English Language Arts Final Exam Study Guide- Academic Year 2012- 2013 Grade 9

The objective of doing the final exam is to measure the students progress based on the comprehension skills and strategies, literary genres, themes, vocabulary, grammar, usage and mechanics skills, and types of writing covered throughout the academic year. All the skills will be reviewed thoroughly with students in classes. The test will include the following: I- Reading, Comprehension: The students are expected to answer comprehension questions on unseen and seen extracts. In order to be fully prepared, students should be able to: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. Define the elements of Drama (stage directions, dialogue, monologue, aside, soliloquy, etc...) Identify the elements of Drama. Determine the themes of a work of literature. Identify symbolism. Make inferences about the characters personalities, actions, and motivations. Identify and distinguish between antagonists, protagonists, and foils. Compare and contrast characters. Indentify plot elements in a literary work. Summarize events. Paraphrase quotations. Identify setting, tone, and mood. Distinguish between internal and external conflicts. recognize symbolism and figures of speech such as simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole define, identify and explain puns, foreshadowing, oxymoron, imagery, allusion define and identify sound devices used in poetry such as onomatopoeia, rhyme scheme, repetition, internal rhyme, external rhyme, and alliteration Identify types and examples of irony: verbal, situational, dramatic.

II- Vocabulary: The students should be able to: 1. recognize the meaning of new words from context by using context clues 2. define vocabulary words related to Romeo and Juliet 3. Use the vocabulary words correctly in sentences and in different contexts.

III- Grammar: Students should be able to: 1. Proof read and edit sentences and paragraphs for a. Subject verb agreement mistakes b. Pronoun antecedent mistakes c. Dangling modifiers d. Sentence structure e. Mechanics and punctuation IV- Writing: Students will be asked to write a long answer response responding to a literature prompt about Romeo and Juliet. Students might be asked to: - Write about a character. - Write about a theme. - Write about their opinion. - Write about the plot. - Write about authors style - Write about the significance of setting. - Write about mood and tone. Students long answer responses will be assessed based on the following rubric Response to Literature rubric Excellent- The writing:
Clearly addresses all parts of the writing task Demonstrates a clear purpose and maintains a consistent point of view and focus Develops the topic in well-organized paragraphs with specific, well-chosen details using precise and varied vocabulary Includes the effective use of transitions Includes an engaging lead, a satisfying conclusion, and employs a variety of sentence structures to enhance the writing Develops interpretations that demonstrate a thoughtful, comprehensive grasp of the text Organizes accurate and coherent interpretations around clear ideas, premises, or images from the literary work Provides textual examples and details to support the interpretations Uses a clear authoritative voice which conveys the writers literary expertise

Good- The writing: Addresses all parts of the writing task

Demonstrates a general understanding of purpose and a mostly consistent point of view and focus Develops the topic in logical paragraphs with some supporting details using appropriate vocabulary Includes the effective use of some transitions

Includes an appropriate lead and conclusion, and uses more than one sentence type Develops interpretations that demonstrate an adequate grasp of the text Organizes accurate and reasonably coherent interpretations around clear ideas, premises, or images from the literary work Provides textual examples and details to support the interpretations Uses a clear and appropriate voice which conveys the writers literary knowledge

Partially proficient- The writing: Addresses only parts of the writing task Demonstrates little understanding of purpose, point-of-view and focus
Attempts to write paragraphs, but with few supporting details using limited vocabulary. Or may be a list May include ineffective or awkward transitions that do not unify important ideas Lead and conclusion may be brief or confusing, and uses simple sentences Develops interpretations that demonstrates a limited grasp of the text Includes interpretations that lack accuracy or coherence as related to ideas, premises, or images from the literacy Provides few, if any, textual examples and details to support the interpretations Uses a voice which conveys limited literary knowledge Non-Proficient: The writing Addresses only one part of the writing task Demonstrates no understanding of purpose, and lacks point of view and focus Has little paragraph structure with few/no details using simple words Little/no evidence of lead and conclusion, and sentence structure is simple or confusing Demonstrates little grasp of the task Lacks an interpretation or may be a simple retelling of the passage Lacks textual examples and details Lacks voice and conveys little/if any, literary knowledge