Alberta · Grade 9
English Language Arts 9
Alberta’s Grade 9 English course, from Reading and Comprehension to Writing Craft and Conventions.
- Units
- 5
- Lessons
- 10
- Skills
- 20
- Provincial exam
- Yes
- Official curriculum
- Alberta Education
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, numbered by unit.
Unit 1 · 4 skills
Reading and Comprehension
Reading Strategies
Explicit and implicit meaning
I can find both what a text states directly and what it implies.
Skill 1.1
Textual cues, skimming and scanning
I can use text features to skim and scan a text to find information quickly.
Skill 1.2
Why readers interpret differently
I can explain why two readers can interpret the same text differently.
Skill 1.3
Extending Your Thinking
Weighing multiple points of view
I can examine an idea from different points of view and combine them into a stronger understanding.
Skill 1.4
The official wording · 4 outcomes
- 1.1
- Use comprehension strategies identify explicit and implicit ideas and information in texts
- 1.2
- Use textual cues use knowledge of visual and textual cues and structural features when skimming and scanning
- 1.3
- Use prior knowledge discuss how interpretations of the same text might vary, according to the prior knowledge and experiences of various readers
- 1.4
- Combine ideas examine and re-examine ideas, information and experiences from different points of view
Key ideas
An explicit idea is stated directly in the words; an implicit idea is suggested or implied — you infer it from clues in the text plus what you know.
Combining ideas means holding more than one point of view at once and testing your own against them.
An inference must be supported by evidence in the text, not just a guess.
Considering an opposing view can strengthen your position (you address it) or improve it (you revise).
Textual and visual cues — titles, headings, bold words, topic sentences, images — signal where information is.
Watch out for
- Treating an inference as a wild guess unconnected to the text ("the author probably means…") instead of grounding it in evidence.
- Thinking considering the other side means abandoning your own view.
- Thinking everything important must be stated explicitly, and missing implied meaning.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 5 skills
Responding to and Analyzing Texts
Responding to Texts
Character choices and motives
I can analyze how a character’s choices and motives reveal something about people or situations.
Skill 2.1
Irony, symbolism and other techniques
I can identify techniques such as irony and symbolism and explain how they affect meaning.
Skill 2.2
Forms and Literary Elements
Forms and genres
I can explain how a text’s form or genre fits its purpose.
Skill 2.3
Comparing character, plot and theme
I can compare how character, plot, and theme develop, and tell plot apart from theme.
Skill 2.4
Texts and Culture
How texts reflect culture
I can analyze how a text reflects the traditions and beliefs of a culture.
Skill 2.5
The official wording · 5 outcomes
- 2.1
- Construct meaning from texts analyze how the choices and motives of characters portrayed in oral, print and other media texts provide insight
- 2.2
- Appreciate the artistry of texts discuss how techniques, such as irony, symbolism, perspective and proportion, communicate meaning and enhance effect
- 2.3
- Understand forms and genres explain the relationships between purposes and characteristics of various forms and genres
- 2.4
- Understand techniques and elements compare the development of character, plot and theme in two oral, print or other media texts
- 2.5
- Relate texts to culture analyze how oral, print and other media texts reflect the traditions
Key ideas
Characters reveal themselves through what they choose to do and why (their motives), not just what they say about themselves.
Different forms and genres (news report, poem, editorial, short story) have characteristics that match their purpose (inform, move, persuade, entertain).
Texts carry the values, traditions and beliefs of the people and time that produced them.
Analyzing a choice means asking what it shows and pointing to the evidence for it.
Recognizing the form tells you what to expect and how to read it.
Watch out for
- Summarizing what the character did instead of analyzing what it reveals.
- Thinking all texts should be read the same way regardless of form.
- Making sweeping stereotypes about a culture instead of pointing to what the text actually shows.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 3 · 2 skills
Creating Texts
Writing Original Texts
Generating ideas from a theme
I can generate ideas for a text by drawing on my own experience and a theme.
Skill 3.1
Structuring a narrative
I can structure a narrative so plot, setting, and character work together to reveal meaning.
Skill 3.2
The official wording · 2 outcomes
- 3.1
- Generate ideas generalize from own experience to create oral, print and other media texts on a theme
- 3.2
- Structure texts create oral, print and other media texts that interrelate plot, setting and character, and reveal the significance of the action
Key ideas
Good writing ideas often come from generalizing a personal experience into a theme others share.
Starting from a theme (an idea about life) gives a text a point, not just a sequence of events.
In a strong narrative, plot, setting and character interrelate — the events, the place, and the person all point toward the same significance.
The structure (beginning, rising action, turning point, resolution) exists to reveal the significance of the action, not just to list events.
Watch out for
- Thinking you must invent something totally new rather than mining your own experience.
- Choosing a topic (a word) instead of a theme (an idea about life).
- Writing a sequence of events with no significance ("and then, and then…").
