One language sets you in a corridor for life. 

Two languages open every other door along the way. 

-Frank Smith

What is Dual Language Immersion?

Richland Two’s Language Immersion program provides Spanish-home language and English-home language learners an engaging, enriching, and challenging educational opportunity.  Language immersion (LI) programs are rigorous academic programs which lead to  bilingualism, biliteracy, and the cultural competency needed to succeed in our global society. Two highly-qualified classroom teachers provide instruction in two languages. Students in a LI program follow the same SC College and Career Readiness standards-based curriculum in all content areas that non DLI students follow.

Richland Two's  language immersion program is also known as a Two-Way (TWI) Immersion Program. According to the  Center for Applied Linguistics, TWI programs are “a distinctive form of dual language education in which balanced numbers of native English speakers and native speakers of the partner language are integrated for instruction so that both groups of students serve in the role of language model and language learner at different times.” (2018).

Second language acquisition occurs through carefully crafted instruction and from the interactions of the native-speakers of each language with the language-learners of the other language. The English- and Spanish-language teachers work closely to know and support all immersion learners. Likewise, the teachers collaborate on lessons to make the language comprehensible for the language learners. Both teachers assist in helping learners make ‘meta-linguistic connections’ between the two languages.