Grade Nine

Core Subject Areas

English Language Arts (ELA), Math, Transitional Math, Physical Education, Reading Is Thinking, Social Studies and Science

Reading Is Thinking: This course is intended to help students improve their skills in the areas of literacy, critical thinking and creativity. It is a course designed to give students the strategies needed to become a better reader in all content areas.

Full Credit (1.0) Option Courses

FULL CREDIT OPTIONS (Choose 3 of the following, students rank them 1, 2, 3) 

Students take two full credit (1.0) options in their grade 9 year.

LIFE/WORK EXPLORATION: This option will help provide a smoother transition between high school graduation and appropriate post-secondary educational programming in a 21st century world.  Students will explore potential occupations, employability skills, resume writing and new and exciting fields of employment from presenters in the field.

Concert Band: The band plays a wide variety of musical styles in a variety of performance settings, including school concerts, festivals and clinics. One of the major performance activities of this course is the Spring Concert Tour.

English as an Additional Language: This option will strengthen the student’s ability to speak, listen, read and write in English.

Family Studies: Students will gain an understanding of human needs and how those needs can be met by the individual, family and society from the period of prenatal development through to adolescence.

Visual Arts: The art program is a very specific studio “Visual Arts” program with emphasis on technical skills, art appreciation and art history through drawing, painting, printmaking and sculpture.   

French - Communication and Culture: Students participate in activities designed to develop an understanding of the French language and francophone culture in Canada and in the world.

Graphic Computer Technology (GCT): Using cutting edge animation software such Cinema 4D XL, students will be introduced to computer graphics, multimedia and animation.

Jazz Band: This ensemble focuses on the study and performance of jazz styles, including swing, Latin, ballad and funk-rock.

Outdoor Education: You are lost in the woods and in need of making a shelter and a fire to survive the night. These are just two of the many different survival topics we’ll be learning about in this course.

Applied Information Communication Technology (ICT): Students will use tools for exploring different platforms to learn various methods to create and enhance school projects using ICT applications such as Photoshop, Audacity, and Google SketchUp.

Half Credit (0.5) Option Courses

Choose 3 of the following, students rank them 1, 2, 3.  

Students take one half credit from this list, as well as a half credit of Reading is Thinking.

Electronics Technology: This is a hands-on project-based course in which students will begin to develop a general understanding of the important roll that electronics plays in a modern society. Basic knowledge of design and lab techniques will be explored through the assembly of projects. In class, students will concentrate on researching and designing projects such as building solar vehicles and BattleBots. 

Food and Nutrition: This course focuses on the individual and the relationships and influences that affect food choices. Students will examine the fundamentals of nutrition and learn how to apply the information to their lives. The course provides opportunities for students to develop safe food handling and food preparation skills in a practical setting.

Wood Technology: Students learn to use hand and power tools in a safe and proper way. Woodcrafts, joining and finishing skills are learned in the making of shelves, compact disc cabinets, iPod docks, folding tables, entertainment units, bookshelves, night stands, coffee tables, etc.

Advanced Topics in Mathematics: This course is intended as a supplement to Mathematics 10F. It will extend students’ problem solving abilities, critical thinking and introduce students to problem types that require logic, inductive and deductive reasoning abilities beyond the grade nine curriculum.

Drama: This course is looking for students who want to further develop their cooperation and communication skills. Through the dramatic arts students grow as artists, become better communicators, learn to listen to and empathize with different points of view, think imaginatively & critically and express themselves with confidence.  

Yearbook (Print Communications): This course is looking for students who are responsible and self-motivated to be part of a team that prepares the school’s yearbook. We will learn the mechanics of building a yearbook through the following activities: digital photography, layout and design, graphic arts, and theme development.

Digital Film Making: This course is for students who want to learn and participate in all aspects of film creation. From writing and editing to directing and acting, students will be given a hands-on learning environment to strengthen the understanding of video production. In addition, students will be given the opportunity to broadcast both live and pre-recorded segments throughout Acadia. 

Leadership: The objective of this course is to get students involved in creating a positive school atmosphere and environment by using their leadership skills. Through volunteering and class instruction, students will discover their leadership potential.