Grade 9 Curriculum
English
Ninth grade English is taught at an honors level. The first-term focus is the thesis paper, which is the major writing assignment of the ninth grade year. Creating a term paper provides the opportunity to learn valuable skills in the areas of research, note-taking, organizing, analyzing fact and opinion, and writing. After writing the paper, students will then synthesize the paper into a seven-minute speech. In addition to the term paper and speech, students will study The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, A Tale of Two Cities, The Odyssey, short stories, and poetry. Literature-based vocabulary, Wordly Wise, and vocabulary enrichment are other features of the ninth grade course.Mathematics
Algebra 9: This course completes the two-year Algebra I program, which promotes success and allows extended time for basic concepts. The course is designed to help students build their thinking and problem-solving skills as well as their understanding of algebra.Geometry: Taught at an honors level, this course teaches reasoning techniques by using deductive reasoning, counterexamples, and inductive reasoning. Students are encouraged to make conjectures and then to prove them. This comprehensive course is enhanced by emphasizing and integrating logical reasoning as well as spatial-visualization skills.
Algebra II: Taught at an honors level, this course is available to those students who have successfully completed Algebra I and Geometry. It incorporates constructive reading and writing strategies, provides online resources (including study tools and WebQuest projects), and partners with USA Today to provide current topics and data.
World History
Students learn world history through an honors-level course that includes news reports, textbook readings, short research opportunities, and units that target specific areas of the world. Building understanding of the world today, our country’s interaction with other countries, and history’s effect on the contemporary world are goals for the course. A weekly news assignment provides exposure to other countries and to connections among areas of the world.Students continue to develop effective approaches to reading material, taking notes, thinking about issues, writing clearly, reviewing daily, working cooperatively, preparing for tests, and managing time.
World History students also produce a weekly news broadcast for the school. Anchors write the script based on the news presented in their class that week. Other students man the cameras and teleprompter, research graphics, and provide reports on sports and school service.
Biology
Biology at Summit is taught at an honors level and organized around six essential principles or themes: evolution; homeostasis; energy, matter and organization; continuity; development; and ecology. Emphasis is placed on the processes of science as well as the product of science (concepts) as students act as real scientists. Learning through scientific inquiry helps students retain biological knowledge. Starting with humans, the organism with which students are most familiar, we then look at the six themes as they apply to other organisms.Online Earth/Environmental Science
Online Earth/Environmental Science is an optional honors-level course for ninth graders. Students do their lesson investigations independently in their free time at home, in study hall, and in assigned activity periods. Students earn their grade by accumulating points for successfully demonstrating an understanding of their lessons. Mastery of lesson concepts is accomplished by emailing assignments, turning in printed pages, and talking with the teacher. Students may begin this course as early as July 1 to get a head start. There is a final exam in May.French
Ninth grade French classes are taught at a very advanced level and conducted almost exclusively in French. Verb tenses and vocabulary are emphasized with oral presentations and reading and writing in French. The videotape and audiotape series are used to improve listening comprehension and to develop a greater cultural awareness of the Francophone countries. Songs, dance, and cooking are also included in the course. Students perform carols in French during our Foreign Language Sing in December, and they participate in a French Immersion Day near the end of the year.Latin
Taught at an advanced level, Latin students begin the year with a thorough review of grammar and vocabulary. Once they have completed the review, they are ready to explore new grammar topics, including participles, infinitives, and the subjunctive mood.Cultural units center in Roman Britain, where they will examine Roman religion, superstitions, and the intricacies of the Roman army. In addition, students will explore the city of Rome itself, its origins, and its rise to become the centerpiece of a vast empire.
As the culmination of their Latin studies, the students select and research a topic pertaining to Roman civilization. Topics have included historical events, aspects of Roman civilization, and famous Romans. During the third term, students research their topics and present their findings in a research paper and in a presentation made at the end of the year at the Latin Banquet.
Spanish
Taught at an advanced level, the ninth grade Spanish classes are conducted in Spanish with the exception of grammar explanations. Verb tenses and vocabulary are emphasized with more in-depth study of grammar structures, and with more reading, writing, speaking, and translations in the language. The video series La Catrina and En Busca de la Verdad are used in conjunction with the textbook and grammar workbooks. These resources improve listening comprehension and develop a cultural awareness of the Spanish-speaking countries.The 9A students are required to write a research paper in Spanish. The topics may include famous Hispanic individuals, or historic or cultural events. The year ends with a total-immersion day off campus.
All classes are also encouraged to participate in Hispanic community events, such as Hispanic Day at Reynolda House; attend Hispanic food and book festivals; and attend the Piedmont Hispanic Festival. They are also encouraged to take part in tutoring Hispanic children at Kids’ Café. Every two years, the eighth and ninth graders participate in Language Day at Lenoir Rhyne College. Students also enjoy hearing Spanish-speaking guest speakers.
Curriculum-Related Activities
Foreign Language
Spanish and French students experience total immersion in the language off-campus during Language Day at Lenoir-Rhyne College (every other year) or on Language Experience Day (every year); students present a term paper/project and enjoy a Latin Banquet.Life/SCALE
All ninth graders participate in the Life/SCALE course. They take the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), study Life Management Skills, donate 12 hours of school and community service, attend four Leadership Luncheons to hear from community leaders, and experience one-day career internships and a four-day camping trip to Camp High Rocks.Science Projects
Projects are optional but encouraged. Students apply their science skills and concepts to a project involving independent study.Social Studies
Students experience a 4-day trip to Washington, D.C. that includes visits to museums, monuments, and government offices.Study Skills
A class is offered for those students who do not take a foreign language or who would benefit from the skills and the structure of the class.Term Paper and Speech
Students write term papers on a topic of their own selection. Term paper creation is emphasized as students refine their research, note-taking, writing, revising and editing skills. Students prepare seven-minute speeches from their term papers and present them to the Junior High assembly.