What does a student learn in StateAlabama,GradeGrade 9,SubjectEnglish Language Arts?

Students read different kinds of texts, from news articles and manuals to charts and websites, to build knowledge they can use in everyday life and at work.

Students read stories, poems, and plays closely enough to grasp both what happens on the surface and what the author means beneath it. The type of text shapes how deeply students dig.

Students practice listening carefully during class discussions and conversations, following agreed-upon rules for taking turns and responding. The focus is on staying engaged and respectful when others are speaking.

Students learn when and how to use digital tools, like search engines and online sources, in ways that are honest, safe, and appropriate for schoolwork.

Students plan, draft, revise, and edit a piece of writing until it says what they mean, clearly, for a specific reader. The process matters as much as the final product.

Students learn the grammar and punctuation rules that make writing clear to a specific reader, then apply those rules in their own work.

When students hit a word they don't know, they look at the surrounding sentences to figure out what it means. This skill applies to both reading and listening.

Students read and study stories, poems, and nonfiction written by authors from outside the U.S. and Britain, mostly before 1600. The focus is on understanding how a writer's culture shapes what they say and how they say it.

Students read charts, diagrams, and infographics closely enough to form an opinion, back it up with specific details, and explain what those details mean.

Students read a text and examine how the author's background shapes the word choices, tone, and ideas that run through the writing.

Students examine how an author's word choices, character details, and narrative perspective shape the meaning of a story or article. The focus is on seeing why the author made specific decisions, not just what the text says.

Students examine how a story's structure (like starting in the middle of the action or alternating between time periods) and the context around it shape its mood and central message. The order and setting of a work change what it means.

Students compare how different authors see the same topic, reading fiction, news articles, and digital sources from across time periods and cultures. The goal is spotting where those viewpoints agree, clash, or leave something out.

Students read science and social studies texts to see how each subject uses its own specialized words and organizes information differently. A biology textbook and a history chapter solve that problem in distinct ways.

Students listen to a speech or presentation and judge whether the speaker is trustworthy and clear. They notice word choice, body language, and how the argument is put together to figure out what the speaker actually wants from the audience.

Students write several types of pieces, from a quick paragraph to a longer paper, including stories, explanations, and arguments. Each piece stays focused, uses the right tone for its audience, and is organized well enough that a reader can follow it.

Students write a personal story or memoir, pulling together a sequence of real or imagined events with a clear reason for telling them. They use narrative techniques like dialogue, pacing, and detail to make the story land.

Students write explanatory pieces that stay objective, back up every point with evidence, and use transitions to move the reader smoothly from one idea to the next.

Students write a persuasive piece that takes a clear position on a topic, backs it up with solid evidence, and wraps up with a conclusion that follows logically from the argument they built.

Students gather information from multiple sources, including videos or news articles, then present what they found to classmates. The goal is accuracy: every claim they share should be backed by real, credible evidence.

Students take part in group discussions where more than one viewpoint is on the table. They back up what they say with specific evidence and respond to what others contribute, not just wait for their turn to talk.

Students read online articles, posts, and other digital content and figure out who wrote it, why, and whether it can be trusted.

Students listen to a podcast, speech, or recorded interview and figure out what it's about, who made it, why, and whether the source can be trusted.

Students write and revise digital content (emails, posts, slides, documents) so the format, word choice, and tone fit the audience and situation they're writing for.

Students work with classmates to plan and deliver a presentation, adjusting their language and tone to fit who they're speaking to and why.

Students study how a writer's sentence choices and word patterns shape what a piece of writing actually means. This applies to stories and poems as well as speeches, news articles, and workplace memos.

Students learn to recognize when language is formal or casual and adjust how they speak and write to match the situation, whether that means a job application, a group chat, or a classroom discussion.

Students listen to or read a speech and figure out why the speaker made specific choices, such as word selection or structure, and what those choices reveal about the speaker's point of view and purpose.

Students practice the grammar and punctuation rules that make writing clear to a real reader: spelling, capitalization, verb choice, pronoun use, and sentence structure. The goal is writing that a specific audience can follow without effort.

Students apply the same tone, word choice, and sentence style throughout a piece of writing so nothing sounds out of place. Consistency is what makes writing feel intentional rather than accidental.

Students adjust how they speak depending on who's listening and why. A classroom presentation calls for more formal language than a group discussion, and students learn to recognize the difference.

Students find sources that actually answer their question, then decide which ones are reliable enough to use. The focus is on judging a source's credibility, not just finding it.

Students practice finding reliable information by using different search tools and research strategies, not just the first result that appears. The goal is knowing where to look and how to judge what they find.

Students listen to podcasts, interviews, or recordings to find reliable information that supports an argument or answers a research question.

Students practice finding credible sources, then write clearly for a specific audience, matching their word choices and tone to who will read the work and why.

Students pull information from at least two sources into their writing, using direct quotes or their own words, and cite each source in a standard format like MLA or APA.

Students write a focused argument or explanation using at least one credible outside source. The writing takes a clear position on a real question or problem and supports it with researched evidence.

Students gather and use sources responsibly, then shape their writing to fit a specific audience and purpose. The goal is a clear final product that sounds right for the situation, whether that's a formal report or a reasoned argument.