Grade 9 ELAR
Unit 3
Title
Who are You?
Freytag’s Pyramid and Literary Elements
Big Ideas/Enduring Understandings
Writers of short fiction use various strategies to develop believable
characters.
Writers of short fiction use strategies to develop linear and nonlinear
plot structures.
Writers of short fiction develop themes that are implicitly present in
their texts.
CISD 2015-2016
Suggested Time Frame
2nd/3rd Six weeks
8 Weeks
Guiding Questions
Affective Questions How is human experience affected by demographics such as race, gender, class, religion, et al.? How can empathizing with experiences in non­fiction texts lead to greater understanding(s) of the world around us? Why is empathy a beneficial trait to have? Reading How does an author’s purpose for creating a text impact the structure, content, and tone of the text? How does the use of literary devices enhance an author’s purpose or message? Writing How can my opinion be supported and validated through short answer and expository writing? How can I benefit from the recursive nature of writing? How can I apply other authors’ techniques to enhance my own writing? Vertical Alignment Expectations
8.3
8.6
8.6 A, B, C
8.8
8.8.A
8.10
8.10.B
8.10.D
8.14.C, D, E
8.17.A
8.17.Ai
8.17Aiii
8.17.C
8.19
8.20
8.21
8.26 A, B, C
8.27A
8.28A
II.2
II.5
II.5 A, B, C
II.7
II.7.A
II.9
II.9.B
II.9.D
II.13.C, D, E
II.15
II.15.A
II.15.Ai
II.15.C
II.17
II.18
II.19
II.24
II.25
II.26
Sample Assessment Question
Students will be expected to use and explain textual evidence when answering questions like this one to make and support connections between fictional and nonfictional texts:
What impact does setting have on the mood of the fictional fable “The Happy Man’s Shirt” and the non-fiction narrative “A Story Full of the Stuff of Sorrow”? Support your
answer with evidence from both selections.
Reading
Writing
Writing TEKS
I.2
I.5
I.5.A, B, C
CISD 2015-2016
I.13.C, D
I.13.E
I.15
Conventions TEKS
I.17
I.18
I.19
Listening & Speaking TEKS
I.24
I.25
I.26
I.7
I.7.A
I.9
I.9.B, D
I.15.A
I.15.A.i
I.15.A.iii
I.15.C.ii
The resources included here provide teaching examples and/or meaningful learning experiences to address the District Curriculum. In order to address the TEKS to the proper depth
and complexity, teachers are encouraged to use resources to the degree that they are congruent with the TEKS and research-based best practices. Teaching using only the suggested
resources does not guarantee student mastery of all standards. Teachers must use professional judgment to select among these and/or other resources to teach the district
curriculum. Some resources are protected by copyright. A username and password is required to view the copyrighted material.
Ongoing TEKS
I. 3; I. 5 A-D; I. 6; I. 9 D; I. 13 A & B; I. 15 A.ii, iv, v, C. i; I. 17 A-C; I. 18 A, B. i - iii; I. 19; I. 24; I. 25; I. 26; Fig. 19 A & B
Knowledge and Skills
with Student
Expectations
I. 13 - ​
Writing/Writing
Process. Students use
elements of the writing
process (planning, drafting,
revising, editing, and
publishing) to compose text.
Students are expected to:
A. plan a first draft by
selecting the correct genre
for conveying the intended
meaning to multiple
audiences, determining
appropriate topics through a
range of strategies (e.g.,
discussion, background
reading, personal interests,
interviews), and developing
a thesis or controlling idea;
B. structure ideas in a
sustained and persuasive
CISD 2015-2016
Suggested Resources
District Specificity/ Examples
Vocabulary
Writing
Draft
Revise
Edit
Structure Ideas
Sustained
Students will structure ideas in a consistent Persuasive
and persuasive manner in both timed and
Outlines
non-timed situations.
Graphic
Organizers
Open-ended
Transitions
Rhetorical
Students will plan a first draft of an
expository essay.
Resources listed and categorized to indicate suggested uses.
Any additional resources must be aligned with the TEKS.
