An interactive environment for children and teenagers

to develop skills in English writing, math, presentation, critical thinking and leadership.

Our mission is to equip students with the knowledge and skills to apply classroom learning

in a real world context, empowering them to make a difference in their community.

Regular School Term Program 2015 - 2016

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Writing Foundation Program | Grade1 to 5

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An integrated program designed to introduce and reinforce reading comprehension & writing skills

with an emphasis on developing stronger grammar, vocabulary and writing techniques.

With the assistance of our carefully crafted writing and grammar workbooks, students build reading skills and vocabulary while

internalizing stronger grammar practices through the development of writing fundamentals for an array of styles.

* Please contact us for a placement test.

Level Writing Styles Supporting Readings

0 Descriptive Paragraphs, Letter Writing, Fairy Tales, Travel Journals, Storytelling, Picture Prompts

Ratatouille/If You Give a Mouse a Cookie/The Polar Express/Nate the Great Series/ Dear Mr. Blueberry/Journal entries/Best Loved Magical Tales for Bedtime/Snow White/Hansel and Gretel/Classic Fables/Up/Calvin and Hobbes/Poetry

1 Fiction, Fictional Narrative, Adventure, Fairy Tales with a Twist Descriptive Mystery, Picture Prompts

Diary of a Wimpy Kid/The Enormous Crocodile/The Magic Finger/The Giraffe, The Pelly and Me/The Magic Tree House Series/The Real Sleeping Beauty/The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs/The Princess Test/Riddles/The BFG/Alice in Wonderland/Sideways Stories from Wayside School

2 Fiction, Fables and Myths, Descriptive, Persuasive Letters, Writing to Inform, Picture Adventures

James and the Giant Peach/Myths and folktales from around the world/ Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix/The House of Colored Windows/Mary Margaret’s short stories/My Brother Dan’s Delicious/Nature guides/Kensuke’s Kingdom

3 Detective Stories, Autobiographies, Fiction, Persuasive Writing, News Stories, Life Journals

The Alex Rider series/Lemony Snicket’s works/Various autobiographies/Travel guides/News articles/Short Stories by David Henry Wilson, Gerry Tollefson and John Triska/Star Jumper – A Journal of a Cardboard Genius

Although my son finds the course challenging, he loves the discussion topics and the fun atmosphere he shares with his classmates and

teacher…Furthermore, a disciplined approach in tackling different topics and putting thoughts on paper has helped my son feel less

intimidated and overwhelmed with writing. I see promising improvement in the way he approaches a topic, structures his ideas

logically and communicates them through his writing. I genuinely appreciate the thoughtful progress updates on my son’s development.

~ Parent of 4, 7 and 9 year old, Kiangsu & Chekiang International

Writing Enrichment Program | Grade 6 to 9

This program challenges students with reading material that promotes critical thinking and illustrates a specific writing style.

As students discuss the various articles, they polish their analytical abilities, advance writing techniques and deepen insight into

community and world issues. In an engaging classroom setting, students receive individualized supervision and feedback as they

draft multiple versions of their writing to perfect their final masterpiece.

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An intensive program designed to sharpen students’ critical reading skills, writing techniques,

and expand their range of vocabulary to better prepare them for their academic careers.

* Please contact us for a placement test.

Level Writing Style Supporting Reading Articles

0 Science Fiction & Fantasy, Guidebook Writing, Personal Narrative, Compare and Contrast, Response to Literature, Debate

Artemis Fowl Series by Eoin Coifer/ The Hunger Games/Percy Jackson and the Olympians/The Maze Runner/Various guidebooks and travel journals/Compare and Contrast essays/Articles discussing contemporary issues

1 Descriptive Paragraphs, Persuasive Writing, Short Stories, Book Reviews, Informative Writing, Travel Journals

Short Stories by Ernest Hemingway, Kate Chopin, Anton Chekhov, Roald Dahl, Pam Munoz Ryan and Mark Farrington/Travel guides/Just William/The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time/Poetry/The Adventures in Africa of Carey Monroe/I Capture the Castle/Airborn/The Thief

2 Persuasive Writing, Short Stories with a Twist, Speech Writing and Debate, Writing for Film, Personal Narrative, Document Based Questions

