What We Offer
Who We Are
Rivendell Education Shanghai was founded by a parent-teacher partnership in Shanghai in 2018. Our mission? To give top students the quality of education and attention that they deserve.
From our first small classes in a rented office in’18, we have grown to become an international education company that matches teachers and students from across the globe. As we have grown, we have added new classes like Mathematics and most recently World History, but we have never let our standards slip, in fact we think we are only getting better!
At Rivendell, our goal is to build better people, through education. Our students are typically top students in their classes, but we see that as only a byproduct of their passion for learning, not a goal in itself.
our courses
English Language Arts
After following the U.S. Common Core Curriculum for three years, this year we have decided to change to the British National Curriculum which has a number of key benefits over the Common Core:
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Greater focus on writing style including advanced sentence structure and vocabulary
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Availability of sophisticated assessment guides and learning materials
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Focus on a wider variety of writing forms (narrative, script, essay, report etc.)
Reading
In our regular classes, we use selected books from the Oxford Origins X series (only recently available in China). The chosen books are all written in natural style (ie. not written especially for learning), so they include many common English ideas and phrases that students otherwise often don’t have access to.
Each semester, students will read 3-4 books in both fiction and non-fiction, including adaptations of classics for the upper levels, on a wide variety of topics. In Winter and Summer holidays, we also guide students on intensive reading of original classics to help them experience the masterpieces of English literature firsthand.
Each book typically offers the students an opportunity to practice about 4 skills from the British National Curriculum standards and have writing tasks included which supplement the writing curriculum.
Writing
Our writing classes really are an adventure. Through videos, emails and interactive activities, each semester students will carry out one writing mission. Students will be introduced to characters who have a special requirement, like writing a play script, or creating a travel brochure and through discussion activities, homework and longer “Big Write” activities, hone their writing and master the skills required for each level.
Assessment
In order to ensure our students and teachers stay on track, a formal assessment is carried out every month and the results shared with parents.
The Art Of Problem Solving (Mathematics)
Our math courses start students on the path towards the American Math Competition (AMC8 & beyond). We like this competition not because its achievements increase the success rate for a top school entry, but it is designed to promote the development of problem-solving skills. The AMC provides an opportunity for middle school students to develop positive attitudes towards analytical thinking and mathematics that can assist in future careers.
Beast Academy (G2-G5)
Beast Academy is the math curriculum we wish we had when we were kids. It teaches kids how to think critically and understand the concepts behind the math calculations they’re performing. Engaging, comic-book style illustrations keep kids coming back for more, even as they grapple with some of the most rigorous math problems available anywhere. Alongside the textbooks, our teachers help our students to embrace math as a problem-solving tool they'll use for the rest of their life.
Art of Problem Solving (G5-G8)
The Art of Problem Solving mathematics curriculum is designed for outstanding math students in grades 5-12. The texts offer broader, deeper, and more challenging instruction than other curricula.
Prealgebra
Introduction to Algebra
Combinatorics: Introduction to Counting & Probability
Number Theory: Introduction to Number Theory
Geometry: Introduction to Geometry
Competition Prep: AMC 8, AMC 10, Math Kangaroo, AMC
World History
“The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future” - Theodore Roosevelt
Whether we are learning universal truths from fables of ancient cultures, or studying the impact of trade barriers on the economy, history gives us a way of seeing into the future by understanding the past. History can be FUN, like the stories of Anansi, the god of stories in West African culture. It can also be FRIGHTENING, like the rise of populism in Pre-War Germany and what that could mean for the Europe and America of today.
Cultures of the World (G2-G4)
Myths and Legends of The World (Lonely Planet Kids)
Our teachers transport the students to every corner of the globe with these fascinating myths and legends and link them to the people who preserved these tales through oral tradition. Building this broad knowledge of the ancient world and the people who inhabited it is an essential foundation for what they will learn in the next course, World History. We believe that it is important for students to have this frame of reference before learning the details about how these nations rose and fell and why they were all important.
GCSE World History (G4-G6)
Glencoe World History, a comprehensive course that covers prehistory to the present day, helps link the events of the past with the issues that confront students today. It motivates and engages students in meaningful learning as they develop an understanding of the world's cultures and an appreciation for the interdependence of world regions. This course prepares students for GCSE history and beyond to A-Level and AP.