Welcome to the English 9 web page!

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On this page you'll find information about what we do every day in class, including the play-by-play of what happens in each class period, homework assignments, and due dates. Here's what to know: 

• Class activities are listed in reverse date order. Scroll down to find the date you seek.
• Access older units and lessons through the lesson archives
• An overview of English 9 can by obtained by reading the course syllabus
• If you're curious about me, Mr. Rice, you can read "About Mr. Rice"
• The English Department shares the same Late Work Policy; if that concerns you, then check it out 

CURRENT UNIT FOCUS:

• Creative Writing - A Mystery! 

Wed, May 2

Due: n/a

Hmwk: Take your list of physical characteristics from class and develop a paragraph of pure description

Today: Descriptive details

Everyone's mystery story will include a protagonist - a main character. That protagonist is the figure who will search out the answer to the story's main question.

An effective character is developed through descriptive writing in two areas:

• physical characteristics
• personality and behavior

Today's focus is on physical characteristics

1. Each person in class gives one small physical characteristic of a character we are developing together
2. Teacher records each characteristic, resulting in a list
3. Teacher then models how to use the physical characteristics to creat a paragraph of pure descriptive writing

Students then use the procedure as a model to make a list of characteristics for their own protagonist. Homework will be writing a paragraph that incorporates all of the details from the list! 

Here is our paragraph from today based on your input:

     Walking down the street, he looked like a shifting amoeba – a dark-skinned, gray-haired shifting amoeba with curling yellowed nails sprouting from his one hand. His other arm ended with the two curved, metallic hooks typical of a prosthetic. From his face protruded a nose impressive even to an Iranian woman, a proboscis reminiscent of the monkeys of the same name. His gait was awkward due to the uneven length of his legs, and he favored the shorter one, which caused a slanting progression down the sidewalk. His sight wasn’t sharp, but his two red eyes were aided by the Coke-bottle glasses balanced on the bulb in the center of his face. In fact, the monstrosity of his nose was distracting considering his 4’5” stature. Many said the fact he had never shaved distracted one from the intense red eyes, but others found him strangely grandfatherly, save for the profusion of eyebrows spilling over the rims of his spectacles. His movement belied his ninety years, yet it was still painful to watch him, and the pinkie toe missing from his right foot – taken in an unfortunate circus accident at the age of nine – compounded his awkwardness. Still, when seen up close, after a joke, his face broke into a perfect smile, yet one could not ignore the angry scars across his eyes, magnified by the lenses of his glasses. It was usually at this point that those brave enough to venture close to him discovered, peeking from a mass of gray hair, the hint of a superfluous third ear, along with the jubilee of pens exploding from his shirt pocket. Little known to those who witnessed him walking every day in the same attire, he kept a perfect closet of a dozen matching suits and sweater vests – always worn with a white button-up oxford. Following shortly behind, trailed a dog