Grade 9 ELA: Identity

"Masks" by exfordy is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Ms. Danika Peters

Lethbridge Collegiate Institute

English Language Arts 9

Long Range Plan

Student Demographics:
 My 9-1 class has 28 students; 12 boys and 16 girls. My 9-2 class has 29 students; 11 boys
and 18 girls. Students are currently 13-14, with some turning 15 this year. These students come
from mixed cultural backgrounds and are not a homogenous group, and therefore instruction will
reflect this. It is important to note that LCI has a reputation for having a fairly conservative
population, especially since there is a high number of students part of the church of Latter Day
Saint faith. A “demographic” that has developed this year is the varied levels of anxiety (or
annoyance) with COVID-19 rules and regulations; this will be mitigated by maintaining clear
classroom rules consistent with health standards. I have three coded students; one with code 44
(Cerebral Palsy, Spastic Diplegia, and Hydrocepphaly), one with code 53 (social emotional), and
one with code 54 (mild/moderate learning disability). I also have two English Language
Learners in my classroom, as well as a handful of other students who have no official coding but
who access accommodations.

Overview:
At LCI, a big focus for grade nine is identity, and discovering who they are as they
establish themselves in high school. This is done in English Language Arts through traditions
such as: the Grad Letter, their Personality Square, and their Bucket List. Various outcomes in the
Program of Study complement these projects as students are to express and examine ideas of
identity both personally and critically. This LRP uses explorations of identity to develop all
strands of literacy; listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing, and representing. Due to
COVID-19, school-wide initiatives are limited this year; however, LCI’s “Green to Gold”
encourages students to explore their identity through five traits of an active LCI citizen: grit,
respect, empathy, responsibility, and growth. This LRP also follows LCI initiatives by
introducing students to their own “green” identity so they can emerge “gold” from their time at
the high school.

Rationale:

2020 has been a year of great upset and unknown for students and teachers alike. From
online learning to Zoom classes to not being able to see their friends as often, students coming
into LCI will likely be dealing with a lot of unknown variables(to say the least). On top of new
health and safety guidelines, the grade nines will be entering a new school . This semester will
provide students to investigate something constant in their lives: themselves. This collection of
units serves to answer the broad question of: who am I? As students enter LCI as “green,”
getting to know themselves and graduate as “gold,” to fulfill their place in the world, students
will spend their semester of ELA 9 contemplating their identity, and how this is both shaped as
well as a shaping force. Students will begin by investigating the base level of who they are by
questioning what makes them who they are. This will be done by keeping up with LCI’s tradition
of a letter to their future graduating self, a letter to their teacher, and, finally, a personality square
(another LCI tradition). They will then move onto setting personal goals, and why these are
important to who they are; students will complete this unit by creating a “Bucket List,” as well as
complete a piece of functional writing in order to aid in PAT preparation as well as provide a real
way of obtaining goals. Students will then be tasked with contemplating how their identity is
impacted by the act of overcoming obstacles by reading Pamela Porter’s The Crazy Man. The
Crazy Man also gives insight into the way in which the identity of individuals is affected by their
perception of others, and vice versa. Students will be immersed in reading comprehension in
both The Crazy Man novel study and the following unit; the fourth unit will center around
reading comprehension strategies and a play. This will prepare them for their mid term exam as
well. After this unit, students will complete a group project on collective identity by studying
Indigenous displacement, reconciliation, and resilience by studying texts of various modalities,
including a podcast; students will then create their own podcast in a group of 4. Students will
complete their final unit by delivering a “book talk” speech to their peers on the book they read
at the beginning of every class. These last two summative assessments will focus on both the
listening and speaking strands of literacy in order to produce a well-rounded semester.

Bell Times:
Division Calendar:

Semester Plan:

Legend:
Period 1 Classes
Period 3 Classes

Unit #1: Unit #2: Unit #3: Unit #4: Unit #5: Unit #6:

Who am I? How can I What is the How is What role How can I
achieve my importance character does share my
GLO: goals? of identity community identity?
1 overcoming developed in play in
GLOs: obstacles? literature? identity? GLOs:
SLOs: 2, 3, 4 1, 2, 4
1.1, 1.2 GLOs: GLOs: GLOs:
SLOs: 2, 3, 4 2 3, 5 GLOs:
Skills: 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 1.1, 1.2, 2.2,
Symbolism 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, SLOs: SLOs: SLOs: 4.1, 4.3
identification, 4.1, 4.3 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 3.1, 3.2, 3.3,
visual 3.1, 3.3, 4.1, 3.4, 5.1, 5.2 Skills:
representatio Skills: 4.2, 4.3 Skills: Peer editing,
n, Functional Reading Skills: public
writing, letter Skills: comprehensio Cultural speaking
addressing, Figurative n, visual awareness,
paragraph language elements, group
structure identification characterizati collaboration,
and creation, on speaking
personal
response,
critical
response,
essay writing,
reading
comprehensio
n

Calendar:

WEEK Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

S 1: Staggered Staggered Intro: Flex Friday

E 31-4 Entry Entry Expectations
P and Course
T Outline
E
M
B 2: Labour Day- Enneagram, Intro: Symbolism Symbolism
E 7-11 NO SCHOOL Letter to Your Expectations
R Teacher, and and Course “Identity” “Identity”
Symbolism Outline, short film short film
Letter to Your
Teacher, “The Curio “The Curio
Symbolism Shop” Shop”

Personality
Square

3: Grad Letter Grad Letter Grad Letter Grad Letter

14-18
Personality “The Raven” “The Raven” Addressing
Square Digital Digital envelope
Escape room Escape room
Symbolism Personality
review Symbolism Square
 review

4: Grad Letter Personality Personality Setting goals Functional

21-25 Square Square Writing
Addressing Bucket List
envelope Written Written Comparing
Response Response Written student
Personality Response examples
Square
C213

O 5: Setting goals Collaborative FW

C 28-2 FW Do/Don’t letter writing Assignment
T Bucket List List
O FW Writing time
B FW Collaborative Assignment
E Comparing letter writing start Edit time
R student (whole class)
examples Computer lab Computer lab
FW
FW Do/Don’t Assignment Due Friday, Due Friday,
List Start Oct. 9th Oct. 9th

Computer lab

6: FW Rent books Rent books Workshop: Workshop:

5-9 Assignment thematic thematic
Novel Study Novel Study statements, statements,
Writing time Booklet Booklet annotations, annotations,
paragraph paragraph
Edit time Personal Personal structure, structure, and
Response Response personal personal
Due Friday Bullseye Bullseye response response
Oct. 9th
Section 1 Section 1 Section 2 and Section 2 and
(Novel Study 3 3
Booklet)

7: Thanksgiving NO SCHOOL NO SCHOOL NO SCHOOL NO SCHOOL

12-16 - NO Section 4 and PT Interviews
SCHOOL 5
Section 4 and
5

8: Review of Review of Review Review Section 9 and

 19-23 Novel (so far) Novel (so far) Personal Personal 10
Response Response
Section 4 and Bullseye Bullseye paragraph
5 discussion Section 4 and structure
5 discussion Discussion: Discussion:
Section 6 discrimination discrimination Read section
Section 6 11 for
Section 7 and Section 7 and homework
8 8

9: Section 9 and Section 12 Section 12 Section 14

26-30 10 and 13 and 13 and 15

Paragraph Workshop: Workshop: Workshop/

structure narrative narrative review:
storytelling storytelling extended
Read section metaphor
11 for
homework

N 10: Section 14 Plot Diagram Plot Diagram Review how Review how
O 2-6 and 15 to fill out to fill out
V Review/time Review/time scantron scantron
E Workshop/ to finish to finish
M Review: Novel Study novel study The Crazy The Crazy
B extended booklet booklet Man Unit Man Unit
E metaphor Test Test
R Digital Digital
Escape Room Escape Room Essay Writing Essay Writing

Reading comp Reading -extra: -extra:

tips/how to comp compare and compare and
fill out a tips/how to contrast PAT contrast PAT
scantron fill out a examples examples
scantron

11: Essay Writing Remembranc Essay writing

9-13 SNOW DAY e Day - NO
COMPUTER SCHOOL COMPUTER
LAB LAB
Available on
Remembrance Teams for 9-2
Day help
Ceremony
 @10:45

12: Essay Writing Sentry Essay Writing “The Still Sentry

16-20 Alarm”
“The Fighting “The Fighting
COMPUTER Days” COMPUTER Reading Days”
LAB LAB Comp Quiz
Article Article
Analysis Analysis

Reading comp
tips

13: “The Still Review Review History of Essay due

23-27 Alarm” reading comp reading comp Residential
tips tips Schools in
Reading Canada
Comp Quiz Reading Reading
Comp Comp Indigenous
Midterm Midterm Texts

D 14: History of Kayak to Kayak to Visual Visual

E 30-4 Residential Klemtu Klemtu Representatio Representatio
C Schools in n n
E Canada Symbols Symbols
M Visual Visual Group Group
B Indigenous Representatio Representatio Projects Projects
E texts n n
R

15: Group Group Group Group

7-11 Projects Projects projects/ projects/
Prepping Prepping
book talk book talk

Peer edit Peer edit

16: Book talks Book talks Book talks Book talks Christmas
14-18 DER
Celebrations Celebrations
Group
projects due

Key texts (evolving):

“The Curio Shop” - William Kotzwinkle
“The Raven” - Edgar Allen Poe
“John Goddard” - YouTube video
The Crazy Man - Pamela Porter
“The Fighting Days,” “Sentry,” – Storylines 9, “The Still Alarm” – 2010 PAT
Kayak to Klemtu – CBC Gem
Survivors Speak - TRC Canada

Summative Assessments:
Personality Square:
Following an LCI tradition, the grade nines will complete a Personality Square
assignment that will be on display for their time at LCI. This consists of students creating
a visual representation of their personality and name in a square outlined by their grad
colour to show both individuality and community among the population of LCI.

Personality Square Written Explanation:

To create a deeper and more reliable assessment, students will fill out a reflection to
accompany their Personality Square that explains the meaning and symbolism of each
image they chose to include. Not only does this allow students to explain anything that
may be unclear, but it allows me to see the reasoning/thought process that students
engaged in when fulfilling the steps of the assignment. The process of reflection will be
scaffolded through formative and summative assessments throughout the unit.

Functional Letter Writing:

Students will gain valuable PAT preparation instruction as well as community
involvement through the process of letter writing. Skills will be scaffolded through
modelling, collaborative work, and self-reflection. This summative assessment will
include many formative checks along the way. Furthermore, the writing of letters gives
students a tangible way to reach goals outlined in their Bucket List.
The Crazy Man Novel Study booklet
This booklet will scaffold students to the outcomes and skills assessed in their Essay
Writing summative assessment at the end of this unit, as well as build necessary reading
comprehension skills, such as annotations and figurative language knowledge.

Essay Writing Assignment

Students will use class time to write a response in the form of an essay about the
importance of overcoming obstacles, building necessary essay-writing skills as well as
preparing them for their PAT examination in January. These skills will be scaffolded
through modelling, whole-class collaboration, and self-reflection.

The Crazy Man unit test

This test will assess the culmination of reading comprehension skills developed in the
novel study. Questions from the unit test will be directly tied to discussion topics, and to
excerpts from their novel study booklet.

Midterm
While not technically happening in the middle of my term at LCI, the midterm is a
mandatory grade nine test that occurs roughly in the middle of their high school semester.
The test is premade, and consists of multiple choice questions similar to those found on
the PAT. This accounts for 5% of their grade. This will be the summative assessment of
their short Reading Comprehension unit, as these skills will have been scaffolded
throughout other units as well (such as The Crazy Man).

Group Narrative Project

This project will be the summative assessment of unit #5 and will assess students’
narrative writing as well as their ability to work in a group (peer assessment). This
assignment will address: what is the importance of collective identity?. This assessment
will also address TQS #5. The collaboration for this group project will happen primarily
online in order to maintain AHS COVID-19 guidelines. Video modality will be open-
ended as long as it is verified with me.
Book talk
Every morning, students silently read for the first ten minutes of class. In order to
incentivize this, students will complete a Book Talk, where they speak for 5 minutes in
front of their classmates about a/the book they read this semester, a synopsis (without
giving away the end), and whether or not they recommend it to a friend. This will
conclude the summative assessments for my time at LCI.

Assessment Weighting
Coursework: 70%
Midterm: 5%
Provincial Achievement Test: 25%

Classroom Climate Plan:

Classroom management will be heavily influenced by COVID-19 protocols this year.
Students must:
- Remain seated in their desks during class time
- Sit in a predetermined seating plan (starting off alphabetical and altered if needed)
- Wear a mask at all times, excluding when taking a drink of water
Students will be given a fifteen-minute break in the middle of their three hour class, and
two five-minute brain breaks embedded in the lesson. Students will have the option of going
outside for their break, but all students will have to stick together for break so I can supervise
them.
Relationships have been built by first introducing a “Letter to Your Teacher” assignment
by reading a letter that I had written to students. Students had an opportunity to share important
things about themselves with me, including how they learn best and how their life was affected
by COVID; students also shared “Beefs and Bouquets” they had with their time off school due to
COVID. Relationships will continue to be built by creating a fair and safe learning environment
for all students, and continuing to engage with students to get to know the human under the
mask. This also means meeting students where they are at, and handling things like late
assignments on a case-by-case basis due to varying circumstances. Students will be informed that
if they know they cannot finish an assignment on time, they should let me know ahead of time so
that we can work out a plan together; LCI does not have a blanket late policy that needs to be
followed and therefore I have some freedom to establish my own rules. Furthermore,
accommodations will be available for students and dealt with on an individual basis. Students
with ISPs will be accommodated for in every lesson, whether that be in a universal or
differentiated way.