English 9: Changing Earth

Ninth grade at Falmouth Academy offers a compelling interdisciplinary experience designed to address resilience, adaptability, and the challenges of our increasingly uncertain climate. Students have the power to shape the conversations that will shape our future.

In Changing Earth: English, students will set forth on a journey through recent works of literature and those that have inspired readers and writers through the ages, exploring how these works resonate in the modern world. In her book on writing, Negotiating with the Dead,  Margaret Atwood writes that all writers and readers learn from the dead, “The dead may guard the treasure, but it's useless treasure unless it can be brought back to the land of the living and allowed to enter time once more — which means to enter the realm of the audience, the realm of the readers, the realm of change.” Students will mine the works they read, ancient and modern, to discover what they can teach students about the challenges of our times.

While continuing to develop close reading skills, students will find and develop their authentic writing voice throughout the year by exploring different styles and genres. They will hone their skills in expository essays, creative writing, poetry, podcasts, and personal essays. 

They will read plays, poetry, and short stories with similar themes, exploring the ways in which authors reinvent classic themes for new generations of readers. They will polish their skills as speakers and leaders as they take increasing responsibility for leading discussions, making presentations to the class, and, on occasion, performing scenes from the works studied.