Grade 9

Summary of course content and activities:

Grade 9 English is a mixture of grammar, poetry, short stories, novel studies, vocabulary enrichment, and writing. With each lesson, we will first examine the author to learn more about his or her own background so that we can better understand and interpret his/her work. We will be looking at the culture, the values, the assumptions, and contexts surrounding each of the pieces of literature. Students are introduced to and taught the structure of the five-paragraph essay. In this course we do quite a bit of reading of short stories and poetry, we also read "The Bronze Bow" by Elizabeth George Speare, "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck and "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare.

Philosophy statement for and/or behind teaching this course:

To many people, literature is reading. Reading; however, is not literature: it is simply the process through which we experience literature. Literature is a gift from God. Through literature, God enables man to communicate, not only his experiences but also his ideas, feelings, and beliefs. We should not merely read literature to escape from the world. Rather we should use literature as a vehicle to encounter the world. Literature can put us face to face with man in his world - man that acts both in ways pleasing to God and in ways displeasing to God. Literature can help us to know more about creation, our fellow man, God, and ourselves. Good literature causes us to think.

Pre-requisite(s):

Language Arts 8

Materials and resources provided by NSA, purchased by student, and/or recommended:

Provided by NSA:

• The Bronze Bow, by Elizabeth George Speare
• The Pearl, novel by John Steinbeck
• Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare
• Various e-text readings provided with the lessons

Recommended but not required:

• Hard copy Dictionary and Thesaurus

Forecasted amount of time required to complete each week's lesson:

4-6 hours (In a regular school, you would have 6.7 hours of class time a week plus the time to do your homework. In a high school English class that could easily be 1-2 hours of homework a night. That's another 5-10 hours a week. This is for a one-semester English course, so divide the total 12-17 hours in half for a whole semester course and it would be 6-9 hours per week) So, if you are spending 4-6 hours each week on a lesson, you are doing great!

Description of student evaluations, quizzes, and tests:

There are three major grading periods. Exams and essays are weighted more heavily than regular assignments.

Summary of Course Content and Activities

The content of Math 9 is organized around 9 major units

• Square roots and surface area
• Powers and exponent laws
• Rational Numbers
• Linear Relations
• Polynomials
• Linear Equations and Inequalities
• Similarity and Transformations
• Circle Geometry
• Probability and Statistics

Philosophy statement for teaching this course

The new math courses in Alberta have been developed to give students time to understand the big ideas of math, and not simply memorize formulas and algorithms. This is a challenge in an online environment, but concepts are presented as much as possible in a way that encourages students to think through the ideas themselves. Manipulatives are used where available and appropriate, and technology is integral in many lessons.

Prerequisites

A strong background in Math 8 or equivalent is recommended

Materials and Resources

Provided by NSA

• eText and Video covering all lesson concepts

Purchased by Students

• A scientific calculator -  but it does NOT need to be a fancy one.
• Students will need a scanner for submitting work.

Forecasted amount of time required to complete each week's lesson

The course is organized around 36 weeks.
Each week covers some course content and then provides lots of time to work on practice problems. Each week students write a test.
This would take ROUGHLY 4 - 6 hours a week, depending on the student.

Description of student evaluations, quizzes and tests.

Assignments 50%, chapter Tests 20%, Projects 15% & Final Exam 15% 

Summary of course content and activities:

Science 9 is the third course in the Science 7, 8, 9 sequence.
This course includes the following strands:

• Biological Diversity
• Matter and Chemical Change
• Environmental Chemistry
• Electrical Principles and Technologies
• Space Exploration

Philosophy statement for and/or behind teaching this course:

Science 9 includes the study of earth and space science, physical science and life science. Through the study of science, learners are given an opportunity to explore and understand the world that God created. They will become aware of the profound influence of science in their lives. Relating the study of science to what the learners already know, deem personally useful and consider relevant facilitates learning. Students learn science in relevant contexts and engage in meaningful activities. Students are encouraged to appreciate it as a scientific endeavor with a practical impact on their own lives and on society as a whole.

Pre-requisite(s):

Science 8.

Materials and resources provided by NSA, purchased by student, and/or recommended:

Provided by NSA:

• Science Focus 9

 Purchased by Students

• Students will need a scanner for submitting work. (can be done with cell phone
  app)
• Scientific Calculator (doesn’t need to be fancy.)

Forecasted amount of time required to complete each week's lesson:

Students can expect to complete the course in about 4 hours per week over thirty-six weeks.

Description of student evaluations, quizzes, and tests:

There are three major grading periods. There is a final at the end of this course as well as a provincial exam.

Summary of Course Content and Activities

In this course, the students will learn about Canada's historical and constitutional foundations by exploring issues related to governance, individual rights, economics, consumerism, responsible citizenship, identity, and quality of life.
Students also expand their appreciation of multiple perspectives, including Aboriginal and Francophone. Students will submit assignments, projects, attend a weekly live class meeting, and post to forums.

