High Quality
Educational
Programs
At Southmoor, we develop and implement high quality educational experiences for every students to engage in, spark joy and passion towards learning and make connections to their own culture and life. We anchor these experiences based on the Common Core State Standards and the most current research in education.
Academics
& Curriculum
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GRADES K- 3
Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts is a unique core curriculum for grades PreK–5 ELA that’s grounded in the Science of Reading and combines rich, diverse content knowledge in history, science, literature, and the arts with systematic research-based foundational skills instruction. Built on the Science of Reading, Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) sequences deep content knowledge with research-based foundational skills. With new digital features and multimedia resources, it’s now more engaging and flexible than ever.
Amplify CKLA is a K–5 literacy curriculum that inspires curiosity and drives results, empowering all students with rich background knowledge. See what schools are saying about our knowledge-building curriculum. Amplify CKLA has been recognized by the Knowledge Matters Campaign as a literacy program that excels in building knowledge. Programs were selected for their rigor and the quality of their instructional and learning materials.
GRADES 4 - 5
Expeditionary Learning Education K-8 Language Arts Curriculum is a comprehensive, standards-based literacy program that engages teachers and students through compelling, real-world content. Created by teachers for teachers, our highly-acclaimed curriculum draws on EL Education's 25 years of experience in engaging teachers and students in active and meaningful learning. We promote a three-dimensional view of student achievement--mastery of knowledge and skills, character, and high-quality work--that offers a vision for education we would want for every child and provides the "north star" for all of our work.
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At Southmoor, we use Illustrative Mathematics, a problem-based math program designed to help students build a deep understanding of mathematical concepts and develop strong problem-solving skills.
In this curriculum, students learn by exploring real-world situations, discussing multiple strategies, and making connections between ideas. Lessons are structured to promote critical thinking, collaboration, and perseverance—skills that are essential both in math and in life.
Rather than simply memorizing procedures, students are encouraged to explain their reasoning, use visual models, and apply their learning in new contexts. This approach ensures they not only know how to get an answer but also understand why it works.
Families can expect to see math lessons that are interactive, hands-on, and discussion-rich, helping students grow as confident and capable mathematicians.
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Amplify Science is a K–8 science curriculum that blends hands-on investigations, literacy-rich activities, and interactive digital tools to empower students to think, read, write, and argue like real scientists and engineers.
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inquirEd: Inquiry Based Social Studies was founded by teachers with the mission of bringing inquiry-based social studies to every classroom. Inquiry Journeys, inquirED’s elementary social studies curriculum, is used in schools and districts across the country to help students develop deep social studies content knowledge and build the inquiry skills that are essential for a thriving democracy.
An Inquiry-Based Approach: In Inquiry Journeys, students explore complex questions, investigate diverse sources, and engage in authentic tasks. This inquiry-based approach not only builds knowledge and skills in social studies but also promotes the development of literacy skills across the CCSS-ELA domains of reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language.
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MUSIC
Music is an important part of students’ physical, mental, and emotional development. All students will have access to an inclusive and safe music environment. Students will have the opportunity to compose, perform and experience music in age-appropriate ways. The opportunity to perform or showcase the students’ learning is essential to a quality music experience, and students in all grades will have the chance to perform and/or be audience members for performances in small or large ways.
ARTS
Create! Imagine! Inspire! Fun! Students explore many art mediums & techniques while learning elements of art and principles of design in artwork and their surrounding environment. Students create both individual and team projects throughout the year while studying cultures and countries around the world. At the end of the school year, all Southmoor student artists display their artwork around the building for the annual art exhibit.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Franklin P. Adams, an American columnist, once said, “health is the thing that makes you feel that now is the best time of the year”. Through a variety of movement experiences, the goal of physical and wellness education is to instill the skills, knowledge, and desire in your child to live well.
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RRCK’n Moose Day is a unique experience for every student at Southmoor. It is a thematic approach to engage students in fun and creative experiences for students to demonstrate learning in Music, Arts and Physical Education. RRCK’n Moose Day is grounded with the Southmoor characteristics of Respect, Responsibility, Collaboration and Kindness and is implemented every Friday (when we have a full school week)
LEARN MORE
Student Services
& Support
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EL Achieve was built on the premise that increasing English learner achievement requires a system-wide approach. This includes classroom tools and instructional materials, and implementation tools to ensure sustainable English learner academic achievement.
Systematic English Language Development is a dedicated instructional block that is driven by students’ assessed English proficiency levels. The goal is to move students from one proficiency level to the next. Systematic ELD builds a solid foundation in English by teaching language that English learners:
Are not likely to learn outside of school or efficiently pick up on their own,
Will not explicitly learn in other subject areas, and
Need to use for effective academic learning, classroom participation, and real-life purposes.
Systematic ELD provides a time for English learners to learn and practice language they need in order to navigate rigorous content instruction and a myriad of adult and peer interactions, such as discussions and collaborative work.
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We are responsive to the needs of all learners at Southmoor in a data-driven process. We offer small group instruction that supports students in learning a new strategy, builds fluency in a skill, or encourages a child to apply knowledge or skill in new situations or settings. Southmoor supports students not only by providing intervention groups for students needing support in catching them up to grade level standards but also to extend students' learning and push them beyond their grade level knowledge. Intervention specialists work to support children in meeting their needs by collaborating with parents and teachers to design and implement individualized supports to meet the child’s needs and support them in excelling.
Southmoor supports students identified as gifted and talented, or students in our talent development pool, by providing differentiated instruction through a schoolwide cluster grouping model. Using research-based best practices, highly-gifted students are clustered within flexible grouping classrooms containing students of all abilities. Gifted students participate in pull-out and/or push-in groups to develop higher-order thinking skills, expand their creativity, and strengthen students' strategies and skills for affective needs. Teachers build strong relationships with students, which enables them to look for characteristics of giftedness in all students including our BIPOC students who may be under-identified. Teachers are supported by our GT Teacher to build engaging, rigorous curriculum, and extensions. Service delivery models for Southmoor include subject acceleration, pull-out enrichment groups, clustered classrooms, and flexible grouping. Every day, our caring community embraces the unique spirit of our successful learners with a natural passion and excitement for celebrating students’ unique needs, character, and academic achievement.
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Southmoor’s special education team conducts comprehensive, individualized assessments of students suspected of having disabilities that interfere with their ability to access the instruction provided in the general education classroom.
This team, which consists of a full-time special education teacher, full-time school psychologist, and part-time special service providers, including a speech-language pathologist, occupational therapist and physical therapist, provides students with the accommodations and services they require in order to access the curriculum. They implement a variety of curricular programs in response to the identified specific needs and individual plans for each student.
Before & After
SChool Program
Discovery Link
Discovery Link is a licensed childcare program offered at select Denver Public Schools to children in 1st-5th Grade.
Discovery Link’s philosophy is to provide a creative, safe and caring environment for children before and after the regular school day. We believe that choice is essential for children’s growth and happiness. We teach children to solve their own problems by modeling correct behavior and emphasizing clear conduct guidelines.
Our childcare centers are staffed with qualified professionals trained in the areas of CPR, First Aid, activity planning and behavior management. Discovery Link is run by the DPS Department of Extended Learning.
Southmoor offers a variety of after-school extracurricular programs throughout the school year through the Discovery Link Program. We bring extended learning partnerships to provide students with a variety of opportunities to spark interest and passion beyond their academic learning. These opportunities include activities and content in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, arts and sports.