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Utah Core  •  Curriculum Search  •  All Language Arts - Secondary Lesson Plans  •  USBE Language Arts - Secondary website

Language Arts - Secondary Curriculum English Language Arts Grades 9-10 (2023)
Lesson Plans

Reading (9-10.R)

Students will learn to proficiently read and comprehend grade level literature and informational text, including seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance, at the high end of the grade level text complexity band, with scaffolding as needed. *Standard R.4 includes an asterisk to refer educators back to the Text Complexity Grade Bands and Associated Lexile Ranges in the introduction of the standards.

Standard 9-10.R.8:

Determine the meaning and impact of words and phrases on meaning, tone, and mood. Analyze figurative language and connotative meanings. Examine domain-specific vocabulary and how language differs across genres and text types. (RL & RI)
  • An Exploration of Romanticism Through Art and Poetry
    Students use art and poetry to explore and understand major characteristics of the Romantic period.
  • Analyzing Informational Text
    Students use the Informational Text Analysis Tool to deconstruct the essential elements of informational text.
  • Animating Poetry: Reading Poems about the Natural World
    The purpose of this project is two-fold: first, to encourage students to make the reading of poetry a creative act; and, second, to help students appreciate particular literary devices in their functions as semaphores or interpretive signals. Those devices that are about the imagery of a poem (metaphor, simile, personification, description) can be thought of as magnifying glasses: we see most clearly that upon which the poet focuses our gaze. Similarly, those poetic devices that are about the sound of the poem (alliteration, consonance, enjambment, onomatopoeia, and repetition) can be thought of as volume buttons or amplifiers: we hear most clearly what the poet makes us listen to most attentively.
  • Arabic Poetry: Guzzle a Ghazal!
    The Bedouins of ancient Arabia and Persia made poetry a conversational art form. Several poetic forms developed from the participatory nature of tribal poetry. Today in most Arabic cultures, you may still experience public storytelling and spontaneous poetry challenges in the streets. The art of turning a rhyme into sly verbal sparring is considered a mark of intelligence and a badge of honor. Students will learn about the origins and structure of Arabic Poetry.
  • Choose, Select, Opt, or Settle: Exploring Word Choice in Poetry
    Students investigate the effects of word choice in Robert Frost's "Choose Something Like a Star" to construct a more sophisticated understanding of speaker, subject, and tone.
  • Dr. Cannon Goes to Washington: Utah Statues in National Statuary Hall
    Students will engage with primary source documents to explore the reasons behind memorializing people in public art. Students will craft written or oral statements to support an argument in favor of installing a statue of Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon, Philo T. Farnsworth, or Brigham Young in National Statuary Hall.
  • Learn New Vocabulary with Flash Cards
    Students will create a Slide deck to learn new vocabulary.
  • Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: ‘You Kiss by the Book’
    As one of literature's most iconic figures, both Shakespeare's plays and poetry provide an interesting glimpse into a variety of essential themes. In this lesson, students will examine how Shakespeare used the sonnet tradition to enhance his stagecraft by performing a scene from his play Romeo and Juliet.


UEN logo http://www.uen.org - in partnership with Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).  Send questions or comments to USBE Specialist - Naomi  Watkins and see the Language Arts - Secondary website. For general questions about Utah's Core Standards contact the Director - Jennifer  Throndsen.

These materials have been produced by and for the teachers of the State of Utah. Copies of these materials may be freely reproduced for teacher and classroom use. When distributing these materials, credit should be given to Utah State Board of Education. These materials may not be published, in whole or part, or in any other format, without the written permission of the Utah State Board of Education, 250 East 500 South, PO Box 144200, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4200.