Argumentative essays on conflicting issues/Short Stories by Roald Dahl/Speeches by Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Eleanor Roosevelt and Socrates/Monologues from various films/Boy/Personal Narratives written by high school students/Horace Minor article/Primary source documents/Biographies

3 Restaurant Review, Literary analysis, Script writing, Timed essays Personal statement, Research paper

New York Times restaurant reviews/ Essays by Jonathan Franzen/Scripts of Star Wars, Shawshank Redemption and Groundhog Day/Works by David Sedaris/Classic short stories/Sample personal statements of top college admits

With his new found confidence, my son is brave enough to test his skills by joining writing competitions.

More importantly, credit to The Open Classroom, he has develop a passion for writing.

He even won a writing competition with his classmates recently. ~ Parent of Year 7 student, Renaissance College “ ”

Writing Advancement Program | G 9 and above

This program guides students in exercising the intensive and involved writing process they’ve built up from earlier levels while

working within a theme spanning the entire term

A discussion-based format allows students to reflect and review different techniques and styles. Using their customized student

workbooks, they begin to develop a deeper understanding of writing as a form of expression best executed through multiple

compositions and drafts.

Small class sizes allow the teachers to provide personalized guidance as students work together to edit each others’ compositions

and develop stronger self-editing techniques before finalizing each piece

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The next phase in our writing courses, Writing Advancement moves away from the structure of earlier levels

and instead engages students to compose multiple creative pieces within a broader topic.

* Please contact us for a placement test.

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Writing Style Supporting Reading Articles

Fiction (Short and Long), The Big Questions (Issue-based writing), On Screen/On Stage

Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Shakespearean Monologues, The Last Leaf, I.D., The Lottery, Op-Eds on Social Issues, Examples of Flash Fiction

Our daughter has been participating in various modules since The Open Classroom started and we couldn't be happier. Most

recently our daughter has taken part in an Intensive Writing module as well as an SSAT Preparation course. The time and

attention that the instructors have provided has given our daughter significantly more confidence and meaningful advantage. In

the end our daughter was accepted at both of her target boarding schools. More importantly, however, we feel the students are

really inspired by the instructors and look forward to attending. ~ Parent, HKIS

History & Social Studies Course | Grade 4 to 9

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This course aims to challenge students to become critical readers and thinkers in the current socio-cultural climate.

Classes are designed for students to participate in debates, speeches, case studies, simulations, role-playing and research,

provoking discussions and deepening understanding in various historical and social topics.

Each term (12 classes) will focus on overarching theme which covers a selection of engaging and fun topics .

For lower level, the course provides an insightful introduction to the earliest societies and stories that shaped the way people live

today. For their final output, students will apply their critical thinking skills and crystallize their knowledge in a reflective output.

Upper level students are tested outside their comfort zones as they discuss, analyze and debate about social movements,

revolutions, and wars that have shaped the modern world.

Level Term 1 Term 2 Term 3

Lower

G 4-6

Ancient Civilization

• Egyptian Life

• Greek Mythology

• The Roman Empire

The Medieval Period

• Witchcraft & Transylvania

• War, Famine, and Plague

• Knights & Kingdoms

War & Conquests

• The Mongol Conquests

• American Civil War

• World War I & II

Upper

G 7-9

Mythology & Religion

• Myths, Stories & Legends

• Origins of Religions i.e. Islam, Judaism, Christianity

Periods of Famous Rulers, Dictators & Revolutionary

• Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar, Adolf Hitler, Fidel Castro

Revolutions & Government • The Transatlantic Slave Trade • The Cold War • Capitalism vs. Communism • Modern Democracy

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Topical Kindergarten Program (infused with Jolly Phonics)

Learning Objectives

Speech and language are central to our kindergarten program, designed to promote literacy

development through a range of age-appropriate activities including phonics, story reading,

journal entry and spelling bees.

Topic-based modules are designed to develop self confidence and presentation skills through

practical learning activities designed to align with primary school interviews.

