Unit 1: Identity and the Bonds Between Us
In this unit, students will read a variety of literary and informational texts to explore the unit's theme. Students will read vignettes from The House on Mango Street and make thematic connections to identity and the bonds an individual forms. Close reading strategies will enhance students' abilities to analyze the development of characters, themes, and plot in prose. At the end of the unit, students will compose a literary analysis essay about character development and make explicit connections to text/unit themes.
Text options: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Speak, The Hate U Give
Unit 2: Storytelling and the Hero's Journey
In this unit, students will read literary and informational texts to examine how authors develop central ideas/themes. Students examine the structure and style of a Homeric epic as they engage in reading The Odyssey. The epic provides students with opportunities to explore universal motifs such as the longing for home, loyalty, the dangers of temptation, the triumph of cunning over strength, and the quest. Informational texts will increase students' understanding of the cultural values of Ancient Greece as well as the universality of the human experience. At the end of the unit, students will compose an original narrative using the conventions of an epic poem to create another stop for Odysseus on his journey.
Text options: The Autobiography of Malcolm X, The Contender, Dear Martin, Of Mice and Men, The Old Man and the Sea, The Hate U Give
Unit 3: Freedom
In this unit, students will build on their
knowledge of theme development by examining historical, cultural, geographical, and social
context in order to evaluate its impact on a novel and readers’ reaction to
it. Additionally, students will make personal connections to texts of study including March Book 1. The grade 9 service-learning
project is the culminating event for the unit wherein students will compose a
personal belief statement and create an action plan advocating for a
group/cause/belief based on what they know about themselves and what they
discover about their community.
Text options: To Kill a Mockingbird, March (Books 1 - 3), and/or The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Unit 4: Experience and Loss
of Innocence
In this unit, students build on their abilities
to trace themes throughout the text as they study Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Students will analyze the text in three distinct ways: by examining how the author manipulates time and plot to achieve dramatic effects, by evaluating the quality of literary criticism, and by examining the lasting cultural, artistic, and philosophical legacy of Shakespeare's work. This deep study of the text culminates as students synthesize how universal themes in "Pyramus and Thisbe," Romeo and Juliet, and inspired works of art and film have been depicted over time.
Click on the image above to see the Table of Contents for the Collections Grade 9 anthology.
Note: The BCPS ELA curriculum provides teachers and students with choices that allow for personalized, responsive, and engaging instruction. Students should read the majority of the unit's novel-length work(s) outside of class time. The suggested unit sequences and text options may vary.