Middle School Literature Syllabi

This syllabus is for a 9th-grade English course on World Literature. The syllabus features literary texts guaranteed to keep modern-day teenagers highly engaged. For the syllabus is focused on a topic which globally connected teenagers find intrinsically interesting: namely, coming-of-age literature from around the globe. In this 9th-grade English course, students learn about how the experience of growing up is shaped by social conditions and cultural traditions which are specific to countries like Afghanistan, England, Iran, and the United States — all while reading amazing literature!

Skills Objectives: The curriculum is designed to build foundational skills in the analysis of literary form. It equips students with the tools and techniques for analyzing the formal elements of various literary genres: novels, plays, poems, and graphic novels. It also prepares students to identify and analyze a wide range of literary devices: various types of imagery, figurative language, etc.

Because this syllabus fully editable, you'll be able to customize this syllabus to suit your own literary tastes and/or the skill levels of your students — year after year!

Here are the 8 units featured in this World Literature course focused on coming-of-age fiction from around the globe:

1. The Coming-of-Age Novel (United States)

• J. D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

2. Friendship & Ethics: Doing What's Right (Afghanistan)

• Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

3. Love vs. Duty: Teenage Romance & Generational Conflict (England)

• Introduction to Shakespeare

• William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

4. Poetry Unit: Formalist Analysis (Various)

• Sensory Imagery in Poetry

• Figurative Language in Poetry

• Figurative Language Stations

• Love Poetry: Traditional vs. Modern

• Sonnets: Traditional vs. Modern

5. Coming of Age in a Revolution (Iran & Austria)

• Marjane Satrapi, The Complete Persepolis

6. Poetry Unit: Thematic Analysis (Various)

• Poetry on Ethical Dilemmas

• Poetry on Family Dynamics

• Poetry on Cultural Identity

7. The Feminist Bildungsroman: Finding One's Voice (U.S.)

• Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

8. New Immigrant Literature (Post-1965 U.S.)

• Gene Luen Yan, American Born Chinese

Writing Instruction Tools

• Introducing Quotations: How to Properly Embed Textual Evidence

• How to Write an Analytical Essay

Discussion Tools

• Discussion-Based Teaching Toolkit: Socratic Seminar Rubrics

Syllabus

• 9th-Grade English Syllabus

If you like this syllabus, you'll love the full-year 9th-Grade English Curriculum— a mega-bundle of teaching resources to get you through the entire school year! The year-long curriculum features over 1,400 pages of printable teaching resources: reading quizzes, discussion questions, and writing prompts for every book. And it's currently on sale for over 50% off!! Click to learn more about the 9th-Grade English Curriculum!

Rigorous Resources is your one-stop shop for top-quality teaching resources on diverse authors. Every resource was created by a Ph.D. in English who has taught for 20+ years and published award-winning essays on fiction and poetry.

If you have any questions about the syllabus or curriculum, please don't hesitate to get in touch via the email address below. I love hearing from fellow teachers who share a passion for great literature. I'll be eager to do everything I can to make sure you have an amazing experience with 9th-grade English!

Happy teaching,

Adam Jernigan

adamjernigan@gmail.com

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