Nova Scotia · Grade 9
English Language Arts 9
Nova Scotia’s Grade 9 English course, from Speaking and Listening to Writing and Other Ways of Representing.
- Units
- 3
- Lessons
- 9
- Skills
- 25
- Provincial exam
- None
- Official curriculum
- Nova Scotia Department of Education
Unit by unit
Every skill in the course, with its official code.
Unit 1 · 6 skills
Speaking and Listening
Exploring and Communicating Orally
Asking and responding to elaborating questions
I can ask questions that call for elaboration or clarification and respond thoughtfully.
Official code: 1.2
Advocating and supporting points of view
I can articulate and advocate a point of view convincingly.
Official code: 1.3
Effective and Respectful Talk
Participating constructively in discussion and debate
I can use strategies that make conversation, discussion, and debate effective.
Official code: 2.1
Adapting speech to the occasion
I can adapt my vocabulary, sentences, and pace to the speaking occasion.
Official code: 2.2
Evaluating spoken language
I can evaluate spoken language, recognizing verbal and non-verbal features and their effects.
Official code: 2.4
Interacting with Sensitivity
Adjusting language to situation and culture
I can use spoken language whose conventions fit the situation and show cultural awareness.
Official code: 3.3
The official wording · 6 outcomes
- 1.2
- ask relevant questions calling for elaboration, clarification, or qualification and respond thoughtfully to such questions
- 1.3
- articulate, advocate, and support points of view, presenting viewpoints in a convincing manner
- 2.1
- participate constructively in conversation, small-group and whole-group discussion, and debate, using a range of strategies that contribute to effective talk
- 2.2
- adapt vocabulary, sentence structure, and rate of speech to the speaking occasion
- 2.4
- evaluate their own and others’ uses of spoken language in a range of contexts, recognizing the effects of significant verbal and non-verbal language features
- 3.3
- demonstrate an awareness that spoken language has different conventions in different situations and cultures and use language appropriate to the situation
Key ideas
A strong question calls for elaboration (more detail), clarification (clearer meaning), or qualification (limits and conditions).
Effective talk uses strategies — building on others' points, inviting quieter voices, staying on topic.
Spoken-language conventions — greetings, formality, turn-taking — differ across situations and cultures.
Responding thoughtfully means genuinely addressing the question, not deflecting it.
Constructive participation moves the group forward rather than just adding noise.
Watch out for
- Asking closed questions that end the conversation.
- Talking the most and calling it participating.
- Assuming one set of conventions fits every situation and culture.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 2 · 10 skills
Reading and Viewing
Reading Widely with Strategies
Reading widely across genres and cultures
I can read widely across young adult fiction and literature from different places.
Official code: 4.2
Using cueing systems for complex texts
I can use cueing systems and strategies to construct meaning from complex texts.
Official code: 4.4
Articulating your reading processes
I can articulate the processes and strategies I use to read complex texts.
Official code: 4.5
Interpreting and Responding
Accessing and selecting information for research
I can access and select appropriate sources and plan how to conduct research.
Official code: 5.1
Responding by questioning, connecting, and extending
I can respond to a text by questioning, connecting, evaluating, and extending beyond my first impression.
Official code: 6.1
Supporting points of view with evidence
I can express a point of view about a text and support it with appropriate evidence.
Official code: 6.2
Responding Critically
Critically evaluating print and media texts
I can critically evaluate print and media texts for relevance and reliability.
Official code: 7.1
Analysing text purpose and audience
I can show how a text is constructed for a purpose and audience and how its features create effect.
Official code: 7.2
Responding critically: analysing form and how ideas are framed
I can analyse a text's form, structure, and content and recognize how it frames my own thinking.
Official code: 7.3
Responding critically: values and culture in texts
I can identify the values in a text and how values shape both its creation and my interpretation.
