9th - 10th Grade Reading: Literature

For ninth and tenth graders, this Common Core area helps students gain mastery of the deeper tasks involved in reading a fictional text. No matter what they are reading, the standards require students to increase the complexity in the texts they read and deepen their understanding of the connections within and between texts. Among the complete standards for this grade, ninth and tenth graders will be asked to: support a textual analysis with direct textual evidence and explicit inferences, determine the theme of a text and how it develops within the text, be able to give an objective summary of a text, be able to analyze complex word and phrase choices in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings, how language sets a formal or informal tone, how pacing, flashbacks, and parallel plots help manipulate the plot to create tension, analyze how culture is reflected in literature by including reading in world literature, begin to understand the relationship of material to their source work such as the way that Shakespeare might draw on themes from Ovid, read text appropriate to grade level while increasing in the level of text complexity throughout the year.

Narrator’s Point of View Flow Chart

This flowchart helps students identify the correct point of view. They answer “yes” and “no” questions to identify the correct point of view.

Charles Dickens: David Copperfield and His Aunt

Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, published in 1849, is one of his most famous works. Students read the passage and answer questions.

Edgar Allan Poe and the Fall of the House of Usher

In this activity, students read a passage from Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” and write what they think the underlined words mean.

Edgar Allan Poe: The Oval Portrait

In this activity, students read a passage from Edgar Allan Poe’s 1842 short story “The Oval Portrait” and answer questions.

Elegy for Lincoln: Walt Whitman’s Poem

In this activity, students read a “O Captain! My Captain!” about Abraham Lincoln and his death. Students then answer questions about the poem.

Irish Proverbs Worksheet Activity

This activity lists some Irish proverbs, and your students will explain what they think each one means.

Mark Twain and the Homesick Connecticut Yankee

Mark Twain published A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court in 1889. Students read an excerpt from chapter 7 and answer questions.

Mark Twain: How to Tell a Story

Students read the beginning of Mark Twain’s essay “How to Tell a Story” and answer related questions.

Mark Twain: Travels Abroad

Mark Twain is known for his fictional works, but he also wrote one of the best-selling travel books of all time: The Innocents Abroad. Students read an excerpt from Chapter 7 and answer questions.

Oliver Becomes an Apprentice

Charles Dickens published Oliver Twist in 1837. It is the story of a poor orphan named Oliver Twist and his many difficulties and adventures as he grows up. Students read the passage and answer questions.

Poetry and Poets: Robert Frost

Frost wrote vibrant poetry about nature and the rural life. Below is one of his poems from a collection published in 1916. Students read it carefully and answer the questions.

Romeo and Juliet: Sword Fight

Students read an excerpt from Romeo and Juliet and answer related questions.

Shakespeare: Understanding the Sonnet

William Shakespeare is known for his plays, but he also wrote over 150 sonnets. In this activity, students read one of his sonnets and write the rhyme scheme.

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: Understanding the Prologue

Students will learn about prologues in this activity and will enhance their skills by answering questions about the “Romeo and Juliet” excerpt.

Yeats and the Poetry of Ireland

Your students will read one of William Butler Yeat’s poems, “The Lake Isle of Innisfree”, and answer questions.

A Tale of Two Cities: The Beginning

Charles Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities which was published in 1859. Students read the passage and answer questions.

Character Analysis in The Red Badge of Courage

Your student will analyze the main character from the classic novel, “The Red Badge of Courage” in this worksheet.

Cyrano de Bergerac: Poetic Speech

Edmund Rostand wrote Cyrano de Bergerac in 1897. It is a play about a French musketeer who is a man of many gifts and talents. Students read from the play and answer related questions.

Formal to Informal: Make the Change

The Declaration of Independence is ready for your student’s modern translation!