Standard 5: Writing: Applications

(Different Types of Writing and Their Characteristics)

At Grade 9, students combine the rhetorical strategies of narration, exposition,
persuasion, and description in texts (research reports of 1,000 to 1,500 words
or more). Students begin to write documents related to career development.
Student writing demonstrates a command of Standard English and the research,
organizational, and drafting strategies outlined in Standard 4 — Writing
Processes and Features. Writing demonstrates an awareness of the audience
(intended reader) and purpose for writing.

9.5.1 Biographical or autobiographical narratives or short stories

9.5.2 Responses to literature

9.5.3 Expository compositions, including analytical essays

9.5.4 Persuasive compositions

9.5.5 Documents related to career development

9.5.6 Technical documents

9.5.7 Use varied and expanded vocabulary, appropriate for specific forms and topics.
Example: Write a formal and persuasive speech using words that will convince an audience to accept your point of view.

9.5.8 Write for different purposes and audiences, adjusting tone, style, and voice as appropriate.

9.5.9 Research report

Standard 4: Writing: Processes and Features

Students discuss ideas for writing with other writers. They write coherent and
focused essays that show a well-defined point of view and tightly reasoned
argument. Students progress through the stages of the writing process
(prewriting, writing, editing, and revising).

Organization and Focus

9.4.1 Discuss ideas for writing with classmates, teachers, and other writers and develop drafts alone and collaboratively.
9.4.2 Establish a coherent thesis that conveys a clear perspective on the subject and maintain a consistent tone and focus throughout the piece of writing.
9.4.3 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, and appropriate modifiers.
9.4.13 Establish coherence within and among paragraphs through effective transitions, parallel structures, and similar writing techniques.

Research Process and Technology

9.4.4 Use writing to formulate clear research questions and to compile information from primary and secondary print or Internet sources.
9.4.5 Develop the main ideas within the body of the composition through supporting evidence, such as scenarios, commonly held beliefs, hypotheses, and definitions.
9.4.6 Synthesize information from multiple sources, including almanacs, microfiche, news sources, in-depth field studies, speeches, journals, technical documents, and Internet sources.
9.4.7 Integrate quotations and citations into a written text while maintaining the flow of ideas.
9.4.8 Use appropriate conventions for documentation in text, notes, and bibliographies, following the formats in specific style manuals.
9.4.9 Use a computer to design and publish documents by using advanced publishing software and graphic programs.

Evaluation and Revision

9.4.10 Review, evaluate, and revise writing for meaning, clarity, content, and mechanics.
9.4.11 Edit and proofread one’s own writing, as well as that of others, using an editing checklist with specific examples of corrections of frequent errors.
9.4.12 Revise writing to improve the logic and coherence of the organization and perspective, the precision of word choice, and the appropriateness of tone by taking into consideration the audience, purpose, and formality of the context.

Standard 3: Reading: Comprehension and Analysis of Literary Text

Students read and respond to grade-level-appropriate historically or culturally
significant works of literature, such as the selections in the Indiana Reading
List www.doe.state.in.us/standards/readinglist.html), which illustrate the
quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students. At Grade 9,
students read a wide variety of literature, such as classic and contemporary
literature, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology,
poetry, short stories, dramas, and other genres.

Structural Features of Literature

9.3.1 Explain the relationship between the purposes and the characteristics of different forms of dramatic literature (including comedy, tragedy, and dramatic monologue).
Example: Compare plays with similar themes, such as the theme of prejudice in Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose and The King and I by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

9.3.2 Compare and contrast the presentation of a similar theme or topic across genres (different types of writing) to explain how the selection of genre shapes the theme or topic.
Example: Consider the theme of the relationship between nature and humans. Read different works on the theme, including a poem praising the beauty of nature (such as John Greenleaf Whittier’s “Snowbound”), a novel in which elements of nature play a large role (such as My Antonia by Willa Cather), or a play (such as Shakespeare’s The Tempest).

Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Literary Text

9.3.3 Analyze interactions between characters in a literary text and explain the way those interactions affect the plot.
Example: Discuss the development of the different characters in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations.

9.3.4 Determine characters’ traits by what the characters say about themselves in narration, dialogue, and soliloquy (when they speak out loud to themselves).
Example: Read works, such as The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 by Sue Townsend or Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, and describe the characters, citing specific examples from the text to support this description.

