Surviving Honors English 9
by Jaret Alexander
Welcome to Ninth Grade
Hello, my name is Jaret Alexander, and I survived Mrs. Allen's Honors English 9 class. It was a difficult class, but we had a lot of fun. I'm here to help you through it and to give you pointers to get you started. There are a LOT more assignments than 8th grade, but if you work hard and don't procrastinate, it'll be an easy year. I wish you good luck.
Overview of the class
Throughout the year, you will read books, short stories, write poetry, and even perform a puppet show for the kindergartners.
Here are some stories/plays you'll read this year.
Cold Sassy Tree
Will Tweedy is growing up in the south after the Civil War. His town is advancing to a more technological age and his grandfather makes a bold decision.
Romeo and Juliet
A play by well known William Shakespeare, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet are trying to love each other, while their parents do not agree.
Speak
Speak, a short story is about Melinda, who is a freshman. Melinda had a very traumatic event happen to her, and she does not have many friends, nor does she talk.
Independent Reading
Mrs. Allen loves independent reading. Throughout the year, she'll assign you a topic of book that you can choose. The three main genres are dystopian, historical, and realistic. I read Unwind by Neal Shusterman for Dystopian societies. I also like Independent reading because you can read whatever you want!
My Favorite Part
My favorite part was reading Divergent. Mrs. Allen told us ahead we had to read Divergent over Christmas break. So, we got a head start. By starting it early, we did not have to read a lot over break. Also, when we got back from break, Mrs. Allen put us in factions to compete for a prize.
Not the Best Part
I did not like The Odyssey. Although we did not have a final test on the poem, or many projects it was not my favorite. The one project we did have to do was to make flash cards, which took a long time. The Odyssey is also Greek mythology, so there are a lot of confusing names.
Advice for the Year
Like I said, this class has a lot more assignments than eighth grade. But, if you try, they really aren't bad. I suggest you work on finishing everything as soon as you can, because there is often more work that will come up, leaving you with a lot of work in a short amount of time. But, Mrs. Allen will give you work days and help you out whenever you need it, because she is your best resource.
Top 5 Ways to Finish Your Project On Time
- Don't procrastinate
- Use work times/days in class to your advantage
- Start off easy by brainstorming, and work you way up
- Work with a partner who has similar interests as you
- Ask Mrs. Allen for help
A quote to get you going
"The secret to success: Stop wishing, start doing."
Good Luck
Honors English 9 is a great course. If you follow my guidelines and think positive, the year will go by in no time. Have a great year with Mrs. Allen!