Course description
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 which 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 most everyday situations, using basic vocabulary and grammar.

Hours: 56

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

Course 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, must) Potere (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 direct object pronouns
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, personal habits
Asking and answering information
Offering something, inviting someone, accepting, refusing
Situations: in class, at the bar, at the station, at the restaurant, in a store, a language school, in a hotel.
Talking about family, describing people and items, telling a brief story in the past tense
Asking for explanations about words or linguistic questions
Expressing preferences; Expressing pleasure and displeasure
Oral comprehension

Dialogues; Messages (listening to a message on an 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
Everyday-life situations
Cities and means of transportation
Space, forms, dimensions, quantity
Time
Written expression

Filling in an enrolment form; writing a message; writing a post card; writing a diary page; writing an informal letter.

Evaluation method

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

30% Class performance (participation and attendance). Classes will involve much student-student and student-instructor interaction in open-ended conversations. The quality of interaction will have a significant effect on the course grade.
20% Homework. (10 pieces of 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 in class, students will produce some written documents concerning their own experience in Venice as a foreign student (e.g. short Venice guide for foreign students)
Tutoring

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

Reading

Textbook:
Workbook of Istituto Venezia 2 (selection of authentic teaching materials and selected teaching materials from textbooks such 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 which 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.

Course 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/informal 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 advice or instructions; Describing situations, places and people; Making a phone call; Organizing a trip; Asking 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; Stories; Short literature passages; Tourist information; Horoscopes; Short newspaper articles; How to write a letter of complaint
Oral expression and vocabulary

Face-to-face conversation; Instructions; Descriptions; Stories; Phone calls; Role play
Written expression

Post cards; Informal letters; Diary pages; Stories.

Evaluation method

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

30% Class performance (participation and attendance). Class will involve much student-student and student-instructor interaction in open-ended conversations. The quality of interaction will have a significant effect on the course grade.
20% Homework. (10 pieces of 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 in class: students will produce some written documents concerning their own experience in Venice as a foreign student (e.g. short Venice guide for foreign students)
Tutoring

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

Reading

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

UPPER INTERMEDIATE LEVEL (B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages)

This course is composed of classes dedicated to further developing such skills as: formulating opinions; making judgments and suggestions, in oral and written form, on selected issues presented in the reading material; narrating in oral and written form using different verbal tenses and modes; reading, comprehending and analysing 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 which 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. short 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, 9.15-10.45 or 11.00-12.30

Course 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/informal 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 (sì impersonale con verbi riflessivi);

Conditional clause (primo e secondo tipo);

In-depth examination of prepositions.

Communicative areas

Formulating opinions; making judgments and suggestions, in oral and written form,

on selected issues presented in the reading material.

Narrating in oral and written form using different verbal tenses and modes.

Reading, comprehending and analysing newspaper, magazine articles and movie sequences.

Oral comprehension

Dialogues; Songs; Videos and movies sequences; Advertisements

Written comprehension

Writing formal and informal 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 informal letters, diary pages, tales, summarizing a narrative text.

Evaluation method

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

30% Class performance (participation and attendance). Classes 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 in class: students will produce some written documents concerning their own experience in Venice as a foreign student (e.g. short Venice guide for foreign students)
Tutoring

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

Reading

Textbook:

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

ADVANCED LEVEL

Course description

This course is composed of:

- 56 hours of intermediate classes with the purpose of a general review;

- 18 hours of classes will be specially dedicated to further developing skills such as:

formulating opinions; making judgments and suggestions, in oral and written form, on selected issues presented in the reading material; narrating in oral and written form using different verbal tenses and modes; reading, comprehending and analysing newspaper, magazine articles and movie sequences.

- 6 hours classes dedicated to reading, comprehending and summarizing a narrative text (Mastronardi)

Students will begin the course by reviewing material from the previous course.

This language course will allow students to reinforce their grammar skills and increase their ability to understand, speak, read and write Italian. It includes complex grammar skills, with continued vocabulary study, conversational practice,  composition, cultural and literary readings and some work with video. Group work will be 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 and at home students will read and analyze Lucio Mastronardi, Il Maestro di Vigevano, and will watch and analyze the movie by Elio Petri, based on the book.

Students will produce a final paper highlighting similarities and differences between the novel and the movie.

Students also 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: 80

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

Course Syllabus

Grammar

Review of:

simple present tense (regular and irregular);

past tenses;

simple future tense

Reflexive verbs;

Partitive particle 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;

Locative particle ci;

Relative pronouns (che, chi);

Conditional (present);

Impersonal (si impersonale con verbi riflessivi);

Introduction to:

Ci and ne particles: other uses

Relative pronouns (cui and il quale);

Subjunctive (passato, imperfetto e trapassato);

Conditional (present, past);

Conditional clause (secondo, terzo tipo e forme miste);

In-depth examination of prepositions.

Remote past;

Gerund: simple and compound

Participle

Infinitive

Use and omission of articles

Reported Speech

Adverb phrases

Indefinite pronouns and adjectives

Pronominal verbs (andarsene, fregarsene, contarci, …)

Conjunctions

Construction make+infinitive

Communicative areas

Formulating opinions; making judgments and suggestions, in oral and written form,

on selected issues presented in the reading material.

Narrating in oral and written form using different verbal tenses and modes.

Reading, comprehending and analyzing newspaper, magazine articles, narrative texts and movie sequences.

Oral comprehension

Dialogues; Songs; Videos and movie sequences; Advertisements;

Written comprehension

Formal and informal letters; Instructions; Warnings and messages; Announcements; Tales; Narrative texts; Newspaper and magazine articles;

Oral expression and vocabulary

Face-to-face discussion; Instructions; Descriptions; Tales; 

Written expression

Formal and informal letters, diary pages, tales, summarizing a narrative text.

Evaluation method

The students will be expected to come to all classes prepared to actively participate 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)
Tutoring

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

Reading

Textbook: Workbook of Istituto Venezia 2 (selection of authentic teaching materials and selected  teaching materials  from textbooks such as Magari, Nuovo Contatto, Viaggio nell’italiano).

Last updated: May 11, 2023