Official code: 7.3
The official wording · 10 outcomes
- 4.2
- read widely and experience a variety of young adult fiction and literature from different provinces and countries
- 4.4
- use cueing systems and a variety of strategies to construct meaning in reading and viewing increasingly complex print and media texts
- 4.5
- articulate their own processes and strategies for reading and viewing texts of increasing complexity
- 5.1
- access and select specific information to meet personal and learning needs - select, from a wide range, sources appropriate to their purposes - develop approaches and strategies to conduct their research
- 6.1
- respond to some of the material they read or view by questioning, connecting, evaluating, and extending - move beyond initial understanding to more thoughtful interpretations
- 6.2
- express and support points of view about texts and about issues, themes, and situations within texts, citing appropriate evidence
- 7.1
- critically evaluate information presented in print and media texts - assess relevance and reliability of available information to answer their questions
- 7.2
- demonstrate that print and media texts are constructed for particular purposes and particular audiences - describe how specific text and genre characteristics contribute to meaning and effect
- 7.3
- respond critically to texts of increasing complexity - analyze and evaluate a text in terms of its form, structure, and content - recognize how their own ideas and perceptions are framed by what they read and view
- 7.3
- demonstrate an awareness that personal values and points of view influence both the creation of text and the reader’s/viewer’s interpretation and response - explore and reflect on culture and reality as portrayed in media texts - identify the values inherent in a text
Key ideas
Reading widely means experiencing many genres and voices — young adult fiction and literature from different provinces and countries.
Selecting information means choosing sources that fit your purpose from a wide range.
Critical evaluation asks whether information is relevant to your question and reliable enough to trust.
Breadth builds the background knowledge that makes harder texts accessible.
A research approach — where to look, what to gather, how to record it — makes the search efficient.
Watch out for
- Reading only one familiar genre.
- Grabbing the first sources found without checking fit.
- Accepting information because it is available.
Every skill’s key ideas, worked examples and checks are in MapleMind.Practise this unit
Unit 3 · 9 skills
Writing and Other Ways of Representing
Writing to Explore and Reflect
Using writing to explore and reflect
I can use writing and representing to explore ideas and reflect on my thinking and growth.
Official code: 8.1
Making effective notes
I can make notes that reconstruct knowledge, choosing a strategy that fits the task.
Official code: 8.2
Crafting language for interesting effects
I can make informed language choices to create interesting effects in imaginative work.
Official code: 8.3
Creating Texts for Audiences
Choosing form and style for context
I can choose form, style, and content to fit a specific audience, purpose, and context.
Official code: 9.2
Assessing responses to your work
I can analyze and assess how others respond to my writing and media work.
Official code: 9.3
Developing Effective Writing
Using writing-process strategies that work for you
I can identify which writing-process strategies work best for me across the whole process.
Official code: 10.1
Using conventions consistently
I can use the conventions of written language consistently in my final products.
Official code: 10.2
Committing to crafting your work
I can show commitment to crafting my writing and representations.
Official code: 10.4
Integrating information from several sources
I can integrate information from several sources to construct and communicate meaning.
Official code: 10.5
The official wording · 9 outcomes
- 8.1
- use a range of strategies in writing and other ways of representing to - extend ideas and experiences - explore and reflect on their feelings, values, and attitudes - consider others’ perspectives - reflect on problems and responses to problems - describe and evaluate their learning processes and strategies - reflect on their growth as language learners and language users
- 8.2
- use note-making to reconstruct knowledge and select effective strategies appropriate to the task
- 8.3
- make informed choices of language to create a range of interesting effects in imaginative writing and other ways of representing
- 9.2
- demonstrate an awareness of the effect of context on writing and other forms of representing - make appropriate choices of form, style, and content for specific audiences and purposes
- 9.3
- analyze and assess responses to their writing and media productions
- 10.1
- demonstrate an awareness of what prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, and presentation strategies work for them with various writing and other representations
- 10.2
- consistently use the conventions of written language in final products
- 10.4
- demonstrate a commitment to crafting pieces of writing and other representations
- 10.5
- integrate information from several sources to construct and communicate meaning
Key ideas
Exploratory writing is for thinking — extending ideas, reflecting on feelings and values, and considering others' perspectives.
Context — audience, purpose, situation — shapes what form, style, and content a text should take.
The writing process runs from prewriting through drafting, revising, editing, proofreading, to presentation.
It also includes reflecting on your own learning processes and growth as a language user.
Appropriate choices make a text work for its specific readers, not readers in general.
Watch out for
- Treating all writing as a polished final product.
- Writing the same way regardless of context.
- Skipping stages of the writing process.
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 Nova Scotia’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
- 26
- Fillable fields
- 1,289
- Price
- $4.99
Questions about English Language Arts 9
What is English Language Arts 9?
Nova Scotia’s Grade 9 English course: 3 units and 25 skills, from Speaking and Listening to Writing and Other Ways of Representing.
What units are in English Language Arts 9?
1. Speaking and Listening, 2. Reading and Viewing and 3. Writing and Other Ways of Representing.
Is there a provincial exam for English Language Arts 9?
No. Nova Scotia gives no provincial exam for English Language Arts 9.
What comes after English Language Arts 9?
English 10.
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.
