US Course of Study

Our curriculum is designed to give students a rewarding experience as they grow as readers, writers, thinkers, and speakers. Through collaborative and individual pursuits, students learn how to critically navigate the expanding seas of information and communication while fostering an appreciation for the power of language. We ask, “What is worth reading — and why?” and we encourage students to answer this question for themselves by exercising choice in projects, readings, and assessments.

We explore texts that represent a range of voices and points of view that offer windows into the experiences of others and mirrors into students’ own experiences. Whether grappling with Shakespeare or preparing for a visiting Baird Symposium author, our students consider how texts reflect the human condition and how an author’s choice of genre, form, and diction affects meaning.

We strive to instill in our students a sense of pride in their written work and give them the tools to make their writing reflect their thinking at its best. Writing assignments range from critical to personal to creative. Through one-on-one conferences, peer critiques, and multiple drafts and revisions, we teach writing as a process; we also encourage students to experiment with language and style through studying vocabulary and composition.

Every English class also provides substantial practice in speaking and listening skills, which are essential for effective communication. Through Harkness discussions, formal debates, presentations, speeches, performances, and daily conversations, students learn how to appeal to different audiences and build confidence in their ability to think and speak on their feet.

English 3: The Stories We Tell

English 4: Challenging Convention

English 5: Decoding and Deconstructing

English 5 AP® Decoding and Deconstructing

ELECTIVES

Elective: Journalism I (Fall, Spring)

The Art of Watching Film (Spring)

FALL SENIOR ELECTIVES

Senior English at Kingswood Oxford offers semester elective options. During the fall semester, students must choose one class to fulfill their English requirement but may elect to take an additional semester course according to their interest and availability. The spring semester electives are divided into two quarters. During the third quarter, all seniors write a senior thesis, a fifteen to twenty-page original, research-based essay on a chosen topic. The fourth quarter, as described by the course’s title, is a mini-course designed to explore a topic that is both focused and fun.

English 6 Fall Elective: IMPACT Beyond the Bars: Voices of Incarceration, Reentry, and Us

English 6 Fall Elective: New York Stories: The Dream, The Grit, and The Grind

English 6 Fall Elective: Honors Symposium Seminar

English 6 Elective: Literatures of Climate Change

English 6 Fall Elective: Meddling with Mystery: The Arts and Impact of Mystery Narrative

English 6 Fall Elective: What Does it Mean?

English 6 Fall Elective: IMPACT From Shadows to Spotlight: Black Histories and Arts in America

Spring Senior Electives

Senior Thesis

English 6 Spring Elective: The Happiness Class

English 6 Spring Elective: Know Yourself: Literature and Psychology

English 6 Spring Elective: Witch Hunt: A Generational Reckoning

English 6 Spring Elective: Novels and Their Film Adaptations

English 6 Spring Elective: Podcasts: Audio Stories for the 21st Century

English 6 Spring Elective: Life is a Dream: Magical Realism, Past and Present

English 6 Spring Elective: Rewriting History

No human endeavor has been as successful as the scientific method. The spirit of innovation may be a natural consequence of the complexity originating in the nervous system, but the substantial progress in every field of modern science is rooted in a sturdy, globally accepted design. Our courses are structured to grant each student access to the foundational principles of the scientific process. Our excellent facilities, infused with natural light, provide optimum conditions for inquiry and the development of an evidence-based perspective of modern science.

Environmental Science: A Changing Earth

Biology

Biology Honors

Chemistry

Chemistry Honors

Physics

AP® Biology

AP® Chemistry

AP® Environmental Science

AP® Physics 1

AP® Physics C: Mechanics

Semester Electives

IMPACT: Cancer Research in Action (Year)

Marine Biology (One Year Elective)

Human Anatomy and Physiology 1 (Fall)

Introduction to Biomedical Science (Fall)

Psychology: The Brain and Behavior (Fall)

Astronomy (Spring)

How You Learn: The Science of Your Brain (Spring)

Psychology: Thoughts, Emotions, and Personality (Spring)

IMPACT Cultivating Change: Pollinators, Gardening, and Sustainable Living (Spring)

Mathematics is a discipline with broad applicability throughout the natural and social sciences: Whether we are modeling climate change, forecasting financial markets, or securing Internet sites, we are using math. Yet there is also a more subtle beauty in mathematics: an elegance arising from its interconnectedness and simplicity. We strive to develop logical, creative-thinking students who can apply technology and hands-on techniques to real-world and abstract problems. Our learning environment fosters active participation, self-discipline, and perseverance.

