Academic Enrichment – Primary and Secondary Writing
Individualized Attention
- Small classes ensure that students will receive attention requisite to their personal academic growth.
- Lessons are tailored to both challenge individual students’ strengths while supporting and developing areas of weakness.
- Students receive tangible feedback during and after each lesson to outline a clear path towards improvement.
Experienced, Engaging Teachers
- Capstone instructors have graduated from Ivy League and Oxbridge universities, including MIT, Stanford, and Cambridge, bringing a wide breadth of professional and academic experience to the classroom.
- Our teaching staff is made up of individuals who have previously worked in academia, law, business, consulting, and finance.
A Record of Acheivement
- Instructors have experience working with hundreds of top Hong Kong local and international school students who go on to attend top boarding schools and universities around the world.
- Our students consistently outperform their peers in top schools around Hong Kong in both local, regional, and international competitions.
WHY CHOOSE CAPSTONE
WRITING PROGRAMS
Capstone courses prepare students to analyze, argue, research, persuade, and present. Our students become not only innovative thinkers, but also adept communicators – an invaluable skill in an ever-evolving global market.
Aspiring Writers
G1-G6
The Aspiring Writers Program starts with the foundation of idea development and basic writing structures. At each level, students practice the important steps pf the writing process. As students progress in the program, they learn level-appropriate literary skills and techniques to hone their writing skills. These skills are developed through reading and evaluating texts; teacher instruction and modelling; close attention to the writing process; and regular feedback on activities and assignments.
Course Highlights:
- Students will work to master the writing process: brainstorming, outlining, writing, and revising.
- Students will explore a variety of writing genres, learning to modify style and structure to suit a specific audience and purpose.
- Students will develop excellent planning skills that map out the flow of ideas and arguments.
- Students will enhance their writing with vocabulary and specific literary techniques such as alliteration, metaphor, and simile.
Perfect for:
- Students who want to express their ideas and opinions in an organized and clear manner
- Students who need guidance in systematically planning or editing their writing
- Students who feel comfortable with creative writing but need to prepare for more persuasive and academic writing
- Students who want to advance their writing with higher-level vocabulary and writing techniques
(Level 2) In this course, students will
- Expand upon structure of the narrative arc
- Learn and apply the basic structure of an essay
- Develop descriptive writing skills using sensory details
- Further develop and practice paraphrasing and summarizing skills
- Expand upon range of transition words to organize and connect ideas
(Level 3) In this course, students will
- Learn and apply a more in-depth narrative arc
- Learn and apply figurative language to descriptive writing
- Expand upon developed persuasive writing skills
- Be introduced to transition words to signal cause/effect, reason/result, etc
- Further develop more advanced paraphrasing and summarizing skills
- Learn and apply different sentence beginnings to create complex sentences
- Expand upon types of conflict and apply them to narrative writing
(Level 4) In this course, students will
- Practice in depth and master the 3 main types of writing: narrative, informational, persuasive
- Organize and develop ideas in a clear and effective 5-paragraph essay
- Practice and master use of figurative language in descriptive writing
- Expand upon range of transition words, and use them accurately and effectively in writing
- Vary sentence length and structure to express ideas effectively
- Expand upon types of conflict and apply them to narrative writing
(Level 5) In this course, students will
- Transition from informational writing to the genre of expository writing
- Learn to modify style and structure of a writing piece for audience and purpose
- Be introduced to characterization methods to develop characters
- Develop higher-level vocabulary and specific literary techniques to enhance descriptive writing
- Learn to map the flow of ideas and arguments for strong persuasive writing
- Learn research techniques and use research findings in writing
- Expand upon types of conflict and apply them to narrative writing
(Level 6) In this course, students will
- Explore more in-depth a variety of genres and to strengthen overall writing proficiency
- Deploy specific and interesting vocabulary to create mood and atmosphere in narrative writing
- Learn and apply effective persuasive strategies in writing
- Practice and master crafting a thesis-driven essay – expand upon techniques to research effectively and synthesize findings
- Craft strong and relevant evidence to thoroughly explain and supporting opinions and arguments
- Expand upon types of conflict and apply them to narrative writing
Academic Writing
G7-G9
Academic Writing improves students’ mastery of the four main writing genres secondary students encounter at school: persuasive, descriptive, expository, and fiction. Students will develop the tools necessary to research and write essays that are well-organized, clear, and persuasive, and will learn how to use descriptive techniques skillfully to create powerful written images. Students will be challenged with texts that require them to exercise their critical thinking and employ careful analysis to come to their conclusions. In addition to giving students the skills they need to master the four genres, lessons will emphasize the importance of effective planning, editing, and revising.
Course Highlights:
Appropriately-paced lessons to simultaneously build English language as well as expose students to the various writing genres.
Perfect for students who:
- Are looking to hone their writing skills to bolster their grades at school and beyond
- Need a toolset to tackle any writing assignment confidently
- Struggle with organising their ideas
- Want to find ways to express themselves more eloquently and fluently in writing
ACADEMIC WRITING I
In this course, students will
- Gain foundational exposure to the genre expectations of persuasive, expository, descriptive, and fiction writing
- Practice organizing their ideas in clear and effective 5-paragraph essays and within coherent paragraphs
- Learn essential descriptive techniques necessary to paint a vivid picture
- Consider story structure and characterization prior to composing their own stories
- Develop necessary research skills
ACADEMIC WRITING II
In this course, students will
- Consistently implement the genre expectations of persuasive, expository, descriptive, and fiction writing
- Confidently organize their ideas in clear and effective 5-paragraph essays and within coherent paragraphs
- Consider the effectiveness of the descriptive techniques they use when drafting and revising
- Evaluate fiction written by others to compose their own stories more compellingly
- Hone their research skills to be more efficient and effective
ACADEMIC WRITING III
In this course, students will
- Employ the necessary genre conventions within more nuanced and targeted writing assignments
- Learn more complex forms of writing within the four standard genres taught at Capstone
- Evaluate their own work and the work of others for greater efficacy
- Use their literary analysis skills in order to inform their own descriptive and fiction writing
- Fine-tune their writing habits to allow for greater consistency and independence
ACADEMIC WRITING III+
In this course, students will
- Be expected to craft writing assignments independently
- Probe genre conventions more deeply to consider the why behind them
- Evaluate their own work and the work of others for greater efficacy
- Discuss topics with greater nuance in order to produce deeper written work
- Continue to fine-tune their writing habits to allow for greater consistency and independence