Grade Nine

List of 10 items.

• Mathematics

  Based on a student’s ability to work independently and persevere with problems, along with his or her past mathematical performance, he or she is placed into one of our Upper School math courses. We recognize that students at this age develop at different rates and appreciate that there is more than one path through the math curriculum; for that reason, we conduct careful student placement in the spring of each year to ensure that each student is appropriately challenged. Click here to see detailed descriptions for all Upper School math course offerings.

• English 9

  In ninth grade English, students focus on literature, grammar, writing, and vocabulary. They develop a more sophisticated style of writing using a variety of sentence structures and verbal phrases. Grammar is closely integrated with the writing process. Students write expository and personal essays throughout the year, and they are encouraged to go beyond the more elementary five-paragraph model of an essay.

  
  

  During the course of the year, examples of texts used include poetry from Billy Collins’ anthology Poetry 180, Stephen Mitchell and Emily Wilson’s translation of The Odyssey, Shakespeare’s Macbeth, The Farming of Bones by Edwidge Danticat, The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, and Almost, Maine by John Cariani. Ninth graders also read a required summer book that connects to the first units of the year. Recent required “summer reads” include The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater, Leaving Berlin by Joseph Kanon, and Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Stephen Shenkin. The “summer read” book is the focus of our first discussions as well as a reference point for students in other areas of focus in disciplines such as history or science.

  
  

  By the end of ninth grade, students are expected to have a sound knowledge of figurative language, especially metaphors and similes, symbols, allusions, image patterns, and personification. Students develop an understanding of how authors use these devices to convey the deeper meaning behind the writing, as well as how they can use figurative language to enhance their own personal and analytical writing. Students learn how to craft a thesis statement and support it with thorough analysis and specific textual references. Students study vocabulary and grammar in order to develop a more sophisticated written and spoken command of English.

• History

  Ninth graders have the option of choosing from one of the following courses:

  
  

  Topics of Modern America (TMA)

  In Topics of Modern America (TMA), ninth graders explore the cultural, socio-economic, political, and foreign policy development of the United States from the end of World War II through the end of the Cold War. Focusing on specific time periods 1945-1960, 1960-1975, 1975-1990, students explore the questions, events, and individuals that shaped the actions, attitudes, expectations, and ideologies of modern America. Among the topics students examine over the course of the year are the rise of the United States as a global superpower and the Cold War rivalry with the Soviet Union, the Civil Rights movement, the 1960s counterculture, and the impacts of Reaganomics and the War on Drugs in the 1980s.

   

  In TMA, students continue to develop their critical and analytical thinking skills, using the historical concepts of significance, context, perspective, cause and effect, continuity, and agency to examine primary and secondary source material. Class discussion, writing, and projects allow students to demonstrate mastery of the content and apply their understanding skills in creative ways.

  
  

  Diagnosing The Modern World (DMW)

  Diagnosing the Modern World (DMW) is a team-taught, interdisciplinary science and history course where ninth graders focus each term on a specific topic or issue of particular importance to the world today and into the future. Students examine these topics from both scientific and historical perspectives and explore the interconnectivity and complexity of the problems that confront the world. Topics are chosen with an eye on current events and typically share a common theme. In the past, the class has covered topics such as disease, energy, food, waste, water, and war. Depending upon the topic, outside experts often join the class to share expertise and guide students through projects. Field trips ensure that learning happens in an optimal setting that offers context and perspective.

   

  As students investigate the topics in DMW, they practice the skills needed to be self-motivated and independent learners: collaboration, informed discussion and debate, and independent research. As they explore a wealth of sources and perspectives, they also develop the skills of critical thinking, creative interpretation, and media literacy.

• Science 9

  Upper School science practices have been adopted from the National Resource Council’s A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (2012) and directly build upon the practices from the Lower School. Students who demonstrate success in upper school science courses will be able to:
  

  • ask questions (for science) and define problems (for engineering)
  • construct explanations (for science) and design solutions (for engineering)
  • plan and carry out investigations
  • analyze and interpret data
  • use mathematics and computational thinking to solve problems
  • develop and use models
  • participate in evidence-based arguments
  • obtain, evaluate, and communicate information

  
  Ninth graders may choose one of the courses below.
  
  

  Biology 9

  Biology is a full-year, laboratory-intensive high school course based on the Next Generation Science Standards. Students focus on broad themes and develop deep conceptual understanding of foundational ideas in biology, including organismal structure and function, heredity, evolution, and ecology. Through student-led research, digital texts, collaborative learning teams, and exposure to primary sources, students participate in experimental design, scientific writing, data analysis and interpretation, and research. Students develop skills to prepare for future secondary level school work, such as note taking, study strategies, and learning in a digital classroom environment.

