- 76 · Analyzing Economic Themes in Literature
- 77 · Analyzing Political Themes in Literature
- 78 · Analyzing a Dystopian Text's Warning
- 79 · Analyzing How Literature Documents an Era
- 81 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Suspense
- 82 · Analyzing a Chorus or Collective Narrator
- 83 · Analyzing a Text's Circular Structure
- 84 · Analyzing a Character Arc
- 86 · Analyzing a Text's Central Question
- 87 · Analyzing an Author's Use of Understated Humor
- 88 · Comparing a Text's Beginning and Ending
- 89 · Synthesizing a Full Analysis of a Single Text
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Style, time & settingDays 91–110
Direct address, sentence length and rhythm, treatment of time (East of Eden), a central metaphor, multiple and contrasting settings (Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights), memory in The Great Gatsby, community, hope and despair in Anne Frank's diary, and a full-length independent analysis.
- 91 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Direct Address
- 92 · Analyzing a Text's Rhythm Through Sentence Length
- 93 · Analyzing an Author's Treatment of Time
- 94 · Analyzing a Text's Central Metaphor
- 96 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Understated Grief
- 97 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Multiple Settings
- 98 · Analyzing an Author's Deliberate Ambiguity
- 99 · Synthesizing a Comparative Analysis of 2 Texts
- 101 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Foil Settings
- 102 · Analyzing an Author's Use of Restraint in Description
- 103 · Analyzing a Text's Treatment of Memory
- 104 · Analyzing a Text's Portrayal of Community
- 106 · Analyzing an Author's Balance of Hope and Despair
- 107 · Analyzing a Text's Central Image
- 108 · Analyzing How a Text Complicates a Simple Idea
- 109 · Synthesizing an Independent Full-Length Analysis
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Plays, family & belongingDays 111–130
A Raisin in the Sun, Amy Tan's Two Kinds, and The Crucible, then identity, dramatic structure, resilience in The Old Man and the Sea, belonging in The Outsiders, parallel plotlines (A Tale of Two Cities), an unreliable frame, and a mid-year cumulative review and reflection.
- 111 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Restraint in Dialogue
- 112 · Analyzing a Text's Depiction of Generational Conflict
- 113 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Objects as Symbols of Change
- 114 · Analyzing a Text's Moral Complexity
- 116 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Understated Danger
- 117 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Withheld Backstory
- 118 · Synthesizing a Cumulative Review of Year-Long Reading Skills
- 119 · Reflecting on a Year of Literary Growth
- 121 · Analyzing a Text's Portrayal of Identity
- 122 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Dramatic Structure
- 123 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Foreshadowing Through Dialogue
- 124 · Analyzing a Text's Portrayal of Resilience
- 126 · Analyzing a Text's Portrayal of Belonging
- 127 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Parallel Plotlines
- 128 · Analyzing a Text's Use of an Unreliable Frame
- 129 · Synthesizing a Final Independent Text Analysis
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Justice, sacrifice, loss & forgivenessDays 131–150
Environmental themes, legacy, justice in To Kill a Mockingbird, sacrifice, withheld judgment, cyclical time, multiple timelines to finish Slaughterhouse-Five, ambition (Macbeth), memory triggers, forgiveness in The Kite Runner, elegiac tone, final images, and preparing for year-end assessments.
- 131 · Analyzing a Text’s Use of Environmental Themes
- 132 · Analyzing a Text’s Use of Legacy and Inheritance
- 133 · Analyzing a Text’s Portrayal of Justice
- 134 · Analyzing a Text’s Use of Understated Triumph
- 136 · Analyzing a Text’s Portrayal of Sacrifice
- 137 · Analyzing a Text’s Use of Withheld Judgment
- 138 · Analyzing a Text’s Use of Cyclical Time
- 139 · Synthesizing a Shared Theme Across the Year’s Texts
- 141 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Multiple Timelines
- 142 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Understated Loss
- 143 · Analyzing a Text's Portrayal of Ambition
- 144 · Analyzing a Text's Use of Objects as Memory Triggers
- 146 · Analyzing a Text's Portrayal of Forgiveness
- 147 · Analyzing a Text's Use of an Elegiac Tone
- 148 · Analyzing a Text's Final Image
- 149 · Preparing for Year-End Reading Assessments
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
Review, projects & celebrationDays 151–180
No new works beyond Things Fall Apart: cumulative reviews, a timed practice assessment and common-error review, explainer and applied projects (reading list, family book discussion, book review, literary-terms glossary), a reading presentation, celebration days and a final reflection.
- 151 · Cumulative Review: Theme and Character Skills
- 152 · Cumulative Review: Structure and Craft Skills
- 153 · Cumulative Review: Argument and Nonfiction Skills
- 154 · Cumulative Review: World Literature and Comparative Analysis
- 156 · Practicing a Comprehensive Mixed Reading Passage Set
- 157 · Timed Practice Reading Assessment
- 158 · Reviewing Common Analytical Errors
- 159 · Final Reflection on a Year of Reading
- 161 · Explainer Project: Teaching Theme Analysis
- 162 · Explainer Project: Teaching Textual Evidence
- 163 · Applied Project: Curating a Personal Reading List
- 164 · Applied Project: Leading a Family Book Discussion
- 166 · Explainer Project: Teaching Craft Technique Analysis
- 167 · Applied Project: Writing a Book Recommendation Review
- 168 · Applied Project: Creating a Literary Terms Glossary
- 169 · Completing a Final Applied Project of Your Choice
- 171 · Final Review: Theme, Character, and Structure
- 172 · Final Review: Craft, Argument, and World Literature
- 173 · Preparing Your Year-End Reading Presentation
- 174 · Delivering Your Year-End Reading Presentation
- 175 · Celebration Day: Reflecting on a Year of English 9!
- 176 · Celebration Day: A Favorite Text Revisit
- 177 · Celebration Day: Literature Around You
- 178 · Looking Ahead: English 10 Next Year
- 179 · Final Reflection: My Year in English 9
- 180 · Congratulations! You Completed English 9: Literature!
Plus 4 review days, not listed.
By the end of the year, your child can
- Support a literary analysis with strong, thorough textual evidence
- Trace how a theme develops and is refined across a whole work
- Analyze how complex characters, setting, structure and point of view build meaning
- Identify and explain symbolism, irony, allusion, motif and other literary devices
- Evaluate an argument in a speech or essay and spot fallacies
- Write a literary analysis thesis and compare two texts on a shared theme
Other 9th Grade subjects: Algebra I · English 9: Composition & Grammar · Biology · World History