Course Syllabus

1. Department of Education
Jesús T. Piñero Community School
Cidra, Puerto Rico
Advanced English Program
Prof. Talía Méndez Hernández
Course Syllabus
I. General Information
Course Title: 9th Grade Advanced English
Credits: One
Textbook: Scholastic Read XL Student Book (Purple)
Scholastic Read XL Practice Book (Purple)
Writer’s Express
II. Course Description:
The underlying theory and instructional model of teaching within the English Program is Balanced
Literacy. This approach provides for essential skills and strategy instruction within the context of
meaningful, relevant, authentic reading, writing, and oral language activities and routines. As a program,
it is important to prepare our students for the real world and global community. In order to ensure
students are ready, functional literacy instruction will also be provided within the curriculum.
III. General Objectives: Content Standards
The English Program provides for the promotion of content standards. Each content standard promotes
various skills depending on the grade level. The material completed during the academic year integrates
the development of each content standard to accomplish the Program’s vision, mission and learning-
focused goals.
A. Listening/Speaking:
The student uses the English language to interpret oral input, construct meaning, interact with confidence
both verbally and nonverbally, and express ideas effectively in a variety of personal, social, and academic
contexts.
B. Reading:
The student uses reading strategies, literary analysis, and critical thinking skills to construct meaning and
develop an understanding as well as an appreciation of a variety of genres of both fiction and nonfiction.
C. Writing:
The student effectively communicates to a variety of audiences in all forms of writing through the use of
the writing process, proper grammar, and age-appropriate expressive vocabulary.
Prof. Talía Méndez Hernández 1
English 9th Grade

2. IV. Specific Objectives
The student:
L/S.9.1 Listens and responds to a read aloud from a variety of fiction and nonfiction to analyze character
development and setting, to determine tone, voice, and mood, and to make connections to the text.
L/S.9.2 Listens and responds to, analyzes, gives, and discusses complex instructions; constructs complex
sentences and statements to explain, describe, support, and discuss information; answers and formulates
closed and open-ended questions.
L/S.9.3 Uses appropriate language structures to problem solve, explain a process, and express opinions
integrating comparison and contrast statements; analyzes presentations.
L/S.9.4 Uses a variety of language patterns and structures to explain text, discuss topics and themes;
expresses thoughts and opinions to analyze plot, problem and solution, as well as make predictions and
inferences, and draw conclusions from listening to a variety of texts and multimedia sources.
L/S.9.5 Explains the main idea or topic and important details from learned concepts or readings of a
variety of expository texts; applies sequence of events to discuss and summarize text; compares and
contrasts topics from a variety of texts.
R.9.1 Analyzes the text, establishes purpose, states author’s purpose, and distinguishes between text
features.
R.9.2 Analyzes context clues, reference sources, and other vocabulary expansion strategies to assess
word meaning using prior knowledge to relate to new meaning; uses prefixes, suffixes, and root words to
determine the meaning of unfamiliar, multiple-meaning, and compound words.
R.9.3 Analyzes characters and traits; explains setting in fiction and nonfiction; distinguishes between first
person, third person, and omniscient point of view.
R.9.4 Organizes plot; establishes cause and effect relationships; makes connections, predictions,
inferences, draws conclusions, and classifies conflicts in narrative, expository, and persuasive texts.
R.9.5 Distinguishes between fact and opinion in narrative and expository texts; states and paraphrases
main idea and selects important details.
R.9.6 Uses elements of poetry and plays to analyze, interpret, and identify genre, imagery, and figurative
language.
W.9.1 Uses transitional words, phrases, and clauses to connect ideas when constructing complex
sentences.
W.9.2 Distinguishes appropriate and incorrect grammar structure; applies a variety of syntactic styles to
write.
Prof. Talía Méndez Hernández 2
English 9th Grade

