Academic Enrichment – Primary and Secondary English Writing Course Hong Kong

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 alliterations, metaphors, and similes.

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 writing course, students will:

• Expand upon the 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 a range of transition words to organize and connect ideas.

(Level 3) Throughout this writing 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 and persuasive.
• Organize and develop ideas in a clear and effective 5-paragraph essay.
• Practice and master the use of figurative language in descriptive writing.
• Expand upon the 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 the style and structure of a writing piece for the 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) Over the duration of 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 support opinions and arguments.
• Expand upon types of conflict and apply them to narrative writing.

Course Highlights:

Appropriately paced lessons to simultaneously build the English language as well as expose students to various writing genres.

This academic writing course is 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 organizing their ideas.
• Want to find ways to express themselves more eloquently and fluently in writing.

ACADEMIC WRITING I

Throughout this academic writing 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.