New Hope Academy High School

Ninth Grade Curriculum Outlines

(Compiled from all faculty who teach 9th grade subjects)

Language Arts (English 9: World Literature I)

Students, will as in English 8, continue exploring various genres of literature from different areas of the world using a thematic approach to examine the pertinence of different literary subject matter on their own lives. Vocabulary skills will be expounded upon again, as in English 8. Greater emphases will be placed on writing, research and analytical skills through guided discussions.

Texts:

Shostack, Jeremy. Vocabulary Workshop, Level E. New York: Sadlier-Oxford, 2002.

Skiba, Laurie et al. (eds.) Literature and the Language Arts: Understanding Literature. Minnesota: EMC/Paradigm Publishing, 2002.

Various Novels Throughout the Year:

The Odyssey by Homer

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery

Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand

Mathematics

Texts: Saxon Math (see below)

Students in grades 5-12 are tested and placed in the level of math they will be most successful in. Students who are accelerated will be tested and given the opportunity to take more advanced math levels. Saxon is a comprehensive system through pre-calculus, which emphasizes learning in small increments and review of all previously learned concepts throughout the year. Each night's homework consists of many different types of problems from all previous lessons.

Math 8/7 (Saxon Publishers, Inc.)

Algebra 1/2 (Pre-Algebra) (Saxon Publishers, Inc.)

Algebra 1/Geometry (Saxon Publishers, Inc.)

Algebra 2/Geometry (Saxon Publishers, Inc.)

Advanced Math - Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus (Saxon Publishers, Inc.)

AP Calculus - Advanced Trigonometry, Analytic Geometry (Saxon & Wang)

Practical Math - Consumer Applications (Holt, Rinehart, Winston, 1998)

Science (Lab Science: Environmental Science)

Text: Holt Environmental Science (Holt, Rinehart, Winston, 1996)

The Holt Environmental Science text has been designed to provide students with a balanced approach to the diverse study of the environment. The emphasis in this program is the study of science and the development of thinking and decision-making skills. Our goal is to provide students with the science background they need to analyze for themselves many of the issues concerning our environment.

The following themes are emphasized:

Energy
Natural progression
Interacting Systems
Stability
Patterns of Change
Scale and Structure

The Laboratory Experience:

Holt Environmental Science Laboratory and Field Guide is designed to introduce students to the experimental side of environmental science. As students perform fieldwork and laboratory investigations, they will develop their process skills and learn to apply them to environmental problems. This practical, hands-on science framework supports and extends the conceptual learning that students gain by studying the test material.

The three basic kinds of activities include:

Laboratory experiments - students learn hands-on laboratory skills and scientific methods
Fieldwork exercises - students learn the important skill of observation and other skills used in real-world environmental science research
Issue-oriented classroom activities - students are required to think critically about environmental problems

Students participate in a 90-minute laboratory on a biweekly basis.

Social Studies: History (American History)

Text: Modern U. S. History: The American Vision (McGraw Hill, 2003)

The American History program has three basic goals:

To inform and excite students about our nation's past.
To promote respect for our nation's rich cultural diversity and for the contributions of diverse peoples to its history.
To strengthen student's critical thinking skills, and map-and-chart skills that are vital to subjects across the curriculum and to effective participation in a democratic society.

The following two courses have been taught some years as student interest and time allowed:

Economics

Text: Economics: Today and Tomorrow by Roger LeRoy Miller (Glencoe-McGraw Hill, 1999)

Psychology

Text: Psychology: An Introduction by Charles G. Morris and Albert A. Maisto (Prentice Hall, 2002)

Foreign Language: Korean

The Korean language program is designed for students to develop and polish their skills in reading, writing, and speaking the Korean language. In addition, students will be able to identify Korean language and culture through a variety of special activities.

Ninth through Twelfth Grade: Students will attend class five times a week. They will develop fluency in speaking, reading, and writing the Korean language. They will learn from Korean Textbook and Korean Reading III. They will learn to read, write, and speak a higher level of Korean.

Foreign Language: Spanish

Ninth through Twelfth Grade: Acquire knowledge of Spanish language step by step using the textbook, workbook, audio and visual aids and a Spanish/English dictionary. There will be several modes of instruction ranging from lectures to group discussions and activities in which all participate. This course is divided into Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced.

Memorize and apply the vocabulary and grammar of the Spanish language through oral, written, reading, and audio exercises. To review basic grammatical structures already studied followed by more advanced structures needed to acquire better proficiency. Classroom activities progress from drills to exercises of a more communicative approach. The course will consist of the following: Lecture by instructor, the use of the textbooks (Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced levels respectively), workbooks, oral activities, listening activities, Internet activities, written activities, and cultural activities.

Evaluation: Homework, project assignments, class participation, quizzes, textbook unit tests, midterm and final. Required Texts: Paso A, Paso I, II, and III (Prentice Hall).

Character Education

Text: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey

Health (including Marriage & Family)

Text: Health (Glencoe McGraw Hill, 1999)

Other Sources:

I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris

Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus by John Gray.

RQ: Relationship Quotient by Richard Panzer.

The focus of this course is making informed and healthy life choices. The course covers :

Fitness and nutrition
Mental and emotional health
Body systems
Growth and development
Medicines and drugs
Disease and disorders and injury prevention and safety
Healthy relationships

Information Technology

Information Technology is not normally offered in 9th Grade.

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Take a look at the curriculum for other grades in high school.
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