Textbook and Supplemental Literature:
● “The Pedestrian” by Ray Bradbury
● “Sticks” by George Saunders
● You Have Time for This: Contemporary
American Short Stories​
, edited by Mark
Budman and Tom Hazuka
● Flash Fiction: 72 Very Short Stories​
, edited by
James Thomas, et. al.
● Texts and Lessons for Teaching Literature​
,
edited by Harvey Daniels and Nancy Steineke
● “Deportation at Breakfast” by Larry
Fondation
● “Orientation” by Daniel Orozco
● “The Gift of the Magi” (Short story and radio
adaptation) by O. Henry
● “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner
● “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant
● “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allan
Poe
way (e.g., using outlines,
note taking, graphic
organizers, lists) and develop
drafts in timed and
open-ended situations that
include transitions and the
rhetorical devices used to
convey meaning;
I. 15 - ​
Writing/Expository
and Procedural Texts.
Students write expository
and procedural or
work-related texts to
communicate ideas and
information to specific
audiences for specific
purposes. Students are
expected to:
Students will write short answer responses
that analyze fiction pieces.
A. ​
write an analytical essay
of sufficient length that
includes:
Students will write clear thesis statements
for expository essays.
ii. ​
rhetorical devices, and
transitions between
paragraphs;
iv. ​
an organizing structure
appropriate to purpose,
audience, and context; and
v. ​
relevant information and
valid inferences;
C. ​
write an interpretative
response to an expository or
a literary text (e.g., essay or
review) that:
i. ​
extends beyond a summary
and literal analysis;
CISD 2015-2016
Students will clearly respond to analytical
prompts, providing textual evidence to
support their answers.
Students will write effective introductory
hooks for expository essays.
Introduction
Conclusion
Organization
Structure
Thesis
Hook/Lead
Turnabout
Quotation
Restate
Opinion
Connect
Comment
Substantiate
Support
Analytical Essay
Sentence
Structure
Transitions
Controlling Ideas
Purpose
Audience
Context
Relevant
Valid
Inferences
Detail
Quotation
Effective
Replace
Convey
Sample Activities and Lessons:
Teaching Plot Structure through Short Stories
Analyzing Character in Short Stories
Ten Steps for Analyzing a Short Story
Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading
Websites:
Purdue OWL: Writing about Literature
Tips for Close Reading
Insert
Express
Writing Conventions
I. 17 - ​
Oral and Written
Conventions/Conventions.
Students understand the
function of and use the
conventions of academic
language when speaking and
writing. Students will
continue to apply earlier
standards with greater
complexity. Students are
expected to:
Students will use and understand a variety
of sentence structures, including
compound, complex, and
compound-complex.
Students will correctly form sentences
using the subjunctive mood to express
doubts, wishes, and possibilities.
Parts of Speech
Use
Understand
Compound
Sentence
Complex
Sentence
Compound-Com
p
lex Sentence
A. use and understand the
function of the following
parts of speech in the
context of reading, writing,
and speaking:
B. identify and use the
subjunctive mood to express
doubts, wishes, and
possibilities; and
C. use a variety of correctly
structured sentences (e.g.,
compound, complex,
compound-complex).
I. 18 - ​
Oral and Written
Conventions/Handwriting,
Capitalization, and
Punctuation. Students write
legibly and use appropriate
capitalization and
punctuation conventions in
their compositions. Students
are expected to:
A. use conventions of
capitalization; and
CISD 2015-2016
Students will write legibly and capitalize
words correctly in their compositions.
Students will correctly use quotation marks
to indicate the use of direct quotes when
writing.
Students will use quotation marks to show
sarcasm or irony in expository writing.
Conventions
Capitalization
Punctuation
Marks
B. use correct punctuation
marks including:
Students will use dashes to emphasize
words or phrases in expository writing.
i. quotation marks to
indicate sarcasm or irony;
ii. comma placement in
nonrestrictive phrases,
clauses, and contrasting
expressions; and
iii. dashes to emphasize
parenthetical information.
I. 19 - ​
Oral and Written
Conventions/Spelling.
Students spell correctly.
Students are expected to
spell correctly, including
using various resources to
determine and check correct
spellings.
Students will use correct spelling, using
reference sources, such as the dictionary
or thesaurus, to check for spelling errors.
