Student Action Projects

Student Action Projects at Denver Language School are a series of year-long projects completed in grades 5-8.

When designing curriculum and student experience, we always refer back to our mission of academic excellence and intercultural competence through language immersion. This allows us to align classroom experiences to best serve students and to prepare them for high school and beyond.

What we know:

Life is not graded. Allowing our students to experience self-directed learning helps prepare them for life beyond DLS and equip them with skills to take action in their lives.
There is great value in understanding dynamic systems, specifically the relationships between freedom, power, and personal responsibility. Our goal is to help students grasp these concepts, with the purpose of empowering them in their transitions to high school, college, and careers.

These projects represent a significant student differentiator which, on top of the gifts of a second language and intercultural competence, expand DLS’s commitment to producing students that can think analytically and frame solutions.

Through the Student Action Projects, each DLS student is given the opportunity to funnel their individual energy into a self-directed project—to express and explore a passion or interest. Some projects are designed to be accomplished as a team, while others require deep introspection. The intent of the progression is for students to find their own path through ambiguity, to see problems as gifts, and to learn to manage their time effectively.

Major Concepts of SAPs

Inquiry-Based: Through asking questions and following where the answers lead, students experience learning as discovery, exploration, and an ongoing process.

Self-Driven: Encouraging our students to think independently fosters problem-solving, self-advocacy, open-mindedness, and self-regulation. Students are authors of their own stories:
Mentors/Subject Matter Experts: Connecting students with knowledgeable community members who can help guide their SAP experience exposes students to a diversity of perspectives and expertise and allows them to work with someone outside of DLS.
Reflection: Reflection and integration is a necessary component for experience to become true learning. Processing other people’s stories, personal expectations, successes, as well as “failures” fosters the critical thinking, problem solving skills, and emotional intelligence.

Below is a brief description for grades 5-7 and a more detailed description of the 8th grade Capstone:

The Capstone Project at DLS

This project is comprised of:

A Statement of the Problem essay outlining an issue or idea to be studied
An Action Plan consisting of three deliverables, such as a video, podcast, vlog, or website, a recorded interview with an expert in the field, a research paper in the target language on a specific topic, artwork, a fundraising or volunteer event, etc.
Other projects and assignments integrated throughout all core 8th grade courses, including work in the Target Language and a Self-Reflection Essay
Participation in the Capstone Expo

Interested in mentoring a student or presenting as a Subject Matter Expert (SME)?

DLS is looking for mentors and SMEs to support all levels of SAPs.

A mentor’s main role is to help students refine their Capstone deliverables, provide guidance on their timeline, and connect them with helpful resources
A SME’s main role is to present to a group of students around their field of expertise. We are looking for SMEs in the areas of: cost accounting, marketing, industrial design, water science and technology, prototyping and product iteration, homelessness, immigration, race relations, and many other topics.

If you are interested in being a Mentor or SME, or would like to know more about the Student Action Projects, please contact camilla@denverlanguageschool.org.