By the end of ninth grade, students who are making adequate progress in literacy are able to:

9.1 Recognize/identify correctly: characters, setting, conflict, resolution, theme and mood in a variety of short stores and novels.

9.2 Identify and interpret correctly the following forms of poetry: free verse, rhymed couplet, and Shakespearean sonnet.

9.3 Listen to 5-7 minute passage for information and understanding, demonstrated through their ability to speak and write about the listening passage (Regents essay one).

9.4 Interpret correctly a variety of quotes, and will prove or disprove the quotes to be true-based on evidence in literature (critical lens essay).

9.5 Write a persuasive essay expressing their opinion and supported with textual evidence (both fiction and non-fiction texts).

9.6 Use parts of speech and definitions to understand meanings of new words, demonstrated by their ability to write contextual sentences using the words.

9.7 Use context clues to define unfamiliar words in reading.

9.8 Write a 3-5-page objective research paper using a minimum of four sources.

9.9 Conduct online research and to evaluate web sites for reliability.Work cooperatively in groups of 3-5 in order to prepare and present information effectively to the class.