Course Introduction Transcript

English I (1 of 2) is the first semester of the ninth-grade English Language Arts course. This course covers reading, writing, and analysis using both informational and literary texts. As students read the selections in this course, they explore textual evidence, identify themes and central ideas, make inferences, analyze word choice, and recognize figurative and connotative language in a variety of texts. As part of the course, students read the early fantasy novel The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. Students also compare portrayals of both literary and informational content in different mediums. Grammar and usage lessons cover context and word function as clues to meaning, and the function of words in different domains and dialects. Students see how figures of speech can deepen meaning and how reference materials help build vocabulary skills.

Students complete two Writing Projects: a personal narrative (memoir) and a literary analysis. As part of preparing these assignments, students practice and produce both short and extended-length writing. This course helps students achieve a deeper appreciation of literary and informational texts, while preparing them for high-stakes testing.

• Central ideas in literary and informational texts
• Explicit and implicit meaning in literary and informational texts
• Evidence and inferences
• Figurative and connotative language
• Word choice, mood, and tone
• Author’s perspective and cultural perspectives
• Portrayals in different mediums
• Character analysis
• Vocabulary and grammar skills

Course Objectives

• Describe different organizational structures in texts and how ideas and events are shaped by those structures.
• Identify and describe themes, central ideas, and details.
• Complete writing activities and projects in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• Demonstrate comprehension of literature and literary nonfiction.
• Demonstrate ways to have effective discussions.
• Determine how an author’s word choice contributes to a text’s meaning, tone, and mood.
• Identify and analyze textual evidence in texts to make inferences.
• Identify subjects, key scenes, and portrayals in literary and informational texts across a variety of different mediums.
• Identify the meaning of words and phrases in a text.

Projects

• Personal memoir about a life-changing experience
• Analysis of a character in George MacDonald’s The Princess and the Goblin

Start Checklist 

To get started, please make sure you complete the learning tasks below.  

1. Review the video and resources presented on the Syllabus page.  
2. Click the link to read through the Student Course Overview, which provides more detailed information on what you can expect throughout the course.
3. If necessary, review the tutorials about using the LMS tools in the About tool.  
4. Start Unit 1 in the Home tag.  

Student Resources

• Book Report Tips
• Dictionary – Unabridged Dictionary
• Easybib – Assistance Creating Works Cited
• Etymology – A Dictionary that provides the History of Words
• OWL at Purdue – Assistance with Writing and Citation Formats

Below is a list of the technical skills you will need to have before taking the class:

• Basic computer abilities like using a mouse/keyboard and opening programs 
• Ability to navigate the Internet and use web browsers for research
• Ability to use word-processing applications or web-based equivalents for document creation
• Ability to copy/paste, use spell-check, and save/retrieve documents on a computer or web-based equivalent
• Ability to use communication tools like discussion boards 
• Ability to write and respond to emails and messages