Academic English Intensive

This Academic English Intensive is a short, high-impact online program designed to support international middle and high school students as they transition into English language learning environments.

The course aims to help academically capable students strengthen the specific writing skills, academic language, and communication strategies needed to succeed in U.S. boarding schools, international schools, and English-speaking high school programs.

This course is not test preparation or language tutoring. It is a structured, skills-based course that teaches students how academic thinking, writing, and evaluation work in English-language classrooms, so they can participate with clarity, confidence, and independence.

June 15 - 26, 2026 - $1500 $1200

9 AM or 9 PM Japan Standard Time (JST)

Register before May 31st for the Early Bird Discount

Program Structure

  • 10 synchronous online lessons across two weeks

  • 2 individual meetings

  • Highly interactive

  • Scaffolded skill development

  • Individualized written feedback

  • Explicit instruction & guided practice

Week 1 Schedule

  • Students are introduced to the expectations of English-language academic writing. We examine what makes writing “academic,” including clarity, structure, and argument. Students read a short text and write a short response.

  • This session focuses on how strong academic paragraphs are built. Students learn how topic sentences, explanation, and examples work together to develop an idea. Activities include analyzing model paragraphs and writing a structured paragraph of their own.

  • Students learn how academic arguments are constructed and how a clear thesis shapes an entire piece of writing. Through guided exercises, they practice developing focused thesis statements and outlining arguments. A short discussion activity introduces the role of academic conversation.

  • This lesson focuses on the language of analysis: verbs, transitions, and sentence structures that help writers explain ideas clearly. Students practice revising basic statements into analytical sentences. They then apply these techniques to a short reading response.

  • Students learn how to incorporate evidence from texts in a clear and purposeful way. The session covers quotation integration, explanation, and connecting evidence back to a central claim. Students complete an analytical response using textual evidence.

Week 2 Schedule

  • Students learn how academic essays are organized, including introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions. They examine model essays and map how arguments develop across multiple paragraphs. Students begin planning their second major writing assignment.

  • This session explores how writing expectations vary across subjects such as history, literature, and social sciences. Students analyze short excerpts from different disciplines and discuss how argument and evidence function in each. They practice adapting their writing approach to different academic contexts.

  • Students learn practical revision strategies used by experienced writers. Activities focus on improving clarity, strengthening arguments, and editing sentences for precision. Students revise portions of their writing and discuss how revision strengthens ideas.

  • This session focuses on participation in discussion-based classrooms. Students practice expressing ideas clearly, responding to others, and building on academic conversation. A guided discussion based on a short reading helps students develop confidence speaking in academic settings.

  • Students complete their final writing task, an essay applying skills developed across the course, using structured feedback and revision guidance. The session focuses on strengthening argument, organization, and analytical clarity. Students reflect on their progress and identify strategies for continued improvement.

Week 1 Schedule

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact
Contact

  • The Academic English Intensive is designed for multilingual students in Grades 8–12 who are studying (or preparing to study) in English-medium schools. This includes students in IB (MYP/DP), international schools, and U.S. boarding schools who want to strengthen academic writing, analytical thinking, and language precision.

  • No. This is not a basic English course. Students are expected to already have functional English proficiency. The course focuses on academic writing skills, argument structure, and class participation, with targeted grammar support integrated where needed.

  • Students should be able to:

    • Read academic texts independently

    • Write multi-paragraph responses

    • Participate in discussions in English

    If you are unsure whether your child is a good fit, please get in touch with me, and I will assess their proficiency before enrollment.

  • By the end of the course, students will demonstrate:

    • Clear thesis statements

    • Strong paragraph structure

    • Improved analytical depth

    • More precise academic language

    • Greater confidence in class discussion