9.3.5 Compare works that express a universal theme and provide evidence to support the views expressed in each work.
Example: Analyze and compare selections from Russell Baker’s Growing Up, Ed McClanahan’s Natural Man, and Reynolds Price’s Long and Happy Life as variations on a theme.

9.3.6 Analyze and trace an author’s development of time and sequence, including the use of complex literary devices, such as foreshadowing (providing clues to future events) or flashbacks (interrupting the sequence of events to include information about an event that happened in the past).
Example: Discuss how Tennessee Williams uses shifts between narration and “in-scene” characters to tell the story in his play The Glass Menagerie.

9.3.7 Recognize and understand the significance of various literary devices, including figurative language, imagery, allegory (the use of fictional figures and actions to express truths about human experiences), and symbolism (the use of a symbol to represent an idea or theme), and explain their appeal.
Example: Analyze and compare figurative language in The Odyssey.

9.3.8 Interpret and evaluate the impact of ambiguities, subtleties, contradictions, and ironies in a text.
Example: After reading The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder or “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs or “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, discuss the ironies revealed by the story.

9.3.9 Explain how voice and the choice of a narrator affect characterization and the tone, plot, and credibility of a text.
Example: Read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and discuss the impact of Scout’s narration as the story unfolds.

9.3.10 Identify and describe the function of dialogue, soliloquies, asides, character foils, and stage designs in dramatic literature.

• Dialogue: a conversation between two characters
• Soliloquies: long speeches in which characters, on stage alone, reveal inner thoughts aloud
• Asides: words spoken by characters directly to the audience
• Character foils: characters who are used as contrast to another character
• Stage designs: directions and drawings for the setting of a play

Example: Define different dramatic literary terms in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Describe the function that these devices play to expound on plot, advance the action of the story, and reveal additional information about the characters.

Literary Criticism

9.3.11 Evaluate the aesthetic qualities of style, including the impact of diction and figurative language on tone, mood, and theme.
Example: Read one of the stories by Edgar Allan Poe, such as “The Cask of Amontillado,” to understand how Poe creates a sense of eerie foreboding.

9.3.12 Analyze the way in which a work of literature is related to the themes and issues of its historical period.
Example: Read selections that are connected to a certain period in history, such as “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving and Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Describe the role that the time period plays in these works and analyze the author’s perspective on the period.

9.3.13 Explain how voice, persona, and the choice of narrator affect the mood, tone, and meaning of text.

Standard 2: Reading: Comprehension and Analysis of Nonfiction and Informational Text

Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. The selections in
the Indiana Reading List (www.doe.state.in.us/standards/readinglist.html)
illustrate the quality and complexity of the materials to be read by students.
At Grade 9, in addition to regular classroom reading, students read a wide
variety of nonfiction, such as biographies, autobiographies, books in many
different subject areas, essays, speeches, magazines, newspapers, reference
materials, technical documents, and online information.

Structural Features of Informational and Technical Materials

9.2.1 Analyze the structure and format of reference or functional workplace documents, including the graphics and headers, and explain how authors use the features to achieve their purposes.

Example: After collecting samples of several different applications for employment from different area employers, evaluate what information the applications ask for and what this suggests about the skills the employers are looking for in an applicant.

9.2.2 Prepare a bibliography of reference materials for a report using a variety of public documents, such as consumer, government, workplace and others.

Example: Prepare a bibliography citing a wide variety of consumer, workplace, and public documents for a report on labor laws for children or for a report on the history and future of American innovation and invention.

Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Nonfiction and Informational Text

9.2.3 Generate relevant questions about readings on issues or topics that can be researched.

Example: Read about some of the different cultures described in African Beginnings by James Haskins, Kathleen Benson, and Floyd Cooper. Generate researchable questions about how and why the cultures developed as differently as they did.

9.2.4 Synthesize the content from several sources or works by a single author dealing with a single issue; paraphrase the ideas and connect them to other sources and related topics to demonstrate comprehension.

Example: Read three or more nonfiction texts about black holes: Black Holes by Heather Couper et al.; Black Holes by Jean-Pierre Luminet et al.; articles identified using the Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature; or an online database of articles. Take notes that describe black holes and identify quotes that can be used in writing a paper that cites the sources.

