English 9 is a writing-centered course on stories and story-telling that is intended to serve as an introduction to writing and reading in the upper-school. Students will become more familiar with the writing process by practicing a range of prewriting strategies, and will produce both analytical and creative pieces. Students will read texts from a number of literary genres based in several world cultures; this reading will help students begin to understand the relationships between texts and contexts. Students will also study grammar and vocabulary, both to support their writing and reading efforts and to prepare for standardized testing.

Texts

Bedford Handbook—Diane Hacker
Vocabulary from Classical Roots, vol. C— Norma Fifer & Nancy Flowers
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Sijie Dai
The Odyssey by Homer (translated by Robert Fagles)
Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
Poetry: A Pocket Anthology edited by R. S. Gwynn
Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare