Grade 9 Curriculum Guide

Week 1
Anglo-American Literature

OBJECTIVES
Charting the course of your journey in this lesson, you are expected to:
● share prior knowledge about the topic
● process information in the text you have heard
● perform task by following instruction
● infer thoughts, feelings, and intentions in the material to view
● provide words or expressions for a given situation
● analyze literature, as a means of discovering the self
● point out the distinguishing features of a poem
● distinguish between and among informative, journalistic, and literary writing
● use the appropriate stress in delivering lines of poetry and prose
● use capitalization and punctuations correctly

DAY 1
Introduction to Anglo-American Literature
Initial Task
RIDDLE GAME!
Read each statement carefully, and provide the missing letter.
1. I am the first letter of sweet.
2. I’m in the middle of young.
3-4. I’ve been used twice in clock
5. you’ll find me in bear but not in boar
6-7. I am the first and the last letter of shoes.
Put the letters together to come up with the answer to this riddle.

What is literature?
Literature, a body of written works. The name has traditionally been applied to those
imaginative works of poetry and prose distinguished by the intentions of their authors
and the perceived aesthetic excellence of their execution. Literature may be classified
according to a variety of systems, including language, national origin, historical
period, genre, and subject matter.
Example:
Romeo and Juliet
By: William Shakespeare

What is Anglo-America?
The term Anglo-America frequently refers specifically to the United States
and Canada, by far the two most populous English-speaking countries in North
America. Other areas composing the Anglophone Caribbean include territories of the
former British West Indies, Belize, Bermuda, and Guyana.
Two notable territories with substantial non-Anglophone majorities are nonetheless
often included in Anglo-America for non-linguistic reasons. In Canada,
the francophone province of Quebec, Acadia in New Brunswick and a part
of Cochrane District are sometimes considered part of Anglo-America
for cultural, economic, geographical, historical, and political reasons. Similarly,
Spanish-speaking Puerto Rico is considered part of Anglo-America because of its status
as an unincorporated territory of the United States. Conversely, Sint Eustatius, Sint
Maarten, and Saba are not typically included in Anglo-America, despite their English-
speaking majorities, because they are constituent countries or public bodies that form
part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

What is Anglo-American Literature?

Authors and its Literary Works
Anglo or English Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to the Angles, England, the
English people, or the English language, such as in the term Anglo-Saxon language. It
is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people of British Isles descent in The
Americas, New Zealand and Australia.
Day 2
Discussion

What is the difference between poem and poetry?

Poetry is the use of words and language to evoke a writer’s feelings and thoughts,
while a poem is the arrangement of these words.
Poetry is the process of creating a literary piece using metaphor, symbols and
ambiguity, while a poem is the end result of this process.

● Basic Elements of Poetry

- Rhythm: This is the music made by the statements of the poem, which includes the
syllables in the lines.
Ex: Because I could not stop for death
He kindly stopped for me
The carriage held but just ourselves
And immortality

- Meter: Every line in the poem must adhere to this structure. A poem is made up of
blocks of lines, which convey a single strand of thought.
Ex: Come live I With me I And be I My love
Tell me I Not in I Mournful I Numbers

- Stanza: Defined as a smaller unit or group of lines or paragraph in a poem.

Ex:

A poem is a little path

That leads you through the trees.
It takes you to the cliff and shores,
To anywhere you please.
Follow it and trust your way
With mine and heart as one,
And when the journey’s over,
You’ll find you’ve just begun.

- Rhyme: A poem may or may not have a rhyme. Rhyme is basically similar sounding
words.
Ex: A mighty creature is the germ,
Though smaller than the pachyderm.
His customary dwelling place
Is deep within the human race.
His childish pride he often pleases
By giving people strange diseases.
Do you, my poppet, feel infirm?
You probably contain a germ.
(The germ by Ogden Nash)

- Rhyme Scheme: It is defined as the pattern of rhyme.