Reading
I. 1 - ​
Reading/Vocabulary
Development. Students
understand new vocabulary
and use it when reading and
writing. Students are
expected to:
Students will create analogies that describe
how an object functions or what it looks
like.
C. ​
produce analogies that
describe a function of an
object or its description;
I. 2 Reading/Comprehension of
Literary Text/Theme and
Genre. Students analyze,
make inferences and draw
conclusions about theme
and genre in different
cultural, historical, and
contemporary contexts and
CISD 2015-2016
Students will analyze how the meanings of
texts with similar themes are shaped by
the genre in which they are written.
Students will analyze how modern and
contemporary literature has been
Diction
Denotation
Connotation
Textual Context
Analyze
Distinguish
Expresses
Glossary
Thesaurus
Etymology
provide evidence from the
text to support their
understanding. Students are
expected to:
A. analyze how the genre of
texts with similar themes
shapes meaning;
influenced by mythic, classical, and
traditional literature.
Students will explore how the figurative
language used in a literary work reflects
the history and culture of its setting.
B. analyze the influence of
mythic, classical and
traditional literature on 20th
and 21st century literature;
and
C. relate the figurative
language of a literary work
to its historical and cultural
setting.
I. 3 Reading/Comprehension of
Literary Text/Poetry.
Students understand, make
inferences and draw
conclusions about the
structure and elements of
poetry and provide evidence
from text to support their
understanding. Students are
expected to analyze the
effects of diction and
imagery (e.g., controlling
images, figurative language,
understatement,
overstatement, irony,
paradox) in poetry.
I. 4 Reading/Comprehension of
Literary Text/Drama.
Students understand, make
inferences and draw
conclusions about the
structure and elements of
CISD 2015-2016
Students will analyze diction (word choice)
and imagery in various fiction pieces.
Students will explain the purpose and
effects of figurative language in fictitious
poetry..
Students will recognize and explain the use
of irony in various fiction pieces.
Students will understand and draw
conclusions about the structure and parts
of drama and back up their analysis using
examples from the text. They will explain
how dramatic conventions, such as
Imagery
Narrative
Understatement
Overstatement
Personification
Metaphor
Simile
Irony
Paradox
drama and provide evidence
from text to support their
understanding. Students are
expected to explain how
dramatic conventions (e.g.,
monologues, soliloquies,
dramatic irony) enhance
dramatic text.
I. 5 Reading/Comprehension of
Literary Text/Fiction.
Students understand, make
inferences and draw
conclusions about the
structure and elements of
fiction and provide evidence
from text to support their
understanding. Students are
expected to:
monologues, soliloquies, and dramatic
irony, add to drama.
A. analyze non-linear plot
development (e.g.,
flashbacks, foreshadowing,
sub-plots, parallel plot
structures) and compare it to
linear plot development;
Students will explain the purpose of
non-linear plot structures.
B. analyze how authors
develop complex yet
believable characters in
works of fiction through a
range of literary devices,
including character foils;
C. analyze the way in which
a work of fiction is shaped by
the narrator's point of view;
and
D. demonstrate familiarity
with works by authors from
non-English-speaking literary
traditions with emphasis on
classical literature.
CISD 2015-2016
Students will recognize and explain plot
structure (exposition, rising action, climax,
falling action, and resolution) of model
personal narratives.
Students will locate and discuss examples
of non-linear plot structure (flashback,
foreshadowing) in model personal
narratives.
Students will analyze the role of diction
and figurative language in developing
character, using model personal narratives.
Students will analyze the role of narration
and reflection in developing character,
using model personal narratives.
Students will analyze the role of dialogue in
developing character, using model
personal narratives.
Analyze
Characters
Fiction
Literary Devices
Character Foils
Narrator
Major Conflict
Evidence
Infer
Primary Purpose
Irony
Understanding
Textual Evidence
Support
I. 6 Reading/Comprehension of
Literary Text/Literary
Nonfiction. Students
understand, make inferences
and draw conclusions about
the varied structural
patterns and features of
literary nonfiction and
provide evidence from text
to support their
understanding. Students are
expected to analyze how
literary essays​
interweave
​
personal examples and ideas
with factual information to
explain, present a
perspective, or describe a
situation or event.
