Intended for use with ninth grade students, this guide is one of a series of teacher resource curriculum guides in communication arts developed by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The curriculum described in the guide is intended to (1) appeal to students of all abilities, (2) provide for student interaction and involvement, (3) increase student use of language as a communication tool, (4) increase development of vital communication skills, and (5) involve students in creating and receiving messages in various modes, for various purposes, and for varied audiences. The guide contains 25 units based on the five major functions of communication (informing, feeling, imagining, ritualizing, and controlling) and five audience contexts (intrapersonal, dyadic, small group, public, and mass communication). The units contain activities for reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Appendixes contain statements about the teaching of reading, writing, speaking, and listening drawn from current research. (FL)