   

  Throughout the year, biological concepts and unifying themes come to life as pressing real-world issues are brought into the classroom, such as genetic engineering, stem cell technology, climate change, intelligent design, and science denialism. Students learn to observe the world from a scientific perspective, using scientific methodology to produce reliable data. As they study biochemistry, students learn why organismal structure and function is essential to understanding organismal survival. Cell biology introduces students to the cell as the basic unit of life, and investigations focus on how cell structure enables life processes to occur. Students also study genetics and evolutionary biology, focusing on the mechanisms of inheritance, the process of evolution, and the unity and diversity of life on Earth. Students investigate organismal diversity and how interconnected systems work together to sustain life. To finish the year, students delve into ecology, exploring organismal interactions with the physical environment around Fay.

  
  

  During the winter term, ninth grade biology students design their own course of study for the term. They work in small groups or alone to plan, iterate, and execute a scientific research project while learning valuable research and project management skills along the way Connections with people in the “field” include scientists, doctors, and designers.

  
  

  Diagnosing The Modern World (DMW)

  Ninth graders in Diagnosing the Modern World (DMW), a team-taught, interdisciplinary science and history course, focus each term on a specific topic or issue of particular importance to the world today and into the future. Students examine these topics from both scientific and historical perspectives and explore the interconnectivity and complexity of the problems that confront the world. Topics are chosen with an eye on current events and typically share a common theme. In the past, the class has covered topics such as disease, energy, food, water, waste, and war. Depending upon the topic, outside experts often join the class to share expertise and guide students through projects. Field trips ensure that learning happens in an optimal setting that offers context and perspective.

   

  As students investigate the topics in DMW, they practice the skills needed to be self-motivated and independent learners: collaboration, informed discussion and debate, and independent research. As they explore a wealth of sources and perspectives, students also develop the skills of critical thinking, creative interpretation, and media literacy.

  
  
  

   

• World Languages

  Upon entering the Upper School, students select a world language to study. Students choose from French, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and Latin. Placement in all levels is based upon the student’s prior experience in the language, teacher recommendations, and a placement test. With permission of the department chair and based on the schedule, a ninth grader who has completed two years of study of a world language at the Upper School level may petition to take a second language. Click here to see a detailed list of all Upper School foreign language course offerings.

• Music

  The music faculty is committed to the concept of "learning by doing" and recognizes the value of performance in every student’s experience. Each year, Upper School students choose a music course from an array of options that include bass chorale or treble chorus, bells, string ensemble, band, and music exploration. The courses are designed to extend the theory and performance skills developed in the Lower School, but students new to Fay will also find that they can succeed in a beginning-level ensemble with little or no previous musical experience. Click here to see a complete list of music offerings.

• Art

  The Upper School visual arts curriculum encourages personal expression and fosters the development of cognitive, motor, and social skills. Interdisciplinary and multicultural projects, art history, and resources within the school and community are integrated through the program.

   

  Students learn basic art skills as well as the elements and principles of design. In all grades, students have regular opportunities to draw from life and imagination; they also work in a range of media that includes paint, collage, ceramics, cut paper, sculpture, printmaking, origami, digital media, and other two- and three-dimensional media. Eighth and ninth graders have the option to participate in art electives that allow them to focus on specific areas of interest. Click here for a complete list of course descriptions.

• Advanced 3D Design

  An elective for ninth graders, Advanced 3D Design takes place in Fay’s Innovation Lab. This course is considered a full academic course and is graded on the same scale as the core courses of math, English, science, history, and world languages. The course is designed to build each student’s creative confidence and focuses on the following themes: 

  • Design thinking, an empathy-based problem solving mindset and process, to help students identify problems and possible solutions
  • Basic electronics, to do basic programming of circuit boards
  • Digital fabrication, to design and build 2D and 3D objects using the school's laser cutter, vinyl cutter, and 3D printing technologies
  • Recognizing the moral, cultural, and environmental issues inherent in design and technology
  • Designing and making quality and sustainable products

  Our ultimate goal is to give students the ability to isolate a problem they want to solve and to spend the latter part of the year designing and building solution(s).

• Wellness 9

  Students in ninth grade Wellness classes are treated very much as high school students. Students address a number of important topics related to the secondary school search process, drug and alcohol education (including drinking and driving, regrettable sexual acts under the influence, and the dangers of prescription misuse,), the legal implications of underage sexual experimentation, understanding teen depression, and bullying of various forms. Leadership is an important component of the ninth grade Wellness experience, and students participate in a leadership development trip at the beginning of the year to set students up for success. Each student learns about their own specific leadership style and how this style interfaces with other leadership styles. The students also participate in a multi-class ethics unit focused on critical and individual decision-making, as opposed to blind obedience to authority or the popular crowd. Wellness class is the place where ninth graders begin to process the many conflicting emotions associated with leaving Fay School and starting anew.

  
  
  

• Athletics

  The athletics program takes place every day following academic classes. All students in grades seven through nine are required to participate daily in all three terms. Students choose from an array of interscholastic sports and intramural activities (one per term). Students may try out for competitive interscholastic teams or join an intramural team or activity. However, all students are required to participate in at least one interscholastic sports team each year. Click here for the complete list of athletic options.