Levels:

BEGINNER LEVEL
(A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)

This course is addressed to beginner students who have no knowledge of the Italian language. Although reading and writing will be important, significant emphasis in class will be placed on speaking and listening. Group work and role-play are used extensively to develop these skills. The course is conducted in Italian from the first day. Homework will be corrected during class time and it will allow the students to self-correct and understand why a specific grammar point works the way it does. At the end of the course, students will be able to communicate in every day’s most frequent situations, using basic vocabulary and grammar.

Hours: 56

Class Schedule: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9.15-10.45 or 11.00-12.30.

Syllabus:

Grammar
• Definitive and indefinite articles
• Simple present tense (regular verbs, three conjugations –are –ere –ire)
• Irregular verbs: essere, avere, andare, fare, bere, rimanere, venire, uscire
• Verbs Dovere (to have to, to must) Potere (to can, to be able to) Volere (to want)
• Use of “ci” (there)
• Simple past (perfect tense)
• Possessive adjectives and pronouns
• Use of the verb Piacere (to like)
• Reflexive pronouns
• Introduction to pronouns direct object
• Use of the simple prepositions and prepositions with article
• Imperative
• Conjunctions e (and) ma (but) mentre (while) quando (when) perché (why, because)

Communicative areas
• Identification: name, nationality..., Introducing oneself, Habits
• Asking and answering information
• Offering something, inviting someone, accepting, refusing
• Situations: in class, at the bar, the station, at the restaurant, in a store, a language school, in hotel.
• Talking about family, Describing people and items, telling a brief story in the past
• Asking for explanations about words or linguistic questions
• Expressing preferences; Expressing pleasure and unpleasure

Oral comprehension
• Dialogues; Messages (listening to a message at the answering machine, to the radio); Interviews (radio, TV); Video (movies, TV); Advertisements; Songs;

Written comprehension
• Timetables; Menu; Memorandum; Post cards and letters to friends; Diary; Recipes; Short biographies; Short announcements; Advertisements; Comics; Short instructions; Catalogues; Fieldtrip schedules or cultural programs

Oral expression and vocabulary
• Readings concerning:
• Studying and learning a foreign language
• Every-day-life situations
• Cities and means of transportation
• Space, forms, dimensions, quantity
• Time

Written expression
• Fill in an enrolment form; writing a message; writing a post card; writing a diary page; writing a letter in familiar way

Evaluation

The students will be expected to come to all classes prepared to actively partecipate in oral and written work. Attendance for this class is absolutely mandatory. Absences will lower the final grade. 
• 30% Class performance (participation and attendance). Class will involve much student-student and student-instructor interaction in more open-ended conversation. The quality of interaction will have a significant effect on the course grade.
• 20% Homework. (10 homeworks, written) Effort and enthusiasm will count as much as accuracy in preparation.
• 20% Mid-term exam (written);
• 20% Final exam (oral, final paper presentation);
• 10% Final working paper (written) during classes, students will produce some written documents concerning their own experience in Venice as a foreign student (e.g. small Venice guide for foreign students)

Reading

Workbook of Istituto Venezia 2 (selection of authentic teaching materials and selected teaching materials from textbooks as Espresso, Chiaro, Domani)

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL
(B1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)

This course is a continuation of ‘Italian Beginners’. Students will begin the course by reviewing material from the previous course.
This language course is designed so that students can practice their grammar skills and increase their ability to understand, speak, read and write Italian, while emphasizing the development of reading comprehension. It includes an introduction to new grammar skills, with continued vocabulary study, conversational practice, short composition, cultural and literary readings and some work with video. Group work and role-play are used extensively to develop these skills. The course is conducted in Italian from the first day. Homework will be corrected during class time and it will allow the students to self-correct and understand why a specific grammar point works the way it does. During classes, students will produce some written documents concerning their own experience in Venice as a foreign student.
Students can ask their teacher for any extra materials they may need to further personalize their program, or to review grammar skills.

Hours: 56

Class Schedule: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 9.15-10.45 or 11.00-12.30.

Syllabus
Grammar

• Review of simple present tense (regular and irregular)
• Review of simple past
• Review of simple future tense
• Reflexive verbs
• Use of the partitive “ne”
• Imperfect past tense
• Simple past (perfect tense) and imperfect used together
• Agreement of the direct pronouns with the perfect tense
• Formal/unformal use of the imperative;
• Stare + gerundio: present continuous;
• Introduction to subjunctive (present)
• Si impersonale
• Pronouns
• Use of ci
• Relative pronouns
• Introduction to conditional (present)

Communicative areas
• Telling stories and events in the past; Describing weather; Giving and asking for advises or instructions; Describing situations, places and people; Making a phone call; Organizing a trip; Asking for a permission; Giving an opinion; Making projects for the future; Apologizing; Making a proposal and inviting; Accepting and refusing ; Complaining

Oral comprehension
• Dialogues; Weather report; Songs; Phone calls; Videos; Advertisements;

Written comprehension
• Writing a letter to a friend or a relative; Instructions; Warnings and messages; Invitations; Announcements; Tales; Short literature passages; Tourist information; Horoscope; Short newspaper articles; How to write a complaint letter

Oral expression and vocabulary
• Face-to-face conversation; Instructions; Descriptions; Tales; Phone calls; Role play

Written expression
• Post cards; Familiar letters; Diary pages; Tales.

