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Italian Level I (1.5 hours)
Instructor: Murphy
Instructor:
Emily Wilhite This class
builds upon the foundations established in Level I. The goal of
the class is to increase our communication skills by adding more
grammatical structures, including several new verb tenses, as well as
expanding our vocabulary. Portions of class will be held in
Italian and students will be asked to speak in Italian as much as
possible. Class time will be spent on both grammar practice and
conversation. Grammar to
be covered: Review of
present tense and passato prossimo Reflexive and reciprocal verbs ‘Da’ time expression (have been doing) Adverbs Numeri 100+ Imperfetto
(a past tense) Imperfetto vs passato prossimo Trapassato
prossimo (another
past tense) Suffixes Pronomi tonici Comparative/Superlative The future tense ‘Si’ impersonale Particles ci and ne Pronomi doppi (double pronouns) Imperativo (commands) Indefinite adjectives and pronouns Negatives Vocabulary
themes will include: Daily activities Numbers 100+ Daily activities Movies/mass media Body parts Health/at
the doctor’s office or hospital Travel Books :
Prego
6 th
addition.
ISBN:0072561319 Chapters covered: 7, 8, 9, 10,
11, 12 Italian
Level III Grammar
(1.5 hours) Instructor: Emily Wilhite This class
builds upon the foundations established in Levels I and II. We
will continue our study of Italian grammar including finishing the
remaining verb tenses and looking at other more advanced aspects of
Italian grammar. We will expand our vocabulary and communication
skills to include a wider array of topics. A large portion of the
class will be held in Italian and there will be ample opportunity for
the students to practice their own speaking skills. Grammar to be covered: The present and past conditional tenses Possessive pronouns Relative pronouns Infinitive constructions The passato remoto Ordinal Numbers The verbs ‘volerci’ and ‘metterci’ The subjunctive-all 4 tenses Vocabulary
themes covered will include: The environment The theatre Art, literature, architecture Politics Job hunting Social Issues Books :
Prego
6 th
addition.
ISBN:0072561319 Chapters covered: 13, 14, 15, 16,
17, 18 Italian
Level III Conversation Instructor: Murphy This class will center on practicing the
grammatical tools learned in Italian I and II, combined with use of the
concepts learned each week in Italian III Grammar. We will focus
our discussion on level-appropriate reading material or selected topics
to be prepared before class. Students will have the opportunity
to take turns practicing creating sentences and conversing with each
other using the concepts we focus on each week. The goal of this
class is to gain verbal mastery over individual concepts, and to use
them to build larger conversations. Italian IV Advanced Grammar 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 AM Instructor: Louis Imperiale Members
taking this course should have completed the 2010-2011 curriculum of
Level III, or its equivalent (completed the entire textbook) and have
attained a comprehensive foundation in Italian grammar. Students who
have not mastered the contents of the textbook are encouraged to take
Level III grammar, which has been considerably upgraded and expanded
this school year. Communication
will be exclusively in Italian. Grammar
study presented at this level will address complex issues not covered
in the textbook, with some review of the most advanced topics. The
course will utilize newspaper articles, news videos, short stories, and
magazine articles, which will be distributed in advance via the La
Causerie website Wiki. Members will have the opportunity to do
any necessary research or translation at home in order to come to class
fully prepared to be engaged in discussion (in Italian) of the
grammatical constructions and vocabulary utilized in the material.
Therefore, internet access is highly desirable. Some written
homework may be assigned. Italian IV Conversation 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Instructor: Louis Imperiale See
Advanced Grammar prerequisite, above. Members taking this course must
feel comfortable carrying the weight of a complex conversation, with a
firm foundation in advanced grammatical construction. Communication
will be exclusively in Italian.
The main goal of this course is to maintain and improve the
members’ fluency and competence in speaking and understanding Italian.
While some reading “on topic” may be assigned as preparation for
class, the course is mainly oriented toward spontaneous and impromptu
conversation. Books or
materials used:
Although
no texts or manuals are required, regular reading of Italian
newspapers, magazines and general Italian culture via internet is
highly encouraged to fuel discussions. Topics may be regularly assigned.
Italian I is an introductory course designed for students who have never
before studied Italian, and for those who may have previously studied some
Italian but not used it for many years. Through active participation in class
and at-home review, supplemented by audio and video programs, this class
provides students with the foundations of the Italian language.
Using the textbook Prego! An Invitation to Italian (6th edition, McGraw Hill,
ISBN 0072561319), we will cover the essential building blocks of Italian
grammar (through chapter 6 of the book), including the following:
Alphabet and pronunciation
Use of genders and singular/plural
Definite and indefinite articles (the/a)
Basic sentence and question formation
Adjectives: agreement and placement
Present tense verbs:regular and irregular
The expressions c’è and ci sono (there is/there are)
Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her etc)
Demonstrative adjectives (this, that, these, those)
Direct and indirect object pronouns
Passato prossimo – simple past tense
The verb piacere (to like, to be pleasing to)
Articulated prepositions (contractions of articles and prepositions)
Conoscere and sapere (verbs for “to know”)
Interrogatives
Vocabulary themes will include:
Greetings and salutations
Numbers
Basic conversational phrases
Food and beverages
Classroom & school
Day, date, seasons
Places
Asking for and giving directions
Descriptive adjectives/colors
Family
Weather
Time
Pastimes/hobbies
The instructor has written dozens of internationally-distributed guidebooks to
Italy and will address cultural and practical topics for students who may be planning travel to Italy.
Italian Level II
(1.5 hours)