Block Schedule for In-Depth Learning

Unlike other middle schools, Kingswood Oxford Middle School follows a block schedule to maximize learning and better meet students’ needs.

Class periods of 75 minutes allow time to explore ideas in-depth and engage in research, discussions, and hands-on projects. Schedules integrate art, music, and other enhancements to deepen students’ appreciation of the world around them. Co-curricular opportunities are offered and further develop skills in leadership, organization, and negotiation. Students meet with each of their academic courses five times in a 10-day rotation with opportunities to vary the schedule daily. At the end of the day, we intentionally carve out time for sports to provide students time to participate in team sports, be physically active, and practice the skills of collaboration and teamwork.

Why is our Block Schedule so age-appropriately awesome?

Our school day is designed to have students dig into an idea and wrestle with concepts and problems during a 75-minute class. After using all that brain power, the students reset with a less academic period before tackling the next subject. Having longer periods to learn productively and then transition before focusing on academics helps students achieve deeper learning experiences. Here are some highlights:

Greater collaboration between students and teachers
Time for students and teachers to meet for extra help on “off” days
Consistently scheduled advising time
Full integration of visual and performing arts
Time for a full advising program and social-emotional program
Time for students to dig deeper into content areas. We believe in a smaller curriculum but at greater depth

Community Time

The Kingswood Oxford Middle School is all about community—every day. We carve out time in our daily schedule to meet with friends, run outside, play a game, gather in a formal assembly, or drop everything and read (DEAR).

Monday Meeting

Tuesday Recess

Wednesday Formal Assembly

Thursday Form Meetings and DEAR

Friday Recess

The Skills Incubator: Supporting Future-Focused Skills

The Skills Incubator is an opportunity for students to learn for learning’s sake: to explore, to be curious, to fail, and to succeed. Each micro-course, running in a 75-minute eight-class cycle, emphasizes authentic learning using future-focused skills: empathy, collaboration, research communication, creative problem-solving, reflection/innovation/iteration, tech, and media literacy, and engaged citizenship.

Students own their learning and learn to think about a problem in a brand-new way. At the end of the cycle, the students present a final project of their choice, ranging from a journal with sketches and research, a model or diorama, a digital portfolio, or a presentation. They “grade themselves” with a common rubric.

The topics, which are not necessarily part of the curriculum, are infused with hands-on, authentic experiences.

The Kingswood Oxford Middle School Skills Incubator is an opportunity for students to learn future focused skills.

SKILLS INCUBATOR COURSES SELECTION 2023-2024

The Influence of Hip-Hop on the English Language
Entrepreneurship with Nexgeninnovators
How are Science and Art Connected
How does Geography Impact Culture and Dance
Make it Work: Simple Machines
MySpace to ChatGPT: How to Live in this Evolving World of Social Media
Social Causes and Protest through Music
The Happiness Lab: Strategies and Behaviors that Make You Happy
You Are What You Eat: The Relationship Between Food and Overall Well-Being
The Hunger Gap: The Gaps in Food and Housing Insecurity
Sola: Creating Peace through the Education of Afghan Girls
Wedding Planning 101: Mastering the Art of Event Planning from Concept to Execution