Ex: A mighty creature is the germ, a
Though smaller than the pachyderm. a
His customary dwelling place b
Is deep within the human race. b
His childish pride he often pleases c
By giving people strange diseases. c
Do you, my poppet, feel infirm? a
You probably contain a germ. a
(The germ by Ogden Nash)
- Theme: This is what the poem is all about.
Ex:
Love, Hate, Fate, Authority, Youth and age.

- Symbolism: Often poem will convey ideas and thoughts using symbols.
Ex:
I’m the moon,
She’s the sun.
She gives me light
On the darkest nights.

- Imagery: this device is used by the poet for readers to create an image in their
imagination.
Ex:
What do I dream of?
- I dream of a mind as peaceful as a meadow

Figure of Speech
Simile- Comparing two unlike things using like or as
Ex: lovely as a tree
My backpack was like a bag of bricks
Metaphor- Stating two things are similar.
Ex: The strawberry was a fresh summer day
Assignment:
1. Research the poem “Success is Counted Sweetest” by Emily Dickinson.
2. Write an essay on what you are expecting in our next lesson about the poem

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Day 3
Discussion

Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson is one of America’s greatest and most original poets of all time. She
took definition as her province and challenged the existing definitions of poetry and the
poet’s work. Like writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau,
and Walt Whitman, she experimented with expression in order to free it from
conventional restraints. Like writers such as Charlotte Brontë and Elizabeth Barrett
Browning, she crafted a new type of persona for the first person. The speakers in
Dickinson’s poetry, like those in Brontë’s and Browning’s works, are sharp-sighted
observers who see the inescapable limitations of their societies as well as their
imagined and imaginable escapes. To make the abstract tangible, to define meaning
without confining it, to inhabit a house that never became a prison, Dickinson created in
her writing a distinctively elliptical language for expressing what was possible but not yet
realized. Like the Concord Transcendentalists whose works she knew well, she saw
poetry as a double-edged sword. While it liberated the individual, it as readily left him
ungrounded. The literary marketplace, however, offered new ground for her work in the
last decade of the 19th century. When the first volume of her poetry was published in
1890, four years after her death, it met with stunning success. Going through eleven
editions in less than two years, the poems eventually extended far beyond their first
household audiences.

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, on December 10, 1830
to Edward and Emily (Norcross) Dickinson. At the time of her birth, Emily’s father was
an ambitious young lawyer. Educated at Amherst and Yale, he returned to his
hometown and joined the ailing law practice of his father, Samuel Fowler Dickinson.
Edward also joined his father in the family home, the Homestead, built by Samuel
Dickinson in 1813. Active in the Whig Party, Edward Dickinson was elected to the
Massachusetts State Legislature (1837-1839) and the Massachusetts State Senate
(1842-1843). Between 1852 and 1855 he served a single term as a representative from
Massachusetts to the U.S. Congress. In Amherst he presented himself as a model
citizen and prided himself on his civic work—treasurer of Amherst College, supporter of
Amherst Academy, secretary to the Fire Society, and chairman of the annual Cattle
Show. Comparatively little is known of Emily’s mother, who is often represented as the
passive wife of a domineering husband. Her few surviving letters suggest a different
picture, as does the scant information about her early education at Monson Academy.
Academy papers and records discovered by Martha Ackmann reveal a young woman
dedicated to her studies, particularly in the sciences.

Success is Counted Sweetest (112)

By: Emily Dickinson

Success is counted sweetest

By those who ne’er succeed.
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need.

Not one of all the purple Host

Who look the Flag today
Can tell the definition
So clear of victory
As he defeated – dying –
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Burst agonized and clear.

Questions
1. Upon reading, what might have influenced the author to write the poem?
2. Has the author accomplished what she wants to convey through this poem?
3. How do you reflect yourself to the poem?

Activity 1
Many successful people influenced you, they inspire you because they have achieved
something special in the field that also interest you.
● Group yourselves into 5
● in 5 minutes, discuss the following questions with your groupmates.

