English 9: read closely, argue clearly, write with control

A taste of a lesson on Determining and tracing theme across a text

The tutor asks, you answer, and it works from what you actually said. No videos to sit through.

The 57 topics in English 9 (High school)

Each topic builds on the ones before it. The tutor checks what you already know and starts there.

1. Using context and word structure to decode unknown words

   Teach students to determine unknown and multiple-meaning words using context clues: the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph, and a word's position or function in a sentence. Teach word-part analysis and the patterns of word change that signal different parts of speech and meanings (analyze, analysis, analytical; advocate, advocacy). Students practice inferring a meaning, then verifying it in context and in a dictionary.

2. Consulting dictionaries, thesauruses, and etymologies

   Teach how to use print and digital general and specialized references (dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses) to find pronunciation, precise meaning, part of speech, and etymology. Students learn to read dictionary entries, choose the sense that fits context, and check a preliminary meaning against both the context and the reference.

   Builds on Using context and word structure to decode unknown words

3. Figures of speech and figurative meaning

   Teach metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, irony, understatement, oxymoron, and euphemism, and how each works in context. Students interpret a figure of speech in a passage and analyze its role in the text. Include connotative versus denotative meaning as the basis for figurative reading.

   Builds on Using context and word structure to decode unknown words

4. Word relationships and nuances among similar words

   Teach that words with similar denotations differ in connotation, formality, intensity, and implication (e.g., thrifty, frugal, stingy). Students analyze these nuances and choose words for precise effect. Include word relationships such as synonyms, antonyms, and shades of meaning.

   Builds on Consulting dictionaries, thesauruses, and etymologies, Figures of speech and figurative meaning

5. Academic and domain-specific vocabulary

   Teach general academic words (e.g., analyze, evaluate, infer, claim) and domain-specific terms from history, science, and literature, and how to gather and use them accurately in reading, writing, and speaking. Students build a personal word bank and use new words precisely in sentences.

   Builds on Word relationships and nuances among similar words

6. Phrases and clauses for variety and meaning

   Teach noun, verb, adjectival, adverbial, participial, prepositional, and absolute phrases, and independent, dependent (noun, relative, adverbial) clauses. Students identify each type in sentences and combine them to convey specific meanings and vary sentence structure.

7. Parallel structure

   Teach that items in a series or paired ideas should share the same grammatical form (nouns with nouns, infinitives with infinitives). Students recognize faulty parallelism and revise it, and use parallel structure deliberately for rhythm and emphasis, as in famous speeches.

   Builds on Phrases and clauses for variety and meaning

8. Standard English conventions in writing and speaking

   Teach standard grammar and usage at grade 9: pronoun agreement and case, subject-verb agreement with intervening phrases, verb tense and consistency, modifier placement, and avoiding common errors. Students diagnose errors in their own and others' sentences and correct them.

   Builds on Phrases and clauses for variety and meaning, Parallel structure

9. Semicolons and conjunctive adverbs

   Teach using a semicolon, with or without a conjunctive adverb (however, therefore, moreover, consequently), to join two closely related independent clauses. Students learn the comma-splice fix and punctuate sentences correctly.

   Builds on Phrases and clauses for variety and meaning

10. Colons for lists and quotations

    Teach a colon as a signal introducing a list, explanation, or quotation after a complete independent clause. Students learn that the text before the colon must be a complete sentence and apply it correctly.

    Builds on Phrases and clauses for variety and meaning

11. Spelling conventions and correct spelling

    Teach spelling patterns and rules (prefixes, suffixes, silent e, doubling, ie/ei, homophones) and a method for checking and correcting spelling in drafts. Students apply the patterns to their writing and proofread for spelling errors.

12. Citation and formatting under a style manual

    Teach the conventions of a style manual such as MLA: in-text citation, works-cited entries, document format, and when to cite. Students format a short research paper's sources and check their manuscript against the guidelines.

    Builds on Standard English conventions in writing and speaking, Spelling conventions and correct spelling

13. Plot, character, setting, and conflict in literature

    Teach the core elements of fiction: plot structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), character, setting, conflict types, and point of view. Students identify these elements in a short story and explain how they work together.

14. Determining and tracing theme across a text

    Teach how a theme is a central idea or message about life, distinct from a topic or moral. Students state a theme in a full sentence, trace how it emerges through repeated images, conflicts, and details, and summarize the text objectively without inserting their own opinions.

    Builds on Plot, character, setting, and conflict in literature

15. Citing strong textual evidence

    Teach how to select and cite specific, relevant textual evidence (quotation, paraphrase, page or line reference) to support claims about what a text says explicitly and what it implies through inference. Students distinguish between evidence that is strong and thorough and evidence that is weak or merely summary.

