KAKhaemenes AcademyEnglish 9 · Unit 7
High SchoolLanguage Arts

Term III · Weeks 19–21

Unit 07

Research, Evidence & Media Literacy

Build research questions, advanced search plans, lateral-reading habits, source evaluations, annotations, citations, and synthesized reports.

Begin Week 19Unit OverviewAssessments

Essential Question

How can researchers find, test, connect, and ethically present reliable information?

Text and Source Family

Current and historical informational sources selected through The Verifier, PLERA Search, ARSHIF, and public archives.

Learning Priorities

  • Read closely and cite precise textual evidence.
  • Write through planning, drafting, feedback, revision, editing, and reflection.
  • Use language conventions and vocabulary as tools for meaning and style.
  • Discuss, present, listen, question, and respond with intellectual fairness.
  • Preserve major work in the Grade 9 portfolio.

Extended research reading · Weeks 19–21

Required reading · A Source Without a Date

Original Academy text; available offline.

The museum label called a photograph 'the first town gathering,' but it gave no date. An archivist located a newspaper describing an earlier event. The caption was revised to distinguish what the photograph depicted from what its history could prove.

Reading assignment: Reread, annotate at least two details, explain what the passage supports and what remains uncertain, and draft one evidence-based response connected to the unit's essential question. Revisit during Weeks 19–21. Save writing in the existing portfolio.

Unit reading-response assessment · 100 points

After completing the unit reading, submit a response in the existing portfolio. Your teacher can use this rubric for feedback; this page does not automatically change your grade or mastery status.

Reading response scoring guide
CriterionPointsWhat strong work demonstrates
Comprehension20Accurately explains the text without inventing details.
Textual evidence25Uses specific, accurately contextualized quotations or details.
Interpretation25Explains how evidence supports a nuanced interpretation and acknowledges uncertainty.
Writing clarity15Organizes claims and reasoning in clear, precise language.
Revision15Demonstrates a meaningful change after review and explains why it improves the work.

Process: Read and annotate → draft → check quotations → seek feedback → revise → preserve both drafts. If a reading is a brief instructional microtext, also complete the course's longer assigned literature; the microtext does not replace it.

Three-Week Sequence

Read, analyze, compose, and demonstrate.

Week 19

Research Questions & Search Strategy

What makes a research question focused, significant, and answerable?

question formation and precise nouns
Open Week
Week 20

Credibility, Bias & Lateral Reading

How can a researcher investigate a source instead of merely reading it?

hedging, certainty, and responsible attribution
Open Week
Week 21

Synthesis, Citation & Research Reporting

How do researchers create a new understanding from multiple sources?

embedding quotations and avoiding dangling quotations
Open Week

Performance Evidence

Annotated bibliography, source audit, and 900–1,200-word research report.

Students submit planning, one meaningful draft, feedback or conference notes, the finished product, and a short reflection explaining the strongest revision.

Add to PortfolioOpen RubricsDraft in PROSE

Standards Emphasis

Measured through authentic work.

  • RI.9-10.1–9
  • W.9-10.7–9
  • SL.9-10.2
  • L.9-10.6