Students will understand, make inferences,
and draw conclusions about the elements
of literary nonfiction and use examples
from the text to support their analysis.
They will analyze how an author combines
personal experience and ideas with facts to
shape the essay’s message.
I. 9 Reading/Comprehension of
Informational
Text/Expository Text.
Students analyze, make
inferences and draw
conclusions about expository
text and provide evidence
from text to support their
understanding. Students are
expected to:
Students will summarize the main points in
model expository articles.
A. ​
summarize text and
distinguish between a
summary that captures the
main ideas and elements of a
text and a critique that takes
a position and expresses an
opinion;
Students will logically connect ideas and
details in two or more expository articles
related to a similar topic, supporting their
understanding with examples from both
texts.
C. ​
make subtle inferences
and draw complex
conclusions about the ideas
CISD 2015-2016
Students will distinguish between summary
and critique.
Students will distinguish between
well-supported and poorly supported
opinions in a text.
Summarize
Distinguish
Summary
Main Idea
Elements of Text
Opinion
Critique
Position
Ideas
Complex
Conclusions
Author
Sentence
Fragments
Article
Quotations
Figurative
Language
Details
Infer
in text and their
organizational patterns; and
Contradictory
Conclude
Organizes
D. synthesize and make
logical connections between
ideas and details in several
texts selected to reflect a
range of viewpoints on the
same topic and support
those findings with textual
evidence.
I. 10 Reading/Comprehension of
Informational
Text/Persuasive Text.
Students analyze, make
inferences and draw
conclusions about persuasive
text and provide evidence
from text to support their
analysis. Students are
expected to:
Students will distinguish between good,
credible evidence and poor, unreliable
evidence that supports or opposes an
argument targeted at a specific audience.
They will analyze famous speeches for the
structures and devices used to convince
the audience to agree with the author’s
argument.
A. ​
analyze the relevance,
quality, and credibility of
evidence given to support or
oppose an argument for a
specific audience​
; and
B. analyze famous speeches
for the rhetorical structures
and devices used to convince
the reader of the authors'
propositions.
I. 24 - ​
Listening and
Speaking/Listening. Students
will use comprehension skills
to listen attentively to others
in formal and informal
settings. Students will
continue to apply earlier
standards with greater
CISD 2015-2016
Listening and Speaking
Students will listen to a speaker, taking
notes that summarize the speaker’s main
points.
Students will write and organize
commentary to explain the speaker’s ideas
complexity. Students are
expected to:
A. listen responsively to a
speaker by taking notes that
summarize, synthesize, or
highlight the speaker's ideas
for critical reflection and by
asking questions related to
the content for clarification
and elaboration;
B. follow and give complex
oral instructions to perform
specific tasks, answer
questions, solve problems,
and complete processes; and
in a way that will allow them to recall and
understand the material.
Students will be able to give and follow
complicated verbal instructions about how
to perform a task or solve a problem.
Students will evaluate/judge whether or
not a speaker’s main idea and supporting
evidence are effective.
C. evaluate the effectiveness
of a speaker's main and
supporting ideas.
I. 25 - ​
Listening and
Speaking/Speaking. Students
speak clearly and to the
point, using the conventions
of language. Students will
continue to apply earlier
standards with greater
complexity. Students are
expected to give
presentations using informal,
formal, and technical
language effectively to meet
the needs of audience,
purpose, and occasion,
employing eye contact,
speaking rate (e.g., pauses
for effect), volume,
enunciation, purposeful
gestures, and conventions of
language to communicate
ideas effectively.
CISD 2015-2016
Students will speak clearly and stay on
topic.
Students will use eye contact, volume,
enunciation, and body language to clearly
express ideas when speaking.
I. 26 - ​
Listening and
Speaking/Teamwork.
Students work productively
with others in teams.
Students will continue to
apply earlier standards with
greater complexity. Students
are expected to participate
productively in teams,
building on the ideas of
others, contributing relevant
information, developing a
plan for consensus-building,
and setting ground rules for
decision-making.
CISD 2015-2016
Students will work successfully with
partners and small groups to analyze
various fiction pieces and expository texts
written by peers.