Prerequisites

Social 7 and 8

Materials and Resources

Textbook: Issues for Canadians

Forecasted amount of time required to complete each week's lesson

3-4 hours

Description of student evaluations, quizzes, and tests.

Assignments- 50%, Tests & Projects- 30%, Final Exam- 20%

Summary of Course Content and Activities

This course is designed to teach students how to study the Bible. Emphasis is put on having the students interpret, observe and apply biblical truths to his/her life. We will cover how the Bible was handed down, the three step inductive Bible study, Literary devices, figures of speech, Interpretation, application.

Philosophy statement for teaching this course

Through this course, students will gain ownership of their Bible studying and become able to effectively understand the Bible for themselves. With the understanding of biblical truths comes the responsibility to apply the truths to daily living.

Prerequisites

None

Materials and Resources

• Bible

Forecasted amount of time required to complete each week's lesson

2-3 hours/week

Description of student evaluations, quizzes, and tests.

• Assignments- 50%, Weekly Memory & Verse Study- 50%

Summary of course content and activities:

Students will spend time learning about and doing activities from each of the 5 areas:  individual activities, alternative environments, games, gymnastics, and dance/creative movement. Students will also learn about being healthy (emotions, facts and feelings, growth, body systems, nutrition, social influences, family, safety, gifts and talents, the dangers of drugs, fair play, and the heart).

Philosophy statement for and/or behind teaching this course:

Since we can consider our bodies and relationships gifts from God, it is important to take care of them.  Education and practice provide the tools necessary to care for these gifts well.

Pre-requisite(s):

N/A

Materials and resources provided by NSA, purchased by student, and/or recommended:

Purchased by student:

• Bible

Forecasted amount of time required to complete each

Students need to spend about 1 hour per week on the lesson and 2 hours on the activity each week.

Description of student evaluations, quizzes, and tests:

The final mark at the end of the year is going to be based on the following:

1. Assignments                      40%
2. Monthly Phys. Ed. log         60%

INTRO TO CODING (GR. 7-9)

Summary of course content and activities:

In Intro to Coding, students will explore block-based programming code as well as program with Scratch.  We may also explore Python. Coding allows students to use their creativity and problem-solving skills. Students will program a virtual Ferris Wheel or program a virtual robot. This class will take 2-3 hours a week and has 12 lessons. No coding experience is needed but this class is also good for those with some previous coding experience. 

LEARNING WITH MINECRAFT (GR. 7-9)

Summary of course content and activities:

Learning with Minecraft is a 12 lesson option course that will take a minimum of 2 hours per week. Students who enjoy playing the game will want to spend more time building, however! Students will use Minecraft to recreate scenes from poetry or books, create models in Minecraft to represent actual buildings like the Eiffel Tower, they will also learn to take screenshots and screen videos. One of the assignments is showing the parents the Minecraft world they create and explaining why Minecraft is a great way to learn. There are more challenges that students will have and badges that they can earn.
 

TECH TOOLS (GR. 7-9)

Summary of course content and activities:

10+ Apps Every Student Needs will cover the following:

• Digital Citizenship: Appropriately using digital technology like cell phones, computers, and websites.
• Word Clouds: A great tool to summarize information or pick out important ideas.
• Screen Captures: How to use screen capture software on your computer.
• Online tools for bibliography creation.
• Google slide.
• Web page design (2 weeks).
• Meme-making: So much fun!
• Making comic strips.
• Making timelines.
• Study tools: Things like how to build a jeopardy game.
• Piktochart: Infographics, reports, and presentations.

This is a 12-week course and will require about 2-3 hours per week.

Summary of course content and activities:

In this Foods course, students will explore basic food and kitchen safety, Canada's Food Guide, making nutritious snacks, planning meals and cooking basic meals. Students will learn some baking skills and develop a heritage food meal. They will be expected to complete several assignments and assessments as well as two projects.  No previous cooking or baking skills are required.

Summary of course content and activities:

In Music, students will start with setting a baseline of musical ability.  During the semester, they will be completing practice logs and sending in video performances. They will also learn to complete musical critiques and do some research on a musical instrument and career.  They will be submitting samples of their theory learning and evidence of music appreciation.  In order to be successful in this course, students should already be or plan to be involved in some type of regular music lessons. 

Summary of course content and activities:

In Outdoor Education, students will explore outdoor safety, proper outdoor clothing,  fire building and safety, bear safety, shelter building, identifying animal tracks, ORV safety and environmental stewardship. They will be required to do some research and create some projects.  They will also need to have opportunities to try new outdoor activities and plan and execute a day trip such as a hike or canoe trip.  No previous outdoor experience is required.