    Builds on Plot, character, setting, and conflict in literature

16. Complex characters and their development

    Teach how characters with multiple or conflicting motivations change over a text, how they interact with other characters, and how their development advances plot or theme. Students track a character across a story and explain the turning points that shape them.

    Builds on Determining and tracing theme across a text, Citing strong textual evidence

17. Structure, order, and time in narrative

    Teach how authors structure a text, order events (parallel plots, in medias res), and manipulate time (flashback, foreshadowing, pacing) to create mystery, tension, or surprise. Students map the order of events against the chronology and explain the effect.

    Builds on Determining and tracing theme across a text

18. Reading poetry and drama

    Teach how to read poems (speaker, imagery, sound, form, stanza structure) and plays (stage directions, dialogue, dramatic irony, soliloquy). Students analyze how form and sound shape meaning and how a dramatic text differs from prose.

    Builds on Figures of speech and figurative meaning, Determining and tracing theme across a text

19. Reading and comprehending grade 9-10 literature independently

    Teach the stamina and strategies to read stories, dramas, and poems in the grade 9-10 complexity band independently, with scaffolding for the hardest texts: previewing, annotating, rereading, and monitoring comprehension. Students show independent comprehension of a challenging text and explain their reading process.

    Builds on Complex characters and their development, Structure, order, and time in narrative, Reading poetry and drama

20. Point of view and cultural experience in world literature

    Teach how a work from outside the United States reflects a particular cultural experience and point of view. Students read a work in translation or from another culture, identify cultural context (history, values, setting), and analyze how it shapes the perspective of the work.

    Builds on Citing strong textual evidence, Complex characters and their development

21. Comparing a subject across two artistic media

    Teach how the same subject or key scene is represented differently in two media (e.g., a poem and a painting, Auden's Musee des Beaux Arts and Brueghel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus), noting what each emphasizes or leaves out. Students compare two representations and explain the choices behind each.

    Builds on Determining and tracing theme across a text, Reading poetry and drama

22. How authors transform source material

    Teach how a later work draws on and transforms an earlier source (e.g., Shakespeare drawing on Ovid or the Bible, or a later author drawing on a Shakespeare play). Students compare a source and a derived work, identifying changes in plot, character, theme, and tone, and explaining their purpose.

    Builds on Citing strong textual evidence, Complex characters and their development

23. Central ideas and objective summary in informational text

    Teach how to determine the central idea of an informational text and trace how it develops through specific details, then write an objective summary that leaves out the reader's opinion. Students practice on articles and essays, distinguishing the central idea from the topic.

    Builds on Citing strong textual evidence

24. Explicit and inferred meaning in nonfiction

    Teach how to cite strong and thorough evidence for what an informational text says explicitly and for inferences drawn from it, and how to distinguish a well-supported inference from speculation. Students justify an inference with two or more pieces of evidence.

    Builds on Central ideas and objective summary in informational text

25. Structure and sequence of ideas in nonfiction

    Teach how an author orders points, introduces and develops ideas, and draws connections between them (chronology, cause and effect, problem and solution, compare and contrast). Students diagram the progression of an informational text and explain why the sequence is effective.

    Builds on Central ideas and objective summary in informational text

26. Word choice, tone, and rhetoric in nonfiction

    Teach how an author's specific word choices, including connotative and technical meanings, create cumulative effects on meaning and tone. Students analyze how diction shifts tone across a passage and how rhetorical appeals (ethos, logos, pathos) advance the author's purpose and point of view.

    Builds on Word relationships and nuances among similar words, Structure and sequence of ideas in nonfiction

27. Author's purpose and point of view in nonfiction

    Teach how to determine an author's point of view and purpose (to inform, persuade, entertain, critique) and analyze how rhetoric serves that purpose. Students identify the author's stance from word choice, selection of details, and framing.

    Builds on Word choice, tone, and rhetoric in nonfiction

28. Comparing accounts of one subject in different media

    Teach how the same subject can be told in different media (print, video, audio, multimedia) and how each account emphasizes different details. Students compare two accounts of one person's life or one event and explain what each emphasizes.

    Builds on Author's purpose and point of view in nonfiction

29. Evaluating the reasoning and evidence of arguments

    Teach how to delineate an argument's claims, reasons, and evidence; judge whether the reasoning is valid and the evidence relevant and sufficient; and identify false statements and fallacious reasoning (ad hominem, straw man, false cause, hasty generalization, slippery slope, bandwagon). Students evaluate a persuasive text and point out its flaws.

    Builds on Explicit and inferred meaning in nonfiction, Author's purpose and point of view in nonfiction

30. Seminal U.S. documents and their historical significance

    Teach the historical context, rhetorical structure, and enduring significance of seminal U.S. documents such as Washington's Farewell Address, the Gettysburg Address, Roosevelt's Four Freedoms speech, and King's Letter from Birmingham Jail. Students analyze how each document addresses its related historical circumstances and themes, and how the documents connect to one another.