1. You most probably have the best plans for your life at home, in school, in your career
and family because you have goals to perform. What could these goals for?
2. Discuss to the group your individual success that you achieved in your lives.
3. Who among your groupmates inspires you the most?
4. List the qualities of this person who inspires you.
Activity 2

If there’s any, box the Metaphor/s , underline the simile/s, encircle the imagery/s , or
cross out the symbolism/s used in the poem.

Success is Counted Sweetest (112)

By: Emily Dickinson

Success is counted sweetest

By those who ne’er succeed.
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need.

Not one of all the purple Host

Who look the Flag today
Can tell the definition
So clear of victory

As he defeated – dying –
On whose forbidden ear
The distant strains of triumph
Burst agonized and clear.
Day 4
Discussion

Poetry is a personal type of writing where words flow and carry you along the realms of
beautiful thoughts. What really contributes to the poem’s meaning? Doubtlessly, you
know the orchestration of sounds, story, sense, and form bring about “life” in a poem
you read. That absolutely drives you to “feel” life in it.
Some poems are full of words that are fun to say aloud. You can use your voice to
express the meaning of the words.
● In small groups of seven, read aloud a poem “Success is Counted Sweetest”
● Try to make the meaning of words come alive by using good expressions.
● Remember to produce the correct critical consonant sounds in words like;
In /s/ - s, p, or v.
e.g., succeed - /s/ victory - /v/ purple - /p/
● Also think back on the importance of using appropriate stress to words you’ll read to
convey meaning.
e.g., SEven Agonized
sucCEED SWEEtest
● Remember that the parts in capital letters is in the primary stress /’/.
● Stress the word properly.
● Read the poem aloud again. Use the appropriate stress and produce the correct
sounds of the letters that make up the words.
Activity 3

Rhyming words in Success is Counted Sweetest

e.g., [see-tree] – end rhyme
[crows – boughs – throws – brawls] – Internal rhyme

End rhyme Internal rhyme

Day 5
Activity 4
Capitalization and Punctuation Marks

When you read poems, you don’t pause or stop at the end of the line, but you watch out
for commas or periods to guide you. Use punctuation marks to help you find the
sensible meaning of what you’re reading. Clarity of expressions in poetry or prose
composition exists if the sentence appropriately punctuated and the words are properly
capitalized.

- The Comma (,)

The comma is useful in a sentence when the writer wishes to:
pause before proceeding
add a phrase that does not contain any new subject
separate items on a list
use more than one adjective (a describing word, like beautiful)
For example, in the following sentence the phrase or clause between the commas gives
us more information behind the actions of the boy, the subject of the sentence:
The boy, who knew that his mother was about to arrive, ran quickly towards the opening
door.

- Period (.)
A full stop should always be used to end a sentence. The full stop indicates that a point
has been made and that you are about to move on to further explanations or a related
point.
Less frequently, a series of three full stops (an ellipsis) can be used to indicate where a
section of a quotation has been omitted when it is not relevant to the text, for example:
“The boy was happy… at the start of his summer holiday.”

- Exclamation Mark (!)

An exclamation mark indicates strong feeling within a sentence, such as fear, anger or
love. It is also used to accentuate feeling within the written spoken word.
For example:
“Help! I love you!”

- Question Mark (?)

The question mark simply indicates that a sentence is asking a question. It always
comes at the end of a sentence:
For example:
Are we at the end?

- Semi-colon (;)
The semi-colon is perhaps the most difficult sign of punctuation to use accurately. If in
doubt, avoid using it and convert the added material into a new sentence.
As a general rule, the semi-colon is used in the following ways:
When joining two connected sentences.
For example:
We set out at dawn; the weather looked promising

- Colon (:)
The colon within a sentence makes a very pointed pause between two phrases. There
are two main uses of the colon:
It is most commonly used when listing.
For example:
She placed the following items into the trolley: beer, fruit, vegetables, toilet rolls, cereals
and cartons of milk.

