G7 – G9

GRADE 7 – 9 SERVICES

Preparing for academic success.

Capstone’s G7 – G9 services are designed to solidify frameworks used to analyze, write, and present. By dissecting both complex global problems and writing structures, students develop the writing and argumentation skills required of them in their own coursework. Moreover, our services aim to begin preparing students for the academic rigor of their school programs along with the school admissions process at both the secondary and tertiary levels.

ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS

Academic Writing

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.

Scholars

Scholars aims to develop frameworks of analysis that can be used to tackle complex issues, contentious world events, and hypothetical scenarios. Through instructor-supervised analysis, discussion, and collaboration projects, students are taught to engage with and dissect global problems while presenting ideas in well-organized, intelligent arguments. Content comes from a wide range of sources that are meant to challenge comprehension and analysis. Students are expected to synthesize, engage, and present their ideas in a multitude of presentation styles.

Competitive Debating

Capstone’s Competitive Debating program is unparalleled amongst any school-based or external training program in terms of the number and proportion of competition winning debaters. Given the pivot of debating tournaments in the region to the British Parliamentary (BP) format, this program will teach core debating skills using the BP style. Students will learn how to adapt their speeches and deliveries to succeed under the BP rubric of Style, Substance and Strategy.  Students will also receive an introduction to the eight unique BP speaker positions, and discover the nuances of each role to see where their own personal speaking strengths fit best.

Debating is Hong Kong’s most prestigious extracurricular activity at the schools level. Each year within Hong Kong’s largest debating, Model United Nations, and speaking competitions, Capstone students dominate the top speakers list.Capstone’s Competitive Debating offering is structured to the same international quality standards of the World Championship while fostering a nurturing learning environment for debaters of any background.

MENTORSHIP

Mentorship is designed as the next logical step for students who have completed the foundations of Scholars and Academic writing.  The class provides a unique opportunity for the most advanced Capstone students to coalesce in an intellectually stimulating environment where they will apply their persuasive writing and oral argumentation skills to new, challenging issues in the context of the Socratic Method.  Mentorship emphasizes critical analysis, innovative problem solving, and effective communication–all of which will be developed through various presentation formats and writing genres that oblige students to think deeply and express themselves effectively.  

The Mentorship class centers on the idea that opinions arising from individual reflection ought to be challenged, that every complex topic has nuances that demand exploration, and that each individual event has ramifications that ripple through time and across disciplines.  Therefore, the course will draw content from current events, law, politics, philosophy, and economics, and students will be called on to consider the interrelationship among all these fields as they pertain to real-world problems.  Students will emerge from the course prepared for a lifetime of rigorous intellectual exploration and leadership.

TEST PREP

With small classes designed to target specific skills and address weaknesses, Capstone’s test prep services are customized for each individual student to maximize results. With offerings for SSAT, SAT, ACT, IB, AP, and more, Capstone builds students for admissions success.

ADMISSIONS CONSULTING

US and UK Boarding Schools and Universities

Admissions Consulting at Capstone incorporates a robust set of services to ensure that students are academically competitive and prepared for applications to schools at the secondary and tertiary levels. From profile evaluations and school list advising to essay and test work, Capstone creates a system to address application weaknesses while simultaneously supporting application strengths.  For more information, see our admissions consulting page or contact us.