Intended for adaptation by teachers to suit their students' and their own strengths, this guide is a series of thematic units intended to encourage meaningful language use in an enjoyable and serious atmosphere in the ninth grade classroom. The guide includes many reading and writing activities that can be used in both the specific contexts in…

This paper presents creative drama activities based on Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" for use in ninth-grade English classrooms. The activities are divided into sections on improvisation, pantomime, image-making and creative drama, reader's theater, drama scenes, interior monologue, and producing plays. Each section of the paper…

Two ninth-grade English teachers developed a unit of study on the Holocaust that is rooted in an understanding of the concepts and consequences of indifference and prejudice. Activities in the unit of study use a variety of communication skills. Because the teachers have found that journal writing is an effective tool for reflection and a source…

Recounts the details of a teacher's feelings about leaving her class to go on jury duty. Tells how she related her jury experiences to the class and had the students interpret information from a short story in a mock courtroom presentation. (RL)

This paper responds to the fact that in some schools reading, grammar, literature, and vocabulary are still taught separately, despite instructions and staff development which suggest use of an integrated method. The paper first synthesizes research and field-based data, and then offers practical applications of activities which coordinate the…

This paper reports on a research study which attempted to determine whether competition could generate the same enthusiasm in the classroom (for learning) as it does on the playing field (in sports). Ninth grade world cultures students at Concord-Carlisle High School, Concord, Massachusetts were led to believe that they were competing in an…

This curriculum unit for Grade 9 combines the classic Shakespeare play "Romeo and Juliet" with three young adult novels: "The Outsiders" (S.E. Hinton), "Summer of My German Soldier" (Bette Greene), and "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" (Elizabeth George Speare). To complete the unit, all students will be…

Discouraged and dissatisfied with their students' responses to a compilation of Arthurian legends, two ninth-grade teachers developed an approach to teaching the legends that exposes students to numerous versions (including those written and illustrated for children) of the legends and allows them to pick their own Arthurian legend for reading and…

Designed to help classroom teachers implement the Alabama Course of Study for the social studies, this state curriculum guide covers two areas: the world geography and Alabama history. World geography looks at geographic themes and concepts, physical geography, human geography, the developed world, and the less developed world. Alabama history…

Introduces students in grades seven-nine to the sometimes ambiguous differences between abstract and realistic art. Explores ways in which the same idea can be expressed in both formats, using Cy Twombly's "Synopsis of a Battle" as an example. Students research a war and create both abstract and realistic pictures of the battlefield…

Provides a lesson plan that introduces students in grades seven-nine to artistic depiction of a specific time and place. Explores Joseph Mallord William Turner's "Burning of the Houses of Parliament" as both visual record and emotional interpretation. Lists instructional strategies for description, analysis, interpretation, and judgment.…

Presents an activity to introduce students to the intrinsic curvature of surfaces using a wide variety of objects. Describes student discoveries, several variations on the project, and possible classroom discussion topics. A reproducible student worksheet and 17 references are included. (MKR)

Based on the experiences of classroom teachers of theatre, the elective dramatics course described in this guide is designed to enhance ninth grade students' aesthetic awareness, social development, intellectual growth, and technical knowledge. Following a brief course description and overview, the guide presents complete instructions for seven…

This health education guide for grade nine is divided into six sections. A statement of the sub-goal for each section prefaces an outline for achieving that goal: (1) social-emotional well-being: to enhance self-awareness and increase skills that promote personal development and successful relationships; (2) physical well-being: to increase…

The ninth grade unit in Ukrainian as a second language, the third in a series, is designed as a teacher's guide for use in Alberta secondary schools. An introductory section outlines the unit's objectives. It is followed by six "concept" sections, each of which charts content and classroom techniques to be used in teaching time-related…