9th Grade · Full-year course · 4 units
English I
Week 1 is free. Tap Week 1. The reading and the problems are on that lesson. Weeks 2–36 open with a Life Academy plan ($35/month per student or $69/month per family (up to 4 students)).
Unit 1: Foundations
Weeks 1–9Week 1Dialectical notebook: Odyssey Book 1 (public-domain excerpt)Week 2Annotation systems: claim / evidence / question / connection marksWeek 3Composition modes overview; paragraph → essay architectureWeek 4MLA/APA intro; embedding one quotation; Works Cited seed cardWeek 5Odyssey / epic selections: invocation, nostos, xeniaWeek 6Character analysis with textual evidence; foil & hubrisWeek 7Greek tragedy craft; tragic hero; choruses as civic voiceWeek 8Theme essay draft → revision with embedded quotationsWeek 9Tragedy → modern paired text (short story/poem on power)
Unit 2: Building fluency
Weeks 10–18Week 10Argument outline: claim, reasons, evidence, counterclaim, rebuttalWeek 11Sentence craft: periodic vs cumulative; diction levelsWeek 12Theme/argument essay polish + oral defense (8–10 min)Week 13Plot architecture; epiphany; unreliable narrator introWeek 14POV shifts; free indirect discourse lite; rewrite exerciseWeek 15Motif tracking chart; paragraph of literary analysisWeek 16Short fiction craft piece → workshop → finalWeek 17Speaker, tone, volta; TPCASTT or equivalent protocolWeek 18Rhetorical analysis of a speech or essay excerpt
Unit 3: Depth & application
Weeks 19–27Week 19Meter/imagery/figurative language; poem imitationWeek 20Poetry/rhetoric portfolio + Socratic midyear seminarWeek 21Full argument essay: counterclaim + rebuttal requiredWeek 22Source evaluation CRAAP/SIFT lite; annotated bibliography seedWeek 23Revise argument for audience; rhetorical precisionWeek 24Argument essay final + oral defenseWeek 25Research paper launch: question, scope, search planWeek 26Source notes → outline → claim hierarchyWeek 27Research draft 1; citation discipline (MLA or APA)
Unit 4: Mastery & showcase
Weeks 28–36Week 28Peer review protocol; revise for clarity & evidence densityWeek 29Socratic seminar series on year texts (prep notes required)Week 30Research paper revise 2; cut fluff; strengthen warrantsWeek 31Seminar + research oral checkpointWeek 32Research near-final; Works Cited perfectionWeek 33English portfolio selection + reflection lettersWeek 34English portfolio oral defenseWeek 35Revision clinic for weakest portfolio pieceWeek 36Final English 9 portfolio + grade narrative