Curriculum

3 Pillars of DLI Education

Bilingualism

High Academic Achievement in both program languages

Sociocultural Competence

Risen Christ’s comprehensive dual language curriculum provides instruction in both English and Spanish, across all academic subjects. Students spend half of the day receiving English instruction and half of the day receiving Spanish instruction, fully immersed in the particular language of instruction.

By separating content by language, students develop an improved ability to compare languages in terms of words and sentence structures, in addition to an enhanced ability to transfer conceptual knowledge and skills across languages. Students at Risen Christ are taught how to apply the skills and strategies across languages and to see similarities as well as language-specific differences.

At Risen Christ, we work to deepen and broaden our relationships with our school families. We work to understand the family’s culture, heritage and educational journey — how the parents learned things in their schools, sometimes thousands of miles away and decades ago. Risen Christ paints a picture of what education means for everyone, so that it can mean the most for our shared future.
Kevin Dalum, 5th Grade English Teacher

Fifth Grade English Teacher Kevin Dalum in his classroom at Risen Christ

Dual Immersion Curriculum Language Allocation Plan

Grade & SUBJECT	ENGLISH	SPANISH
Kindergarten and First Grade	English Language Arts Math Religion	Spanish Language Arts Science/Social Studies Religion
Second Grade through Fourth Grade	English Language Arts Science/Social Studies Religion	Spanish Language Arts Math Religion
Fifth Grade	English Language Arts Math Religion	Spanish Language Arts Science/Social Studies Religion
Middle School (Grades 6-8)	English Language Arts Math Science	Spanish Language Arts Social Studies Religion

Language Arts

Elementary School
Curriculum: Amplify CKLA and Caminos
Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) and Caminos are the leading early literacy curriculum grounded in the Science of Reading. By combining knowledge-building and research-based foundational skills, the instruction guides educators in developing strong readers, writers, and thinkers in both English and Spanish.

Middle School
Spanish Language Arts Curriculum: En Español, Galleria
English Language Arts Curriculum: My Perspectives
Specifically tailored for students learning a second language, our middle school English and Spanish Language arts curriculums are thoughtfully designed to cultivate language proficiency while fostering a love for literature and storytelling. Featuring stories from language learners around the globe, students will develop their reading, writing, speaking and listening skills.

Math

Curriculum: IntoMath

Research has shown that language development and mathematical understanding are intertwined. This specific curriculum was identified by a team of Risen Christ teachers to best fit a dual immersion model. The curriculum focuses on both building strong foundational skills and the development of a growth mindset, teaching students to learn from mistakes.

Other Curricular Areas

Science, Social Studies, Religion, Physical Education, Music, and Technology

Other curricular areas taught at Risen Christ include science, social studies, religion, physical education, music and technology. These curricula are chosen in accordance with the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards.

Minnesota Academic Standards are individual skills or pieces of information that need to be demonstrated by students. For instance, “Uses various scientific instruments and measurement tools correctly” is a third grade math standard and “recognizes and understands basic civic responsibilities and values in a democracy” is a sixth grade social studies standard. These standards provide teachers and students with targeted and directed focus for lessons and assignments.