” Prior to joining, our son being somewhat shy, was reluctant to express himself. Since attending

different modules, he is much more comfortable in expressing himself with confidence. This is evident in

the success rate with the local schools applied. Most importantly, he looks forward to his classes and has

very good rapport with the teachers. ~ Parent of K3 student (attending ISF after summer)

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Goal: To develop students' skills in communication, creativity and collaboration.

Level Level-Specific Activities

K1 Reading aloud and storytelling, building an alphabet booklet, phonics foundations, exploring new words and theme-based creative activities

K2 Guided, group and individual story reading, phonics development, weekly guided journal entries, and a blend of imaginative and practical activities

K3

Group and individual story reading, spelling bees, open-ended journal entries, comprehension activities, practical learning opportunities and composition skills that will prepare them to ascend into our Writing Foundation program upon entering primary school

• Jolly Phonics has been infused in

every class to progressively and

systematically secure students’

phonics skills.

• K1 students learn to recognize and

apply letter sounds.

• K2 students are taken through

blending and segmenting words,

developing a solid foundation for

reading and writing as they reach

K3 level.

Trinity and Cambridge English Language Courses

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Goal: To improve students’ confidence in everyday written and spoken English.

Level Level-Specific Activities

Pre Trinity (2+ years old)

Designed to familiarize children with sounds and help them feel confident to speak and respond in English, better equipping them for schooling and interviews.

Trinity (3+ years old)

Aimed at young students looking to improve their spoken English from a native teacher. Focusing on grammar and vocabulary, the curriculum helps students to improve in all aspects of spoken English, from pronunciation and word choice, to sentence structure and delivery.

Pre-Cambridge (3+ years old)

A prequel to the Starters Course with a focus on reading and speaking. Classes emphasize on building vocabulary and teaching children the application of letter-sound relationships and phonics skills.

Cambridge (4+ years old)

A comprehensive program designed to prepare students for the Starters or Movers Exam. The activity-based curriculum focuses on the acquisition of reading, writing, speaking and listening skills. At this level, students study simple words and phrases and advance gradually to use and apply more challenging language.

Learning objectives:

• Teaching students to express their ideas more clearly by improving all aspects of spoken English.

• Taught through a range of fun and engaging activities to help students remember sounds and to combine them to make words and build on their vocabulary.

• Provide children with the confidence to use English and help them feel comfortable in the confines of an English environment.

After doing private poetry workshops, Chris participated in the annual Hong Kong Young Writers Awards. For his submission, he wrote a masterful and eloquent poem about the Pearl River Delta. His poem was selected as one of the award-winning works, and will be published in the upcoming HKYWA Anthology.

~ Christopher Chow, Grade 5, ISF

Hannah Kaye recently took private SSAT lessons with Ms. Agnes Kong. Her total test score dramatically improved to 95 percentile after 8 classes. We are very proud of her achievement and wish her success in her boarding school applications.

~ Hannah Kaye, Grade 8, HKIS

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Regular School Term Calendar

9 * If you let us know at time of payment that your child will be missing certain classes, tuition shall be pro-rated accordingly. We can reschedule make up classes subject to terms and conditions. Apart

from situations stipulated under “Cancellation and Refund” in our terms and conditions, we regret that no refunds will be granted for classes that have been paid for.

Kindergarten International / ESF Local

CIS, Canadian International School, French

International School, Glenealy School, GSIS, Hong

Kong Academy, HKIS, ICS, ISF, Kellett School,

Kennedy School, Kiangsu and Chekiang, Quarry

Bay, Norwegian, Peak School, Renaissance College,

Shatin College, Singapore International School,

South Island, VSA, West Island

Braemar Hill, CCKG, CIS, ISF, Lingnan,

Sheng Kung Hui,

St. Catherine’s International ,

St. Paul Church Kindergarten,

St. Paul’s Day Nursery, St. Stephen’s Girls,

Victoria, Yew Chung

DGJS, DGS, DBSPD, DBS, Good Hope, Heep

Yunn, Kau Yan, Kiangsu and Chekiang, La Salle,

Logos Academy, Maryknoll, Marymount,

Raimondi, Sacred Heart, St. Joseph, St. Paul’s

Co-ed, St. Paul’s Convent, St. Paul’s College

Primary, St. Stephen’s College, St. Stephen’s

Girls’ College, Wah Yan