- Apostrophe (’)
The apostrophe, sometimes called an inverted comma has two main uses.
The apostrophe indicates possession or ownership.
For example:
The girl's hat was green, (girl is in the singular).
A. Connect
Consider this sample informative article about punctuation.

A Short History of Punctation

By Polly M. Robertus

EARLYGREEKSHAD HARDLYANYPUNCTUATION
FONOITCERIDEHTDEGNAHCEVEDNA*
THEREWRITINGATTHEENDOFEACHLINELATER
GNITIRWFOYAWAOTDEGNAHCYEHT*
THATFAVOREDRIGHTHANDEDPEOPLEANDSHOWED
WHEREANEWPARAGRAPHBEGANBYUNDERLINING
THEFIRSTLINEOFITLATERTHEGREEKPLAYWRIGHT
ARISTOPHANES . INVERTEDMARKSTOSHOW . WHERE
THEREADERSHOULDTAKEBREATH:
THE . ROMANS . MADE . WRITING . MUCH . EASIER .
TO . READ . BY . PUTTING . DOTS . BETWEEN . WORDS .
AND . BY . MOVING . THE . FIRST . LETTER . OF . A .
PARAGRAPH . INTO . THE . LEFT . MARGIN: THEY .
ADAPTED . SOME . OF . THE . GREEK . MARKS . SUCH . AS .
THE . COLON . MARK . TO . INDICATE . PHRASE . ENDINGS:
INTHEEARLYMIDDLEAGESTHISSYSTEMOFPUNCTUATION
ANDWRITE BUTWRITERSKEPTASPACEATTHEENDOF
ASENTENCEANDCONTINUEDTOMARKPARAGRAPHS
EVENTUALLY WORDS WERESEPARATED AGAIN AND
NEW SENTENCES BEGAN WITH A LARGER LETTER

*Hint: try reading from right to left

Week 2
Language Skills

OBJECTIVES
Charting the course of your journey in this lesson, you are expected to:
 classify the four language skills
 apply the previous lessons to the present discussion
 use appropriate words in constructing sentences
 perform tasks by following the instructions
 explain and express yourself in performing the tasks
 organize the thoughts properly in order to give the beat answer
 produce a good presentation


DAY 1
Activity : “Who am I?’
Read the following poems. Identify who is speaking in the poem.
1.
You know how ladies are
finicky feathers walking around
beaks in the air all offended
like they didn't strut past by burnt cantaloupe
eyes on purpose.

“Pigeon Poem” by : Jamila Woods

ANSWER: ______________
2.
They don't really need me
When there are things far more frightening being hung in these fields
Not sure if I'm here to protect the crops or the caucuses
Cuz' I can't scare these birds past the stench of lynched flesh
Wrapped in obsidian skin- now all that we know is wind.

“Scarecrow” by: Thomas Hill

ANSWER: ______________

WHAT IS LISTENING SKILL?

Listening is receiving language through the ears. Listening involves identifying the
sounds of speech and processing them into words and sentences. When we listen, we
use our ears to receive individual sounds (letters, stress, rhythm and pauses) and we use
our brain to convert these into messages that mean something to us.
Listening in any language requires focus and attention. It is a skill that some people need
to work at harder than others. People who have difficulty concentrating are typically poor
listeners. Listening in a second language requires even greater focus.
Like babies, we learn this skill by listening to people who already know how to speak the
language. This may or may not include native speakers. For practice, you can listen to
live or recorded voices. The most important thing is to listen to a variety of voices as often
as you can.
To become a fluent speaker in English, you need to develop strong listening skills.
Listening not only helps you understand what people are saying to you. It also helps you
to speak clearly to other people. It helps you learn how to pronounce words properly, how
to use intonation, and where to place stress in words and sentences. This makes your
speech easier for other people listening to you to understand!
DAY 2
Activity : “Can’t Stop the Feeling”
Divide the class into two groups. Each group will have a representative.