Our program begins in the Middle School, where math is presented as an active and exciting subject. Working in groups, in pairs or alone, students explore a problem-centered curriculum; how to observe relationships and patterns in complex sets of data; and learn that asking “why” and “how” leads to deep understanding of the material. In the Upper School, students continue to strengthen their reasoning skills and their ability to manipulate and apply mathematical concepts. After completing geometry and two years of algebra, students will take courses from a rigorous curriculum that includes Precalculus, Calculus, Statistics, and Computer Science, with AP® options in Calculus, Statistics, and Computer Science.

Algebra 1

Geometry

Geometry Honors

Algebra 2

Algebra 2 Honors

Precalculus

Precalculus Honors

Precalculus Honors Accelerated

Statistics

AP® Statistics

Calculus

AP® Calculus AB

AP® Calculus BC

Multivariable Calculus Honors

AP® Computer Science

Mathematics Electives

Introduction to Computer Science (Fall)

IMPACT: Financial Literacy & Applied Decision-Making (Fall, Spring)

Advanced Computer Science: Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence (Spring)

Game Theory (Spring)

Introduction to Engineering (Fall)

IMPACT: Engineering Through Design (Spring)

“History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future.” 

— Robert Penn Warren (1905-1989) American writer and teacher

As Professor Warren notes, history helps to tie us to our collective humanity, and during this very important chapter in our history, can there be a more important connection? Our students learn to appreciate as well as to critique historical events.  To read mindfully, to write effectively, to think objectively, to research accurately, and to speak authoritatively: these are the goals we have for our students as they come to understand the past on their way to contributing to a bright future.

Global Cities and Cultural Landscapes

Modern World Studies

U.S. History

AP® U.S. History

HISTORY ELECTIVES

Economics (Fall, Spring)

AP® Economics (Year)

AP® Comparative Government and Politics (Fall)

AP® US Government and Politics (Fall, Spring)

IMPACT Propaganda: Past and Present (Year)

IMPACT Latin America(ns) in Politics and Media: Drugs, Dancing, and Danger (Fall)

IMPACT Plagues, Progress, and Public Health (Fall)

IMPACT 20th Century American Culture through Sight and Sound (Spring)

IMPACT Global Problem Solvers (Spring)

In our ever-shrinking world and increasingly diverse country, the ability to communicate effectively in a minimum of two languages is essential to responsible global citizenship. The cultural lessons presented at all levels facilitate the development of cross-cultural skills. The use of technology encourages authentic interaction in and out of the classroom experience and provides an increasing independence for student learning. Ultimately, our goal for our language students is to create opportunities for true leadership and responsibility, both personal and global. Up through 2020, we encouraged and facilitated participation in travel to other countries and study-abroad programs. With international travel restrictions currently in place, we support and foster communication virtually with students and programs in other countries. Please note that placement tests are available to new students who have taken the language as a core academic course at their previous school to determine which language level is the best fit.

Spanish 1

Spanish 2, Spanish 2 Honors

Spanish 3, Spanish 3 Honors

Spanish 4, Spanish 4 Honors

Spanish 5: AP® Language

Spanish 5: IMPACT Art, Music, Cinema, & Cuisine: Exploring Spanish Culture (Fall)

Spanish 5: IMPACT The Industry of Sports: It’s More Than Just a Game (Spring)

French 1

French 2, French 2 Honors

French 3, French 3 Honors

French 4, French 4 Honors

French 5 / AP® French Language and Culture

The Classics Department provides students with the necessary skills for comprehending original works in Latin and Greek through reading and translation and teaches students about the relevance of the Greco-Roman world in our daily lives. Students study not only the Latin language but also Greco-Roman culture and history. We use a comprehensive approach to language study in which students approach elements of Latin grammar and vocabulary in the context of the literature. In higher-level courses students will be prepared to read authentic Latin selections from some of Rome’s greatest authors: Cicero, Caesar, Catullus, Ovid, and Vergil. Classical culture, history, and the foundations of Western literature are examined at all levels in many ways, including projects, films, and field trips. The study of ancient Greek may be added after the successful completion of a third year of a language in the Upper School.

Latin 1

Latin 2, Latin 2 Honors

Latin 3, Latin 3 Honors

Latin 4

AP® Latin: Pliny and Vergil

Elective: Greco-Roman Mythology (Fall)

Elective: World Mythology (Spring)

The arts represent something far more important than something to do with your hands, or in your spare time, or to wile away the hours while you chat with your friends. They are not only as serious and elevating as anything else we offer in the curriculum; they are an accessible training ground for the kinds of human interaction that will be necessary to flourish in the decades ahead.