3. W.9.3 Applies organizational patterns and the elements of descriptive, narrative, expository, and
persuasive forms of writing to construct a composition.
W.9.4 Uses figurative language; writes different styles of poems.
W.9.5 Uses basic editing marks and revising techniques; uses reference sources to verify information;
writes a final draft using the writing process.
Course Content
THEMATIC FOCUS – CONCEPTS ASSESSMENT
SELECTION
Out of this world • Vocabulary Test
Selection: War of the Worlds • Contractions Special Project: Science Fiction
The Martian Broadcast • Cause and Effect Movie Analysis
Genre: Play • Specialized Vocabulary
Non-Fiction Article • End Punctuation
A World without Limits • Vocabulary Test
Selection: Dreaming Aloud • Suffixes –tion and –sion Oral and Written Presentation –
Growing up Female • Make Inferences Analyzing a Song
Genre: Short Story • Action Words
Magazine Article • Simple and Complete
Subjects
Another Me • Vocabulary Test
Selection: Twins • Synonyms Special Project – Family Tree
The Science of Twins • Compare and Contrast
Genre: Photo Essay • Idioms
Textbook Selection • Adjectives ending in –er
and –est
Real-Life Hero • Vocabulary Test
Selection: Eileen Collins • Compound Words Oral and Written Presentation -
Space Exploration • Summarize Biographies
Genre: Profile • Irregular Past-Tense
Encyclopedia Entry Verbs
• Prepositional Phrases
The Real Me • Vocabulary Test
Selection: Broken Chain • Contractions
Tin Grin • Analyze Character
Genre: Short Story • Cognates
Essay • Irregular Verbs
Taking a Stand • Vocabulary Test
Selection: Warriors Don’t Cry • Antonyms Autobiography
When the Doors • Draw Conclusions Movie Analysis: Men of Honor
Prof. Talía Méndez Hernández 3
English 9th Grade

4. Opened at Central High • Time Words
Genre: Autobiography • Subject/Pronoun
Newspaper Editorial Agreement
Words of Understanding • Vocabulary Test
Selection: Opening Act • Connotation and Poetry Analysis
A song and poem by Denotation
Jewel • Cause and Effect
Genre: Short Story • Synonyms for Said
Poetry/Lyrics • Independent and
Dependent Clauses
Trial by Dust • Vocabulary Test
Selection: Out of the Dust • Figurative Langue Oral and Written Presentation –
Karen Hesse • Analyze Setting My Hobbies
Genre: Poetry/Nonfiction Article • Descriptive Words
Author Profile • Quotation Marks
Friendship On the Ropes • Vocabulary Test
Selection: Amigo Brothers • Specialized Vocabulary Oral Presentation – Free Topic
Should Boxing Be • Analyzed Plot
Banned? • Action Words
Genre: Short Story • Adjectives
Debate
Get to Work • Vocabulary Test
Selection: Animal Keeper & • Context Clues
Friend • Main Idea
Genre: Career Profile • Dialogue
• Subject and Predicate
Evaluation Criteria
EVALUATION CRITERIA PERCENTAGE (WEIGHT)
Partial Exams 60%
Written Presentations 20%
Oral Presentations 10%
Analyzing Skills 10%
Total 100%
The following scale has been established by the Department of Education to determine final grades:
• A – 100 – 90
• B – 89 – 80
• C – 79 – 70
• D – 69 – 60
• F – 59 – 0
Prof. Talía Méndez Hernández 4
English 9th Grade

5. Technology in the Classroom
Technology integration is essential to the teaching-learning processes in order to facilitate the
explanation, demonstration, and presentation of skills; provide students with practice in the skills studied;
and aid students in planning, creating, and presenting projects. The following activities are provided
sparingly according to unit lesson design:
• PowerPoint presentations
• Word processing
• Internet Research
• Movie Analysis
Academic Integrity
As a student at the Jesús T. Piñero School, you are expected to uphold the values of academic integrity at
all times. Academic integrity can be defined, in one word, as honesty. The principle of academic integrity
stretches beyond the limits of a classroom. Good students are honest with themselves, their teachers, and
their community.
The basic principle of academic honesty in the classroom is always to:
• submit your own work on time
• never cheat on an exam
• respect others
• avoid absences
• never plagiarize others work
Outside of the classroom:
• treat your teachers, peers, and other members of the academic community with respect
• and never damage or devalue school property.
If all students familiarize themselves with the concept of academic integrity, the Jesús T. Piñero School
will continue to be a friendly and happy place to live and learn.
(The provided syllabus contains information pertaining to the concepts and skills to be
completed during a complete academic school year. The material shall be completed
depending on time and material availability. This syllabus may be subject to change.)
©Partial or Full Duplication Prohibited
Prof. Talía Méndez Hernández 5
English 9th Grade