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 4 · 4 skills
Research and Information
Planning and Finding Information
Focusing a research question
I can focus a topic into a question and synthesize sources to form my own opinion.
Skill 4.1
Evaluating sources for bias
I can evaluate a source for currency, reliability, and possible bias.
Skill 4.2
Organizing and Citing
Organizing information
I can organize ideas and information by developing and choosing appropriate categories.
Skill 4.3
Summarizing in your own words
I can summarize information in my own words and give credit to sources.
Skill 4.4
The official wording · 4 outcomes
- 4.1
- Focus attention synthesize ideas and information from a variety of sources to develop own opinions, points of view and general impressions
- 4.2
- Evaluate sources evaluate sources for currency, reliability and possible bias of information
- 4.3
- Organize information organize ideas and information by developing and selecting appropriate categories
- 4.4
- Record information use own words to summarize and record information in a variety of forms
Key ideas
A focused research question is specific enough to answer and points you to the information you need.
Organizing means grouping related information into categories that fit your purpose.
Synthesizing means combining ideas from several sources into your own opinion, not just copying one.
The right categories make patterns and gaps visible.
Judge a source by its currency (how recent), reliability (who wrote it, how they know), and bias (what they want you to think).
Watch out for
- Choosing a topic so broad it can’t be answered ("write about sports").
- Leaving information in the order it was found rather than grouping it meaningfully.
- Thinking synthesis means summarizing one source rather than combining several.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 5 · 5 skills
Writing Craft and Conventions
Revising and Word Choice
Revising for structure and flow
I can revise writing for a strong introduction, consistent point of view, smooth transitions, and a fitting conclusion.
Skill 5.1
Denotation and connotation
I can tell the denotation of a word from its connotation and choose words for effect.
Skill 5.2
Grammar and Punctuation
Parallel structure
I can identify and use parallel structure to make writing clear and balanced.
Skill 5.3
Punctuation and quotation marks
I can use quotation marks and related punctuation correctly.
Skill 5.4
Spelling strategies
I can apply spelling strategies to spell tricky words with confidence.
Skill 5.5
The official wording · 5 outcomes
- 5.1
- Revise and edit revise to ensure effective introductions, consistent points of view, effective transitions between ideas and appropriate conclusions
- 5.2
- Expand knowledge of language distinguish between the denotative and connotative meaning of words
- 5.3
- Attend to grammar and usage identify and use parallel structure in own writing
- 5.4
- Attend to capitalization and punctuation use quotation marks to distinguish words being discussed
- 5.5
- Attend to spelling demonstrate the deliberate, conscientious and independent application of a variety
Key ideas
Revising is re-seeing the whole piece: does the introduction pull the reader in, is the point of view consistent, do ideas connect with transitions, does the conclusion land?
Parallel structure means items in a list or comparison use the same grammatical form ("reading, writing, and speaking" — not "reading, writing, and to speak").
Revision (improving content and flow) is different from editing (fixing grammar and spelling).
Parallelism makes sentences easier to follow and sound balanced.
Denotation is a word’s literal dictionary meaning; connotation is the feeling or association it carries.
Watch out for
- Thinking revision just means fixing spelling and grammar (that’s editing).
- Mixing forms in a series ("-ing" with "to…") without noticing.
- Believing a first draft that "sounds fine" needs no revision.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Plan the term
Pick your term and the days you study. Each unit gets its share of the weeks and comes back a week later for a review. The last two weeks go over the whole course.
The official curriculum
This page follows Alberta’s own curriculum for English Language Arts 9.
Study it in MapleMind
MapleMind teaches English Language Arts 9 one skill at a time. Each skill gets a short lesson, practice as you go and a check worth up to three stars. It remembers where you stopped.
Course Companion
Your year in one workbook
A fun way to keep English Language Arts 9 organized, get to know your child better and see early when they need a hand. Fill it in on a screen, or print it.
- Pages
- 31
- Fillable fields
- 1,310
- Price
- $4.99
Questions about English Language Arts 9
What is English Language Arts 9?
Alberta’s Grade 9 English course: 5 units and 20 skills, from Reading and Comprehension to Writing Craft and Conventions.
What units are in English Language Arts 9?
1. Reading and Comprehension, 2. Responding to and Analyzing Texts, 3. Creating Texts, 4. Research and Information and 5. Writing Craft and Conventions.
Is there a provincial exam for English Language Arts 9?
Yes. The Grade 9 English Language Arts Provincial Achievement Test is written in Alberta. Next sitting: January 20, 2027.
What comes after English Language Arts 9?
English Language Arts 10-1 and English Language Arts 10-2.
Can MapleMind help with English Language Arts 9?
Yes. MapleMind teaches every skill of English Language Arts 9, step by step, with practice and checks, and its tutor answers questions about any of them. It’s free with daily limits, on iPhone, Android and the web.
Get ready for English Language Arts 9
Practise every skill of English Language Arts 9 in MapleMind, free with daily limits.