WHAT IS SPEAKING SKILL?

Speaking is the delivery of language through the mouth. To speak, we create sounds
using many parts of our body, including the lungs, vocal tract, vocal chords, tongue, teeth
and lips.
This vocalized form of language usually requires at least one listener. When two or
more people speak or talk to each other, the conversation is called a "dialogue". Speech
can flow naturally from one person to another in the form of dialogue. It can also be
planned and rehearsed, as in the delivery of a speech or presentation. Of course, some
people talk to themselves! In fact, some English learners practise speaking standing
alone in front of a mirror.
Speaking can be formal or informal:

- Informal speaking is typically used with family and friends, or people you know
well.

- Formal speaking occurs in business or academic situations, or when meeting

people for the first time.

Speaking is probably the language skill that most language learners wish to perfect as
soon as possible. It used to be the only language skill that was difficult to practise online.
This is no longer the case. English learners can practise speaking online using voice or
video chat and services like Skype. They can also record and upload their voice for other
people to listen to.

DAY 3
WHAT IS READING SKILLS?
Reading is the process of looking at a series of written symbols and getting meaning
from them. When we read, we use our eyes to receive written symbols (letters,
punctuation marks and spaces) and we use our brain to convert them into words,
sentences and paragraphs that communicate something to us.
Reading can be silent (in our head) or aloud (so that other people can hear).
Reading is a receptive skill - through it we receive information. But the complex
process of reading also requires the skill of speaking, so that we can pronounce the words
that we read. In this sense, reading is also a productive skill in that we are both receiving
information and transmitting it (even if only to ourselves).
Do we need to read in order to speak English? The short answer is no. Some native
speakers cannot read or write but they speak English fluently. On the other hand, reading
is something that you can do on your own and that greatly broadens your vocabulary,
thus helping you in speaking (and in listening and writing). Reading is therefore a highly
valuable skill and activity, and it is recommended that English learners try to read as much
as possible in English.

Activity: “Guess the Ending”

Read the selection carefully. If you will be the one who writes its ending, what will it be?
Maximum of seven sentences and one hundred words.

DAY 4
WHAT IS WRITING SKILLS?
Writing is the process of using symbols (letters of the alphabet, punctuation and
spaces) to communicate thoughts and ideas in a readable form.
Generally, we write using a pen/pencil (handwriting) or a keyboard (typing). With a
pen/pencil we usually write on a surface such as paper or whiteboard. A keyboard is
normally attached to a typewriter, computer or mobile device. Voice recognition programs
allow those who can't see or use their hands to have their thoughts transcribed.
To write clearly it is essential to understand the basic system of a language. In English
this includes knowledge of grammar, punctuation and sentence structure. Vocabulary is
also necessary, as is correct spelling and formatting.
A writer may write for personal enjoyment or use, or for an audience of one person or
more. The audience may be known (targeted) or unknown. Taking notes for study
purposes is an example of writing for one's self. Blogging publicly is an example of writing
for an unknown audience. A letter to a friend is an example of writing for a targeted
audience. As with speaking, it is important to consider your audience when writing. There
are many different styles of writing, from informal to formal.

Assignment: “Script Writing”

Divide the class into three groups. Write a script based on the given scene and settings
below. Present it to the class with the use of role playing tomorrow.
DAY 5
THE LANGUAGE SKILLS
When we learn a language, there are four skills that we need for complete
communication. When we learn our native language, we usually learn to listen first, then
to speak, then to read, and finally to write. These are called the four "language skills":

- Skill #1: Listening

- Skill #2: Speaking

- Skill #3: Reading

- Skill #4: Writing

The four language skills are related to each other in two ways:

- the direction of communication (in or out)

- the method of communication (spoken or written)

Note that these four language skills are sometimes called the "macro-skills". This is in
contrast to the "micro-skills", which are things like grammar, vocabulary and
pronunciation.

Activity: “Role Play”