9.2.5 Demonstrate use of technology by following directions in technical manuals. Example: Locate and follow the directions embedded in word processing help menus for formatting text paragraphs, such as hanging indents.

9.2.8 Make reasonable statements and draw conclusions about a text, supporting them with accurate examples.

Expository (Informational) Critique

9.2.6 Critique the logic of functional documents (such as an appeal to tradition or an appeal to force) by examining the sequence of information and procedures in anticipation of possible reader misunderstandings.

Example: Evaluate a document that gives a set of expectations and rules for behavior. This could be a school’s code of ethics, an extracurricular organization’s constitution and bylaws, or it could be a set of local, state, or federal laws. Evaluate the way the document is written and whether the expectations for readers are clear.

9.2.7 Evaluate an author’s argument or defense of a claim by examining the relationship between generalizations and evidence, the comprehensiveness of evidence, and the way in which the author’s intent affects the structure and tone of the text.

Example: Analyze the language and images used in print advertisements or electronic media and evaluate how the advertisement is written and designed to convince a potential customer to use a product.

Standard 1: Reading: Word Recognition, Fluency, and Vocabulary Development

According to the Indiana Department of Education's Academic Standards for English 9

Students apply their knowledge of word origins (words from other languages or
from history or literature) to determine the meaning of new words encountered in
reading and use those words accurately.

Vocabulary and Concept Development

9.1.1 Identify and use the literal and figurative meanings of words and understand the origins of words.
Example: Understand figurative language when reading text, such as She shot me a glance that would have made a laser beam seem like a birthday candle. (Larry Servais)

9.1.2 Distinguish between what words mean literally and what they imply and interpret what the words imply.
Example: Analyze both the literal and the implied meaning of phrases when reading text, such as We had a permissive father. He permitted us to work. (Sam Levinson)

9.1.3 Use knowledge of mythology (Greek, Roman, and other mythologies) to understand the origin and meaning of new words.
Example: Use the story of Midas to understand the phrase the Midas touch. Use the story of the Iliad and Achilles to understand the phrase Achilles’ heel.

Research report

According to the Indiana Department of Education's Academic Standards for English 9

9.5.9 Write or deliver a research report that has been developed using a systematic research process (defines the topic, gathers information, determines credibility, reports findings) and that:

• uses information from a variety of sources (books, technology, multimedia), distinguishes between primary and secondary documents, and documents sources independently by using a consistent format for citations.
• synthesizes information gathered from a variety of sources, including technology and one’s own research, and evaluates information for its relevance to the research questions.
• demonstrates that information that has been gathered has been summarized, that the topic has been refined through this process, and that conclusions have been drawn from synthesizing information.
• demonstrates that sources have been evaluated for accuracy, bias, and credibility.
• organizes information by classifying, categorizing, and sequencing, and demonstrates the distinction between one’s own ideas from the ideas of others, and includes a bibliography (Works Cited).

Example:

Develop a research report on a specific event in history documented by the Smithsonian Institution, such as the Wright brothers’ first flights on December 17, 1903. Find primary sources through the museum’s Web site and then compare these to a secondary source, such as newspaper stories written after the event.

Standard 6: Writing: English Language Conventions

According to the Indiana Department of Education's Academic Standards for English 9

Grammar and Mechanics of Writing

9.6.1 Identify and correctly use clauses, both main and subordinate; phrases, including gerund, infinitive, and participial; and the mechanics of punctuation, such as semicolons, colons, ellipses, and hyphens.
9.6.2 Demonstrate an understanding of sentence construction, including parallel structure, subordination, and the proper placement of modifiers, and proper English usage, including the use of consistent verb tenses.

Manuscript Form

9.6.3 Produce legible work that shows accurate spelling and correct use of the conventions of punctuation and capitalization.
9.6.4 Apply appropriate manuscript conventions — including title page presentation, pagination, spacing, and margins — and integration of source and support material by citing sources within the text, using direct quotations, and paraphrasing.

Standard 7: Listening and Speaking: Skills, Strategies, and Applications

According to the Indiana Department of Education's Academic Standards for English 9

Comprehension

9.7.1 Summarize a speaker’s purpose and point of view and ask questions concerning the speaker’s content, delivery, and attitude toward the subject.

Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication

9.7.2 Choose appropriate techniques for developing the introduction and conclusion in a speech, including the use of literary quotations, anecdotes (stories about a specific event), and references to authoritative sources.
9.7.3 Recognize and use elements of classical speech forms (including the introduction, transitions, body, and conclusion) in formulating rational arguments and applying the art of persuasion and debate.
9.7.4 Use props, visual aids, graphs, and electronic media to enhance the appeal and accuracy of presentations.
9.7.5 Produce concise notes for extemporaneous speeches (speeches delivered without a planned script).
9.7.6 Analyze the occasion and the interests of the audience and choose effective verbal and nonverbal techniques (including voice, gestures, and eye contact) for presentations.

Analysis and Evaluation of Oral and Media Communications

9.7.7 Make judgments about the ideas under discussion and support those judgments with convincing evidence.
9.7.8 Compare and contrast the ways in which media genres (including televised news, news magazines, documentaries, and online information) cover the same event.
9.7.9 Analyze historically significant speeches (such as Abraham Lincoln’s “House Divided” speech or Winston Churchill’s “We Will Never Surrender” speech) to find the rhetorical devices and features that make them memorable.
9.7.10 Assess how language and delivery affect the mood and tone of the oral communication and make an impact on the audience.
9.7.11 Evaluate the clarity, quality, effectiveness, and general coherence of a speaker’s important points, arguments, evidence, organization of ideas, delivery, choice of words, and use of language.
9.7.12 Analyze the types of arguments used by the speaker, including argument by causation, analogy (comparison), authority, emotion, and the use of sweeping generalizations.
9.7.13 Identify the artistic effects of a media presentation and evaluate the techniques used to create them (comparing, for example, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet with Franco Zefferelli’s film version).

Speaking Applications

9.7.14 Narrative presentations

9.7.15 Expository (informational) presentations

9.7.16 Interview

9.7.17 Oral responses to literature

9.7.18 Persuasive arguments

9.7.19 Descriptive presentations

Descriptive presentations

According to the Indiana Department of Education's Academic Standards for English 9

9.7.19 Deliver descriptive presentations that:

• establish a clear point of view on the subject of the presentation.
• establish the presenter’s relationship with the subject of the presentation (whether the presentation is made as an uninvolved observer or by someone who is personally involved).
• contain effective, factual descriptions of appearance, concrete images, shifting perspectives, and sensory details.

Persuasive arguments

According to the Indiana Department of Education's Academic Standards for English 9

9.7.18 Deliver persuasive arguments (including evaluation and analysis of problems and solutions and causes and effects) that:

• structure ideas and arguments in a coherent, logical fashion from the hypothesis to a reasonable conclusion, based on evidence.
• contain speech devices that support assertions (such as by appeal to logic through reasoning; by appeal to emotion or ethical belief; or by use of personal anecdote, case study, or analogy).
• clarify and defend positions with precise and relevant evidence, including facts, expert opinions, quotations, expressions of commonly accepted beliefs, and logical reasoning.
• anticipate and address the listener’s concerns and counter-arguments.

Interview

According to the Indiana Department of Education's Academic Standards for English 9

9.7.16 Apply appropriate interviewing techniques:

• prepare and ask relevant questions.
• make notes of responses.
• use language that conveys maturity, sensitivity, and respect.
• respond correctly and effectively to questions.
• demonstrate knowledge of the subject or organization.
• compile and report responses.
• evaluate the effectiveness of the interview.

Expository (informational) presentations

According to the Indiana Department of Education's Academic Standards for English 9

9.7.15 Deliver expository (informational) presentations that:

• provide evidence in support of a thesis and related claims, including information on all relevant perspectives.
• convey information and ideas from primary and secondary sources accurately and coherently.
• make distinctions between the relative value and significance of specific data, facts, and ideas.
• include visual aids by employing appropriate technology to organize and display information on charts, maps, and graphs.
• anticipate and address the listeners’ potential misunderstandings, biases, and expectations.
• use technical terms and notations accurately.

Narrative Presentations

According to the Indiana Department of Education's Academic Standards for English 9

9.7.14 Deliver narrative presentations that:

• narrate a sequence of events and communicate their significance to the audience.
• locate scenes and incidents in specific places.
• describe with specific details the sights, sounds, and smells of a scene and the specific actions, movements, gestures, and feelings of characters.
• time the presentation of actions to accommodate time or mood changes.

