English, Grade 9, Open Level 

Curriculum Policy
English, The Ontario Curriculum, Grade 9, 2023

Course description:
This course allows students to further build and strengthen the essential knowledge and skills required for effective reading, writing, and both oral and visual communication. Throughout their studies, students will expand their media and critical literacy abilities while developing transferable skills, including digital literacy. They will also connect their learning to real-world experiences and broader societal issues, deepening their appreciation for the role of language and literacy across different areas of study.

Chapters and Descriptions:

•  Embracing the Journey
  This introductory unit focuses on listening and speaking skills, framing the course’s theme of “the journey.” Students will engage with a range of audio and video texts to explore the idea of “taking a leap” as the first step on a path toward new experiences. Through these activities, students will build skills in attentive listening, expressive speaking, and thoughtful analysis of media. Assessments include an origami listening activity, a communication analysis, and an oral presentation.
• Exploring Journey Themes
  Featuring a diverse anthology of poems, short stories, videos, and non-fiction, this unit delves into the theme of “the journey” in its various forms. Students will develop their analytical skills by connecting themes in the texts to their own lives and to broader world contexts. The unit also reinforces sentence and paragraph structure, evidence selection, and citation skills as students learn to construct well-supported arguments. Assessments include text analysis and connection tasks, an argumentative paragraph, and a mid-course reflection.
• Adventures in Travel Writing
  In this unit, students explore the world of travel writing, including its history and stylistic features. After studying different examples, students will analyze the codes and conventions in travel advertising and create their own travel ad. They’ll also discuss online responsibilities, rights, and safety as they reflect on digital citizenship. The unit culminates in a research project where students investigate a travel destination and compose their own travel article. Assessments include analyses of travel writing and advertising, creating a travel ad, a reflection on digital citizenship, and planning and research for the student’s travel article.
• Imagining Futures
  In this imaginative final unit, students choose between two speculative fiction novels that present visions of possible futures. Through these novels, they will explore genre elements, including setting, conflict, and character, and consider how fictional journeys can inspire their own lives today. The unit also includes step-by-step guidance on writing a formal essay. Assessments include an oral reading assignment, a terminology test, a creative conversation involving a character, author, and reader, and a structured, three-step formal essay.