Curriculum by grade › 9th Grade › English Language Arts

9th Grade homeschool English curriculum

All 36 weeks of 9th grade English, planned and ready, with the exact topic for every week below. Start with Week 1 free, no card needed.

Open the free Week 1 lesson See plans

How 9th grade English works

Lessons build reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary step by step, with read-aloud audio, typed responses, and quizzes that grade themselves.

Time: about 50–60 minutes a day
Scores go straight to the gradebook and report card
Print any lesson as a worksheet with an answer key
Parent tools: hours log, weekly report, portfolio, course descriptions, and transcript
Family plan: up to 4 students, each with their own records

The full 36-week scope & sequence

Topics and standards come straight from the live course. Standards codes are listed for reference; Life Academy is built to help meet homeschool requirements in all 50 states.

Quarter 1 (weeks 1–9)

Week	Topic	Standards
1	Dialectical notebook: Odyssey Book 1 (public-domain excerpt)	CCSS RL.9-10.1
2	Annotation systems: claim / evidence / question / connection marks	RL.9-10.2
3	Composition modes overview; paragraph → essay architecture	RI.9-10.1
4	MLA/APA intro; embedding one quotation; Works Cited seed card	CCSS W.9-10.1
5	Odyssey / epic selections: invocation, nostos, xenia	W.9-10.2
6	Character analysis with textual evidence; foil & hubris	W.9-10.3
7	Greek tragedy craft; tragic hero; choruses as civic voice	CCSS W.9-10.8
8	Theme essay draft → revision with embedded quotations	L.9-10.3
9	Tragedy → modern paired text (short story/poem on power)	CCSS RL.9-10.2

Quarter 2 (weeks 10–18)

Week	Topic	Standards
10	Argument outline: claim, reasons, evidence, counterclaim, rebuttal	RL.9-10.9
11	Sentence craft: periodic vs cumulative; diction levels	CCSS RL.9-10.3
12	Theme/argument essay polish + oral defense (8–10 min)	RL.9-10.1
13	Plot architecture; epiphany; unreliable narrator intro	RL.9-10.5
14	POV shifts; free indirect discourse lite; rewrite exercise	CCSS W.9-10.5
15	Motif tracking chart; paragraph of literary analysis	SL.9-10.4
16	Short fiction craft piece → workshop → final	CCSS RL.9-10.9
17	Speaker, tone, volta; TPCASTT or equivalent protocol	CCSS W.9-10.1a–e
18	Rhetorical analysis of a speech or essay excerpt	CCSS L.9-10.3

Quarter 3 (weeks 19–27)

Week	Topic	Standards
19	Meter/imagery/figurative language; poem imitation	L.9-10.1
20	Poetry/rhetoric portfolio + Socratic midyear seminar	CCSS RL.9-10.5
21	Full argument essay: counterclaim + rebuttal required	RL.9-10.3
22	Source evaluation CRAAP/SIFT lite; annotated bibliography seed	CCSS RL.9-10.4
23	Revise argument for audience; rhetorical precision	CCSS RI.9-10.6
24	Argument essay final + oral defense	RI.9-10.4
25	Research paper launch: question, scope, search plan	CCSS SL.9-10.1a–d
26	Source notes → outline → claim hierarchy	RI.9-10.8
27	Research draft 1; citation discipline (MLA or APA)	CCSS W.9-10.7

Quarter 4 (weeks 28–36)

Week	Topic	Standards
28	Peer review protocol; revise for clarity & evidence density	W.9-10.8
29	Socratic seminar series on year texts (prep notes required)	W.9-10.5
30	Research paper revise 2; cut fluff; strengthen warrants	CCSS W.9-10.10
31	Seminar + research oral checkpoint
32	Research near-final; Works Cited perfection
33	English portfolio selection + reflection letters
34	English portfolio oral defense
35	Revision clinic for weakest portfolio piece
36	Final English 9 portfolio + grade narrative

Need a little extra help?

Live 1:1 tutoring with David Clifford on Zoom or Google Meet: $35/hour, your first hour $25. See tutoring.

Same grade: 9th Grade math · 9th Grade science · 9th Grade history

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FAQ

Is this 9th grade English curriculum free?

Week 1 is free with no card needed: open the Week 1 English lesson. Weeks 2–36 unlock with a Student plan ($35/month) or a Family plan for up to 4 students ($69/month).

How long is a 9th grade English lesson?

Plan on about 50–60 minutes a day for English. There is one lesson per week of the school year, broken into short daily steps.

Is Life Academy accredited?

No. Life Academy is not accredited. It's built to help meet homeschool requirements in all 50 states, and parents are the school of record. Why that's usually fine.

Can I print it?

Yes. Every lesson prints as a worksheet with a separate parent answer key.

Does it count for high school credit?

Each full-year course is worth 1.0 credit on the parent-issued transcript. Colleges set their own admission rules, so check with the schools your teen is considering.

Life Academy is a parent-directed online K–12 curriculum, built to help meet homeschool requirements in all 50 states. It is not accredited, and parents issue the homeschool transcript. Nothing here is legal advice. Check your state's law at HSLDA. Questions? Email david.dukes77102@gmail.com.