Oral Responses to Literature

According to the Indiana Department of Education's Academic Standards for English 9

9.7.17 Deliver oral responses to literature that:

• advance a judgment demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the significant ideas of works or passages.
• support important ideas and viewpoints through accurate and detailed references to the text and to other works.
• demonstrate awareness of the author’s writing style and an appreciation of the effects created.
• identify and assess the impact of ambiguities, nuances, and complexities within the text.

Technical documents

According to the Indiana Department of Education's Academic Standards for English 9,

9.5.5 Write documents related to career development, including simple business letters and job applications that:

• present information purposefully and in brief to meet the needs of the intended audience.
• follow a conventional business letter, memorandum, or application format.

Example:

Write a letter requesting an informational interview with a person in a career area that you would like to know more about. Complete a job application form for a part-time job and attach a memorandum outlining the particular skills you have that fit the needs of the position.

Go to our business letter, semester 1

9.5.6 Write technical documents, such as a manual on rules of behavior for conflict resolution, procedures for conducting a meeting, or minutes of a meeting that:

• report information and express ideas logically and correctly.
• offer detailed and accurate specifications.
• include scenarios, definitions, and examples to aid comprehension.
• anticipate readers’ problems, mistakes, and misunderstandings.

Example:

Write a code of student ethics that outlines the rules of behavior for people in your school. Organize the document clearly, using headers and a table of contents. Include specific examples so that all students will understand what is expected of them.

Persuasive compositions

According to the Indiana Department of Education's Academic Standards for English 9,

9.5.4 Write persuasive compositions that:

• organize ideas and appeals in a sustained and effective fashion with the strongest emotional appeal first and the least powerful one last.
• use specific rhetorical (communication) devices to support assertions, such as appealing to logic through reasoning; appealing to emotion or ethical belief; or relating a personal anecdote, case study, or analogy.
• clarify and defend positions with precise and relevant evidence, including facts, expert opinions, quotations, expressions of commonly accepted beliefs, and logical reasoning.
• address readers’ concerns, counterclaims, biases, and expectations.

Example:

Write a letter to the principal or the president of the school board to persuade that person to support your views on some educational policy that has been adopted by the local school district, such as a dress code policy, a change to or from block scheduling, or a decision about grade requirements to participate in extracurricular activities.

Biographical or autobiographical narrative

According to the Indiana Department of Education's Academic Standards for English 9,

9.5.1 Write biographical or autobiographical narratives or short stories that:

• describe a sequence of events and communicate the significance of the events to the audience.
• locate scenes and incidents in specific places.
• describe with specific details the sights, sounds, and smells of a scene and the specific actions, movements, gestures, and feelings of the characters; in the case of short stories or autobiographical narratives, use interior monologue (what the character says silently to self) to show the character’s feelings.
• pace the presentation of actions to accommodate changes in time and mood.

Example:

Write a personal narrative showing an audience the story of a particular object of significance in one’s life.

Go to our autobiographical project, semester 1

Responses to Literature

According to the Indiana Department of Education's Academic Standards for English 9

9.5.2 Write responses to literature that:

• demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of the significant ideas of literary works.
• support statements with evidence from the text.
• demonstrate an awareness of the author’s style and an appreciation of the effects created.
• identify and assess the impact of ambiguities, nuances, and complexities within the text.

Examples:

Write a description of the characters of Jem and Scout Finch in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird from the viewpoint of another character, Boo Radley or Atticus Finch.

Write a comparison of different characters in a book, such as Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, explaining how they are alike and different and how each serves to move the plot of the novel forward.

Go to our response to literature, semester 1

Expository or Analytical Pieces

According to the Indiana Department of Education Academic Standards for English, grade 9,

9.5.3 Write expository compositions, including analytical essays, summaries, descriptive pieces, or literary analyses that:

• gather evidence in support of a thesis (position on the topic), including information on all relevant perspectives.
• communicate information and ideas from primary and secondary sources accurately and coherently.
• make distinctions between the relative value and significance of specific data, facts, and ideas.
• use a variety of reference sources, including word, pictorial, audio, and Internet sources, to locate information in support of topic.
• include visual aids by using technology to organize and record information on charts, data tables, maps, and graphs.
• anticipate and address readers’ potential misunderstandings, biases, and expectations.
• use technical terms and notations accurately.

Go to our analytical essay project, semester 1