    Builds on Word choice, tone, and rhetoric in nonfiction, Evaluating the reasoning and evidence of arguments

31. Reading historical primary and secondary sources

    Teach how to cite specific evidence from a historical source while attending to its date and origin, distinguish primary from secondary sources, and determine a source's central ideas and how key events develop across it. Students write an accurate summary of a historical source and note how its date and author affect its reliability.

    Builds on Citing strong textual evidence, Central ideas and objective summary in informational text

32. Analyzing sequences of events and causation in history

    Teach how to analyze a detailed series of historical events and decide whether earlier events caused later ones or merely preceded them. Students build a causal chain, test each link with evidence, and distinguish correlation, sequence, and cause.

    Builds on Reading historical primary and secondary sources

33. Political, social, and economic vocabulary and text structure in history

    Teach the political, social, and economic vocabulary used in history texts (e.g., sovereignty, tariff, suffrage, inflation) and how historical texts use structure (chronology, problem-solution, compare-contrast) to emphasize key points. Students define terms in context and diagram how a history text is organized.

    Builds on Academic and domain-specific vocabulary, Reading historical primary and secondary sources

34. Comparing perspectives and treatments across historical sources

    Teach how two or more authors' points of view differ on the same topic, including which details each includes and emphasizes, and how historical sources treat the same topic differently. Students compare two or more primary and secondary sources and state the differences and their likely causes.

    Builds on Author's purpose and point of view in nonfiction, Political, social, and economic vocabulary and text structure in history

35. Integrating charts and data with text analysis

    Teach how to read a chart, table, or graph alongside a written text and combine the visual data with the verbal analysis. Students check whether a text's claims match its data and explain what the data adds to the argument.

    Builds on Structure and sequence of ideas in nonfiction, Reading historical primary and secondary sources

36. Assessing reasoning and evidence in historical arguments

    Teach how to judge whether a historical text's reasoning and evidence support its claims, testing sources for bias, gaps, and selective use of evidence. Students evaluate a historical argument and state how well its evidence supports each claim.

    Builds on Evaluating the reasoning and evidence of arguments, Comparing perspectives and treatments across historical sources

37. Reading history and social studies texts independently

    Teach the stamina and strategies for reading history and social studies texts in the grade 9-10 complexity band independently: previewing, identifying the text's structure, and using vocabulary and sourcing clues. Students read a challenging history text on their own and explain the main argument.

    Builds on Political, social, and economic vocabulary and text structure in history, Assessing reasoning and evidence in historical arguments

38. Reading science and technical texts

    Teach how to read science and technical texts: identify the central conclusion, trace a complex process or explanation step by step, and cite precise details of descriptions. Students summarize a technical article accurately and explain how its explanation is organized.

    Builds on Citing strong textual evidence, Central ideas and objective summary in informational text

39. Following multistep procedures and technical symbols

    Teach how to follow a complex multistep procedure precisely, attending to special cases and exceptions the text defines, and how to decode symbols, key terms, and domain-specific words in science texts. Students carry out a written procedure step by step and note the exceptions.

    Builds on Academic and domain-specific vocabulary, Reading science and technical texts

40. Relationships among scientific concepts and author purpose

    Teach how concepts in a science text relate to one another (e.g., force, friction, reaction force, energy: cause, part-whole, dependence) and how to identify the author's purpose in an explanation, procedure, or experiment, including the question it addresses. Students diagram concept relationships and state the question a text answers.

    Builds on Author's purpose and point of view in nonfiction, Following multistep procedures and technical symbols

41. Translating between text, tables, and equations

    Teach how to translate quantitative or technical information in words into a table or chart, and how to translate a table, graph, or equation back into words. Students practice both directions and check their translation for accuracy.

    Builds on Integrating charts and data with text analysis, Relationships among scientific concepts and author purpose

42. Evaluating and comparing scientific claims and findings

    Teach how to assess whether the reasoning and evidence in a science text support its claim or recommendation, and how to compare findings across texts and experiments, noting agreement and contradiction. Students evaluate a scientific argument and compare two sources' findings.

    Builds on Evaluating the reasoning and evidence of arguments, Translating between text, tables, and equations

43. Reading science and technical texts independently

    Teach the stamina and strategies for reading science and technical texts in the grade 9-10 complexity band independently, including using diagrams and specialized vocabulary. Students read a challenging technical text on their own and explain its central conclusion and reasoning.

