Language and Literature 9 is the introductory course for English Language Arts at the high school. In this course, students are expected to focus and/or sustain skills primarily in writing and reading learned prior to entering ninth grade. Teachers will focus instruction by modeling, guiding, and providing practice while directly teaching strategies and formatively assessing student learning. Teachers will also be able to sustain student independence in applying concepts, skills, and strategies that have been taught in previous levels as well as to extend learning in increasingly complex tasks. In this course, students will begin to develop a more sophisticated sense of writing coupled with a deeper ability to be critical readers and thinkers.