Evaluation

The students will be expected to come to all classes prepared to actively partecipate in oral and written work. Attendance for this class is absolutely mandatory. Absences will lower the final grade. 

• 30% Class performance (participation and attendance). Class will involve much student-student and student-instructor interaction in more open-ended conversation. The quality of interaction will have a significant effect on the course grade.
• 20% Homework. (10 homework, written) Effort and enthusiasm will count as much as accuracy in preparation.
• 20% Mid-term exam (written);
• 20% Final exam (oral, final paper presentation)
• 10% Final working paper (written) during classes, students will produce some written documents concerning their own experience in Venice as a foreign student (e.g. small Venice guide for foreign students)

Reading

Workbook of Istituto Venezia 2 (selection of authentic teaching materials and selected teaching materials from textbooks as Espresso, Chiaro, Domani)

UPPER-INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

This course is composed by:

- 56 hours Intermediate classes with the purpose of a general review;
- 18 hours classes dedicated to further develop skills as:
formulate opinions; make judgments and suggestions, in oral and written form,
on selected issues presented in the reading material;
narrate in oral and written form using different verbal tenses and modes;
read, comprehend and analyze newspaper, magazine articles and movie sequences.

Students will begin the course by reviewing material from the previous courses.
This language course will allow students to reinforce their grammar skills and increase their ability to understand, speak, read and write Italian, while emphasizing the development of reading comprehension. It includes an introduction to new grammar skills, with continued vocabulary study, conversational practice, short composition, cultural and literary readings and some work with video. Group work and role-play are used extensively to develop these skills. The course is conducted in Italian from the first day. Homework will be corrected during class time and it will allow the students to self-correct and understand why a specific grammar point works the way it does.  During classes, students will produce some written documents concerning their own experience in Venice as a foreign student (e.g. small Venice guide for foreign students).

Students can ask their teacher for any extra materials they may need to further personalize their program, or to review grammar skills.

Hours: 74

Class Schedule: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

(from week 6: Intermediate class Tuesday and Thursday, 09.15 or 11.00, + Upper-Intermediate class Monday and Wednesday, 11.00-12.30).

Syllabus 

Grammar
Review of:
•    simple present tense (regular and irregular);
•    past tenses;
•    simple future tense
•    Reflexive verbs;
•    Use of the partitive “ne”;
•    Imperfect past tense;
•    Simple past (perfect tense) and imperfect used together;
•    Agreement of the direct pronouns with the perfect tense;
•    Formal/unformal use of the imperative;
•    Stare+gerundio: present continuous;
•    Subjunctive (present);
•    Si impersonale;
•    Pronouns;
•    Use of ci;
•    Relative pronouns (che, chi);
•    Conditional (present);

Introduction to:
Relative pronouns (cui);
Subjunctive (present, past);
Conditional (present, past);
Impersonal (si impersonale con verbi riflessivi);
Conditional clause (primo e secondo tipo);
In-depth examination of prepositions.

Communicative areas
Formulate opinions; make judgments and suggestions, in oral and written form,
on selected issues presented in the reading material.
Narrate in oral and written form using different verbal tenses and modes.
Read, comprehend and analyze newspaper, magazine articles and movie sequences.

Oral comprehension
Dialogues; Songs; Videos and movies sequences; Advertisements

Written comprehension
Writing formal and unformal letters; Instructions; Warnings and messages; Announcements; Narrative passages; Newspaper and magazine articles

Oral expression and vocabulary
Face-to-face conversation; Instructions; Descriptions; Tales; Role play

Written expression
Formal and unformal letters, diary pages, tales, summarize a narrative text.

Evaluation

The students will be expected to come to all classes prepared to actively partecipate in oral and written work. Attendance for this class is absolutely mandatory. Absences will lower the final grade.  
•    30% Class performance (participation and attendance). Class will involve much student-student and student-instructor interaction in more open-ended conversation. The quality of interaction will have a significant effect on the course grade.
•    20% Homework. (written) Effort and enthusiasm will count as much as accuracy in preparation.
•    20% Mid-term exam (written);
•    20% Final exam (oral, final paper presentation);
•    10% Final working paper (written) during classes, students will produce some written documents concerning their own experience in Venice as a foreign student (e.g. small Venice guide for foreign students).

Reading

Textbook:

Workbook of Istituto Venezia 2 (selection of authentic teaching materials and  selected  teaching materials  from textbooks as Espresso, Chiaro, Domani, Un giorno in Italia e Magari).

ALL LEVELS: 

Tutoring
Students can ask their teacher for any extra materials they may need to personalize their program further or to review some grammar points.

Schedule

Timetable week 1-6: four lessons/week, Monday to Thursday, 09.15-10.45 or 11.00-12.30

Timetable week 7-12: four lessons/week, Monday-Wednesday or Tuesday-Thursday, 09.15-10.45 or 11.00-12.30