End-of-year targets

What most 9th graders can do by June. Every child grows at their own pace; use this as a guide, not a test.

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Reading

Determine a theme of a story, poem or play and trace how it develops across the text
Cite strong textual evidence to support an analysis, including inferences
Analyze how complex characters develop and advance the plot or theme
Explain how an author's word choice shapes meaning and tone
Evaluate an argument in an informational text: claim, reasons, evidence and faulty reasoning
Read grade-level texts independently, including a Shakespeare play and an epic in translation
Use context clues, Greek and Latin roots and reference tools to figure out unknown words

Write an argument essay with a precise claim, counterclaim, evidence and a strong conclusion
Write an informative essay that organizes facts, examples and quotations under clear headings
Write a narrative with dialogue, pacing, sensory details and a reflective ending
Complete a short research project with at least three credible sources and MLA in-text citations and a works cited list
Revise for sentence variety, parallel structure and precise verbs
Produce two to three pages of polished writing for each major essay

Interpret and simplify expressions, including the distributive property and like terms
Solve linear equations and inequalities in one variable, including those with variables on both sides
Write and graph linear functions, interpret slope and intercepts in context
Solve systems of two linear equations by graphing, substitution and elimination
Graph quadratic functions, factor trinomials and solve quadratic equations by factoring and the quadratic formula
Model growth and decay with exponential functions and compare them to linear functions
Summarize data with plots and statistics, fit a line to a scatter plot and interpret correlation
Add, subtract and multiply polynomials

Design a controlled experiment with an independent, dependent and controlled variable and collect data in a table
Explain how DNA codes for proteins and how cells divide by mitosis and meiosis
Use Punnett squares and pedigrees to predict inheritance
Explain natural selection with evidence from fossils, anatomy and DNA
Trace energy and matter through an ecosystem and explain carrying capacity
Describe how body systems interact to keep the body in balance
Evaluate a human impact on an ecosystem and propose a design solution

Read maps and use the five themes of geography to explain where people settled and why
Compare river valley and classical civilizations (Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece, Rome)
Explain the origins and core ideas of major world belief systems fairly and accurately
Analyze a primary source for author, audience, purpose and point of view
Trace change and continuity from the medieval world through the Renaissance and early modern period
Explain basic economics: scarcity, trade, specialization and the growth of money
Write a historical argument supported by at least two sources

Keep an organized binder or folder for each subject with notes, drafts and corrected work
Plan a week with a calendar and break long assignments into daily parts
Ask a specific question when stuck instead of stopping
Give and take feedback respectfully in discussion and peer review
Finish independent reading of at least six books this year
Reflect each day on what worked and what to try tomorrow