At this time, ISDenver can accept a limited number of students in grades 1-2 to the Chinese, French, or Spanish tracks, without prior language background. Space is contingent upon available levels of student support and varies across programs.
 
Our Spanish “Welcome Class” accepts students in grades 3-5 without prior language background. Students interested in pursuing a French or Chinese language track in these grades must demonstrate grade-level proficiency as a requirement for admission. 

In primary school, our goal is to develop an exemplary bilingual student. We have specific emphasis on language acquisition for expressing oneself and understanding and appreciating world cultures. Our curriculum spirals in typically three-year cycles and reflects the national standards of each country. This format promotes vertical alignment of skills and supports the building blocks of meaningful learning. 

Our PYP framework offers an inquiry-based, transdisciplinary curriculum framework that builds conceptual understanding. The PYP framework has six (primary school) transdisciplinary units spread throughout the year called programmes of inquiry. eachers collaborate to build aligned transdisciplinary units, document and reflect on both their and their students’ learning, experiences and assessment. ISDenver offers a strong academic curriculum that follows each country's accreditation standards as well as Colorado common state standards. We provide transdisciplinary units for language, science, and social studies, and when appropriate, arts and math.

• Lower Primary (G1, G2):
  • In G1 and G2, all subjects are taught in the target language (French, Spanish, and Chinese) in a 80/20 model. During 20% of the day, instruction is delivered in English, focusing on building the foundations of literacy, in order to strengthen the target language.
  • All specials (art, music, and physical education) are in English.
     
• Lower Primary (G3): Introduction of team teaching
  • G3 includes full implementation of our team teaching model, building a bridge for students as they continue to develop their academic skills in the target language (60%), while instructing in English as well (40%).
     
• Upper Primary (G4, G5)
  • The Target Language / English language instructional balance shifts to 50/50, and they step into team teaching, meaning that both teachers are in the classroom, together, for most of the day.
  • Our 5^th graders are positioned as leaders in our Primary School, while preparing to transition into the IB Middle Years Programme in Grade 6. 

At ISDenver, classrooms extend beyond the walls of the school. In Primary School, our learners’ link studies in the classroom with the experiential. World travels, shorter treks throughout their home state, and visits from local experts, include:

• Overnight field trips tied to classroom learning subject matter
   
  • 3^rd Grade: Three-day outdoor/environmental education trip to Snow Mountain Ranch near Winter Park, Colorado
     
  • 4^th Grade: Students from all language programs travel together to the Keystone Science School (KSS) for one week of intensive science instruction in English. Led by Keystone faculty, the students learn about water conservation, forest and aquatic ecology and environmental issues.
     
  • 5^th Grade: Students travel with their class to China, France, or Spain for ten-day immersive language and cultural study. 
     

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Science, technology, engineering, arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) is an integral part of our Lower School curriculum, where students learn real-world applications of:

• Programming and coding,
• Design, and
• Engineering

In addition to utilizing Chromebooks, Primary School learners also have access to our state-of-art Design and Innovation Lab technologies, including:

• Mac Lab
• 3D Printers
• iPads
• Spheros
• Ozobots
• BeeBots
• Pro-Bots
• Little Bits
• Lego Mechanisms kits
• Collaboration and conferencing with classrooms abroad

The International School of Denver is an inclusive school offering an education to students with a wide range of learning differences and individual needs including,

• Those with specific learning difficulties and differences and
• Those who are highly achieving or gifted and talented and require challenge and enrichment.

Some learners demonstrate the potential to learn more quickly and achieve at higher levels than their peers at any given time.  We ensure these highly achieving students are recognized, engaged, and challenged accordingly. We also recognize that giftedness, intelligence, and talent are fluid concepts and may look different in different contexts and cultures.

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