Third Form - Program Description

A Sense of Place:

Community and Belonging

The challenges presented by learning to live away from home while working to become a serious and self-reliant student is at times a daunting task for adolescent boys. South Kent School's Third Form Program uses interdisciplinary and inquiry-based approach to meet this challenge. Giving the boys a foundation of skills, awareness of themselves as learners, and an understanding of their place in this community is of primary concern. Together, the students and a dedicated team of faculty work to create and maintain a supportive yet academically challenging and rigorous program. The main goals of this program are to develop and master the academic skills required for success in high school while building character and a sense of community, developing leadership skills, and fostering self-reliance.

South Kent School believes study skills are life-long tools for learning and success. It is our goal to help students develop skills which they directly apply to their academic courses, as well as their life outside the classroom. We recognize this to be an individual process for each student.

Third Form study skills are directly integrated into our curriculum. Students will be taught the skills needed to complete assignments and gain a sense of mastery of materials and concepts through direct instruction. These targeted skills are designed for students to reach a level of competency as we address both academic and interpersonal skills. All students are required to use a daily plan book with organizational skills and time management as our primary focus at the start of the fall term. A combination of classroom work time and evening study hours will be used to work directly with students on individual skills.

In the fall, organization and time management skills are our first focus. Throughout the year we will build upon new skill foundations in areas of note-taking, reading, writing, listening, communication and problem solving. Off campus travel and hands-on projects are regular parts of the learning process. Form trips include visits to local historic sites connected to the curriculum and theme of community. There will also be overnight trips both at the beginning and end of the academic year.

The Third Form Program's staff is a five-person faculty team, representing a variety of academic disciplines. This faculty team meets weekly to discuss the Third Form curriculum, teaching strategies, and each student's progress in all aspects of his on-going experience at South Kent. In addition, this faculty team will provide all academic advising for boys in the Third Form. Each student has an advisor who will be the point person for both the student and his parents.

In The Third Form you will:

Learn to live away from home.
Become self-reliant.
Use an inter-disciplinary and inquiry-based approach to learning within the model of Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence theory.
Have a skill-based curriculum.
Develop skills for time management and organization, critical thinking, careful reading, clear and expressive writing, communication and problem solving.