    Builds on Evaluating and comparing scientific claims and findings

44. Transitions, cohesion, and linking sections

    Teach appropriate and varied transitions and linking words, phrases, and clauses that connect major sections of a text, show relationships between claims, reasons, evidence, and counterclaims, and create cohesion. Students revise a draft so each section links clearly to the next.

    Builds on Phrases and clauses for variety and meaning, Semicolons and conjunctive adverbs

45. Writing a claim-based argument with counterclaims

    Teach how to introduce a precise claim, distinguish it from opposing claims, develop claims and counterclaims fairly with evidence, note the strengths and limitations of each, and conclude in a way that follows from the argument. Students draft an argument in a formal, objective tone with clear links among claim, reasons, evidence, and counterclaims.

    Builds on Citing strong textual evidence, Evaluating the reasoning and evidence of arguments, Transitions, cohesion, and linking sections

46. Formal style and objective tone

    Teach the features of formal, objective academic writing: avoiding slang, first-person overuse where inappropriate, contractions, and emotional language; choosing precise language; and maintaining a consistent register. Students revise a passage from informal to formal and objective.

    Builds on Academic and domain-specific vocabulary, Standard English conventions in writing and speaking

47. Writing informative and explanatory texts

    Teach how to introduce a topic, organize complex ideas into sections with headings or graphics where useful, develop with facts, definitions, details, and quotations, use precise domain vocabulary, and conclude with the significance of the topic. Students draft an explanatory essay with a clear organizational structure.

    Builds on Colons for lists and quotations, Transitions, cohesion, and linking sections, Formal style and objective tone

48. Planning, drafting, revising, and editing

    Teach the writing process: planning with a purpose and audience in mind, drafting, getting feedback, revising for the most significant problems first, editing for conventions, and rewriting or trying a new approach when a draft is not working. Students revise a single draft through two rounds and explain what changed and why.

    Builds on Writing a claim-based argument with counterclaims, Writing informative and explanatory texts

49. Writing narratives with technique and detail

    Teach how to engage the reader by orienting them to a situation, establishing point of view, and introducing a narrator and characters. Students use dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection, sequence events so they build to a coherent whole, use sensory and precise language, and end with a conclusion that reflects on the experience.

    Builds on Structure, order, and time in narrative, Transitions, cohesion, and linking sections, Planning, drafting, revising, and editing

50. Conducting short and sustained research

    Teach how to pose a research question (including one the student generates), narrow or broaden it, gather information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources using advanced search techniques, assess each source's usefulness, integrate information selectively, and synthesize sources into a coherent answer. Students plan and carry out a short research project.

    Builds on Citation and formatting under a style manual, Citing strong textual evidence, Planning, drafting, revising, and editing

51. Evaluating source credibility and integrating diverse media

    Teach how to evaluate the credibility and accuracy of sources presented in print, visual, quantitative, and oral formats, and integrate them into one understanding. Students judge which sources to trust and explain why.

    Builds on Evaluating the reasoning and evidence of arguments, Conducting short and sustained research

52. Using technology to produce and update writing

    Teach how to use digital tools to produce, publish, and update writing, including linking to other information and presenting it flexibly. Students publish a draft online and update it with new links and content.

    Builds on Planning, drafting, revising, and editing

53. Preparing for and leading collaborative discussions

    Teach how to come to discussions prepared by reading and researching material, refer to textual evidence to support contributions, and set group rules, goals, deadlines, and roles. Students plan a discussion and state their evidence before the group meets.

    Builds on Citing strong textual evidence

54. Propelling and responding in discussion

    Teach how to pose and respond to questions that link the discussion to broader themes, include others, clarify or challenge ideas, respond to diverse perspectives, summarize agreement and disagreement, and qualify or justify their own views. Students practice these moves in a seminar.

    Builds on Preparing for and leading collaborative discussions

55. Evaluating a speaker's reasoning, rhetoric, and evidence

    Teach how to evaluate a speech's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence. Students critique a recorded or written speech and state where its reasoning fails.

    Builds on Word choice, tone, and rhetoric in nonfiction, Evaluating the reasoning and evidence of arguments

56. Presenting findings clearly and adapting speech to context

    Teach how to present information, findings, and evidence clearly, concisely, and logically, with organization and style suited to purpose, audience, and task, and to adapt speech to formal and informal contexts while using formal English when appropriate. Students deliver a short presentation and revise for audience.

    Builds on Formal style and objective tone, Propelling and responding in discussion

57. Using digital media in presentations

    Teach how to use textual, graphical, audio, visual, and interactive elements strategically to enhance understanding of findings and reasoning, without letting them distract. Students build a short slide or multimedia presentation and justify each element.

    Builds on Evaluating source credibility and integrating diverse media, Presenting findings clearly and adapting speech to context

Practice questions in English 9 (High school)

A few of the kinds of questions you will work through, with answers.