9th Grade

Course Descriptions

9th Grade Course Descriptions

English and Literature

ENGLISH I

The Freshman English course builds upon the writing process with a continuation of study in various essay formats within both personal and academic styles. Students assess their work throughout the year by building and maintaining a writing portfolio that encourages them to reflect on and refine their work. Elements of grammar and new vocabulary words are introduced through daily lessons and writing projects. This course is a one hour course that complements the one hour literature course.

LITERATURE I

Literature I explores the role of literature in expressing and reflecting multiple aspects of the human experience. Along with various short stories, essays, and poems from the textbook, students read several novels, with emphasis placed on word building, context clues, inferences, identification of central ideas, and improving comprehension skills through critical analysis. Each unit of study is designed to prepare students for upper level high school courses and the SAT and ACT exams.

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Math

ALGEBRA I

Algebra I students use functions to represent and model problem situations, set up equations, and use a variety of methods to solve these equations. Modules focus on solving linear equations and quadratic equations using models, tables, graphs, and algebraic methods. Goals of the course include helping students reach a comfort level in using the language of algebra and familiarizing students with problem solving strategies and techniques.

ALGEBRA IA & IB

Students may choose to divide the Algebra I curriculum over a period of two years by taking Algebra IA and Algebra IB. These courses use the same curriculum as the Algebra I course, while allowing for a more concentrated study of the mathematical concepts involved.

Science and Social Studies

BIOLOGY

Biology is a laboratory science course that covers the study of living things. The scientific process is emphasized along with biology’s connections to other scientific disciplines. Units in the biology class include the classification of organisms, the history of life on Earth, speciation, plant life, vertebrates and invertebrates, and the human body. Students explore these concepts through textbook readings, online and written assignments, projects, and hands-on laboratory activities.

AMERICAN HISTORY II

American History II provides a basic overview of American history from reconstruction to the present with emphasis on the democratic process, economics, geography, the impact of technological innovations, social events, and other issues related to each time period. Critical thinking and map skills are stressed, and historical insights are related to current events through the use of periodicals.