Our disciplines put a premium on the skills that are needed to answer the challenges of contemporary times, namely:

• creative problem-solving;
• task analysis and constructive critique in mediums that are intuitive, improvisational, inferential and context- based;
• focus on process as its own end, not just as a means to an end product;
• holistic articulation: a facile command of many media ‚Äì not just the linguistic; and
• flexibility: the ability to move between realms with confidence.

We know that creativity is not just nice; it is necessary.  The arts are not just for talented‚ they are for those who will otherwise leave this place without a healthy skepticism about how media delivers a message or how feelings and intuitions can be made manifest.  The arts we teach educate the soul as well as the mind.

Media Arts Electives

Digital Photography 1 (Fall, Spring)

Digital Photography 2 (Fall)

Graphic Design (Spring)

Introduction to Media Arts (Fall)

Graphic Design (Spring)

Video Production (Spring)

Music Electives

Choral Music: Outlook (Year)

Choral Music: Voce Novissima (Year)

Instrumental Music: Concert Band (Year)

Instrumental Music: Jazz Combo (Year)

Instrumental Music: String Orchestra (Year)

Crimson 7 (Fall)

Oxfordians (Fall)

Community Choir (Year)

Theater Electives

Foundations in Acting & Improvisation (Fall, Spring)

Public Speaking (Fall, Spring)

Advanced Public Speaking: Leadership and Coaching (Spring)

Stagecraft: Fundamentals of Stagecraft (Spring)

Advanced Stagecraft: Theater Design (Fall)

Visual Arts Electives

Foundations in Art (Fall, Spring)

Drawing (Spring)

Painting 1 (Fall, Spring)

Painting 2 (Spring)

Advanced Studio Seminar (Fall)

Portfolio Preparation (Year)

AP® Art History (Year)

Ceramics (Fall, Spring)

Ceramics 2 (Fall, Spring)

Ceramics 3 (Spring)

Studio Art Lab: Explore, Experiment, Create (Fall, Spring)

VQV (Fall)

Wyvern Wellness

Lead & Learn

ONE SCHOOLHOUSE (OS)

KO students who have exhausted the Kingswood Oxford curriculum, specifically in language and math, can elect to take a course through One Schoolhouse. OS is a supplemental educational organization that provides courses and programs for students. OS starts with what all thriving schools do well: build authentic relationships. Recognizing that the student-teacher relationship forms the foundation for all learning, OS positions the learner at the center of the course and designs curriculum backwards from the learner. OS classes are personalized, competency-based, and learner-driven. Each course has 3-5 competencies but every OS course has the following two competencies: engage constructively in a diverse and changing world and gain academic maturity. Tuition for these classes will be covered by KO. A credit will be awarded for semester (.5 credit) or year (1 credit) courses, and these courses will be included on a KO transcript.

IMPACT

In the Upper School IMPACT Lab courses, students apply their skills to make a tangible impact. From delving into the effects of propaganda to understanding the design process regarding engineering, students engage with hands-on experiences and industry experts to deepen their understanding and drive meaningful change. In the KO IMPACT Program, students lead with empathy, curiosity, and a passion for making a difference.

Four drivers drive all Upper School IMPACT Lab courses:

• Interdisciplinary – so you understand the connection among subjects
• Connected to the community – so you put what you are learning into real context
• Centered around the understanding of an authentic question or problem, so you explore the complexity of challenges by being curious instead of certain.
• Student-centered – so you can drive the learning process for yourself

IMPACT Propaganda: Past & Present (Year)

IMPACT Beyond the Bars: Voices of Incarceration, Reentry & Us (Fall)

IMPACT: Cancer Research in Action (Year)

IMPACT: Financial Literacy & Applied Decision-Making (Fall & Spring)

IMPACT From Shadows to Spotlight: Black Histories and Arts in America (Fall)

IMPACT Latin America(ns) in Politics and Media: Drugs, Dancing and Danger (Fall)

IMPACT Leadership Lab: Lead. Serve. Act (Fall)

IMPACT: Plagues, Progress, & Public Health (Fall)

Spanish 5: IMPACT Art, Music, Cinema, and Cuisine: Exploring Spanish Culture (Fall)

IMPACT 20th Century American Culture through Sight and Sound (Spring)

IMPACT Cultivating Change: Pollinators, Gardening and Sustainable Living (Spring)

IMPACT Global Leadership: Empathy Across Borders (Spring)

Spanish 5: IMPACT The Industry of Sports: It’s More Than Just a Game (Spring)

IMPACT: We the People (Spring)