Welcome to Ninth Grade!

Career and Technical Education (CTE)
Beginning in ninth grade, students can access many CTE electives offered in our high schools and at Bridgerland Technical College. Elective courses differ by school and include options across the 13 CTE Career Clusters. Students also have yearly meetings with their school counselor and college and career readiness advisor to help them identify career paths.

Computer Science:
Students address real-world problems using computational thinking and discuss ethical technology use. They also design algorithms, troubleshoot computing systems, and analyze, present, and store data. 

English Language Arts:
Students analyze literature and informational texts, identify themes, evaluate text structures, and use evidence to support their understanding. They also write well-organized argumentative, informative, and narrative pieces, conduct research, and participate in discussions using grade-level vocabulary.

Health Education:
Students learn how to set goals for lifelong health, understand stress management techniques, and practice basic CPR and first aid. They begin exploring mental health, recognize risk factors for substance abuse, and discuss the importance of maintaining good nutrition.

Library:
Students develop lifelong media literacy skills. They practice personal and academic research by defining research tasks, using effective information-seeking strategies, and synthesizing and evaluating their findings.

Mathematics:
Students learn to work with linear equations, inequalities, and systems of equations. They understand how to graph and solve problems involving these concepts and begin exploring functions, including interpreting and analyzing linear relationships.

Performing Arts (Music, Dance, and Theatre):
Students create and perform original choreography, develop and act out scenes with strong characters, and create and perform music while exploring its connection to personal growth, culture, and history.

Physical Education:
Students develop basic motor skills and movement patterns by participating in lifetime activities like dance or outdoor recreation. They learn the importance of physical fitness and begin understanding the structure of the human body and safe exercise practices.

Science:
Students learn about forces and motion, focusing on Newton’s Second Law. They also explore energy transfer, wave properties, and Earth processes like plate tectonics.

Social Studies:
Students explore geographic concepts such as the forces that shape the physical environment (plate tectonics, climate, etc.) and human movements (immigration, urbanization). They also study the development of world civilizations and religions, comparing their environmental impact and cultural characteristics.

Visual Arts:
Students explore basic art techniques and principles, experiment with various mediums, and begin developing their artistic style. They also learn to analyze and critique artwork while connecting it to cultural and historical contexts.

 

USBE Parent Guide - Ninth Grade     Utah CORE standards

Career and Technical Education:

• Encourage students to reflect on their interests and strengths. This helps them understand what subjects or activities they enjoy most, which can guide potential career paths.
• Assist your students in planning their high school course schedules to ensure they take challenging, college-preparatory classes that align with their future career interests.
• Work with your student to set academic goals that align with their future aspirations, ensuring they stay on track with courses that support their college and career interests.

English Language Arts:

• Share books and articles with your teen about their favorite topics and hobbies. Have conversations about what they read.
• Read current events together. Compare what you have read with the information on TV, cable news, or social media. Ask them to distinguish between facts and opinions.
• If your teen is interested in journalism, photography, creative writing, or debate, encourage them to sign up for the school newspaper, yearbook, literary magazine, or debate club/class.

Health Education:

• To support healthy eating habits, encourage balanced meals, explore the relationship between food and culture, and involve your child in meal planning and preparation.
• Discuss the risks and effects of substance abuse and help your child develop healthy decision-making skills regarding alcohol, drugs, and other substances.
• Support your child in engaging in regular physical activity, whether through sports, exercise, or outdoor play.

Mathematics:

• Set aside time each day to help your student practice math problems and reinforce concepts learned in class.
• Help your student establish a regular study schedule, which can reduce last-minute stress and improve retention of math concepts.
• Review homework assignments together, ensuring your child understands the steps and processes of solving problems.

Music and Performing Arts:

• Play music, sing, dance, or create art as a family.
• Discuss famous artists, musicians, or performers.
• Help your child experience the arts in different settings by visiting art museums, theaters, or music festivals.

Physical Education:

• Promote daily exercise routines such as walking, jogging, or biking to help maintain fitness.
• Help your student design and follow a personal fitness plan that includes cardio, strength, flexibility, and endurance exercises.
• Support your child in making healthy food choices. Provide balanced meals with proper hydration to complement their fitness efforts.

Science:

• Help your child build simple models to explore gravity and magnetic fields.
• Talk about natural phenomena like weather, plate tectonics, and climate change.
• Encourage curiosity by asking questions about how energy works in their everyday life. For example, “How does electricity power devices?” or “How does thermal energy heat our home?”

Social Studies:

• Use maps, atlases, and online resources to explore different countries, cultures, and physical features.
• Encourage your child to read non-fiction books, articles, or historical accounts to enhance their understanding of history and current affairs.
• Visit local museums, historical sites, or landmarks to help students connect history to their community.

Visual Arts:

• Set up a designated area at home for drawing, painting, or crafting, with supplies and space for creativity.
• Incorporate creativity into everyday activities like cooking, gardening, or home decorating.
• Allow your child to experiment with different art mediums (such as watercolors, clay, digital art, etc.) to discover what they enjoy most.