| Live & Learn - Italian - Lessons & Cultural Activities |
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1. The ITALIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE LESSONS will consist of up to two hours a day of formal Italian, which includes a ten minute break. The schedule will be Monday afternoons through Thursday mornings.
2. The lessons will be Beginning Italian Language only and a standard Introductory to Italian book will be used. Tuesday and Wednesday lessons are usually done out of the textbook and homework assignments can be done out of the workbook. Monday and Thursdays will be informal with group activities and "hands on" experiences with class outings. Interesting, useful information on Italian culture, art, music and travel will be a frequent topic in classroom discussions. Creative, fun activities such as listening and understanding the lyrics to popular Italian music will be a part of the lessons as well.
3. The instructor will use the Communicative Approach to language learning and will regularly utilize the four main skills of language acquisition; listening, speaking, reading and writing. Emphasis will be on developing basic fundamental vocabulary and striving to communicate in the target language, rather than on trivial grammatical details.
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4. The instructor has a Master of Arts Degree in Language Teaching from New York University's School of Education. She got her Masters in 1992. She was a public school teacher in New York City and has five years language teaching experience. She is a state certified English language teacher and taught ESL on the high school level. The instructor studied Italian language and culture in Florence, Italy for two years as an undergraduate at the University of Maryland. She is fluent in Italian but is not a native speaker nor a certified Italian teacher. However, she is an experienced language teacher and has a M. A. from N.Y.U. where she studied the Methods of Language Teaching and Stages of Language Acquisition. She is most qualified to teach Beginning Italian to English speakers.
5. A "LANGUAGE EXCHANGE" is offered so students get the opportunity to practice conversing with the native Italians and they will get the chance to speak English with you. This is a great way to meet people from the village, learn about the Italian life style and engage in a real CULTURAL EXCHANGE. At the very least, the language exchange can be practiced during dinner parties.
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1. "MANIAGO MONDAYS" will be a weekly group bus trip to Maniago. This small charming nearby town is surrounded by beautiful mountains. It has a huge open air market every Monday until noon with lots of shopping from food, appliances, gifts, clothes! It is also famous for it's cutlery and this age old craft. So cutlery such as knives, scissors and kitchen ware make great souvenirs. Afterwords students will have drinks and snacks at mezzogiorno, picnic and a light Italian lesson in a park or cafe.
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2. "UDINE TUESDAYS" will be an excursion every Tuesday morning to afternoon. Udine is one of the biggest cities in Friuli and is often a much needed break from the slow paced life of the small villages. In Udine, students can go to cyber cafes, rent English or Italian videos, dine at trendy restaurants and shop at fashionable stores. The group will get an abbreviated Italian lesson as well. Or in exchange for a more abbreviated "mini lesson", students can get drinks and appetizers at mezzogiorno in a typical Udinese cafe or osteria. Bus tickets are sold at all Tobaccerias.
3. "WEEKLY WEDNESDAY DINNER PARTIES" (or Tuesdays) will be given at the villa for the opportunity to meet, socialize and converse in Italian with local Italians. Guests will be invited one to two evenings a week and it will be a big event. These parties are an excellent way to get to know the locals, practice Italian and have a cultural exchange. These evenings are a lot of fun and can last for hours!
4. "MARKET THURSDAYS" will give students the chance to have "Hands On" practice of the language. Most every Thursday morning there is an outside market in the main square of Arba. Vendors in little stands, sell a wide selection of fresh fruit, vegetables, cheese, meats, and fish. So it's shopping time where you will expand your vocabulary buying fruits and vegetables, etc! (On and for the house of course!) We will also have a light lesson in a little outdoor cafe near the market in the square in Arba.
5. Maniago Mondays, Udine Tuesdays, Wednesday Dinner Parties and Market Thursdays will be considered CULTURAL ACTIVITIES and/or ITALIAN LANGUAGE CONVERSATION LABS. They can be utilized as valuable practice time for listening and speaking Italian or just opportunities to experience Italian customs and culture.
6. Students are offered TEN TO TWELVE HOURS A WEEK of Beginning Italian Language Lessons and Cultural Activities; which include the Italian Language Conversation "Labs". If the group wishes, formal Italian Language Lessons may be abbreviated a few times a week to expand on Class Excursions and/or Cultural Activities. On these days, lunch or dinner activities, parties, language exchanges or outside excursions may cut into class time. So, the weekly ten to twelve hours consist of four to six hours of formal Italian Language Lessons and four to six hours of Italian Language Conversation Labs and/or Cultural Activities.
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The following is a sample of our...
-Weekly Italian Language Program-
*4 - 6 hours a week
-Mondays-
*1 hour Italian Lesson
About 2 pm - 3 p.m.
-Tuesdays-
*2 Hour Italian Lesson
About 2 p.m.- 4 p.m.
-Wednesdays-
*2 Hour Italian Lesson
About 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
-Thursdays-
*1 Hour Italian Lesson
About 11 a.m.- 12 p.m.
_____________________
*6 hours Weekly
Italian Cultural Activities-
Excursion Tours, Language Labs/ Cultural Exchanges
at Meal Times-
*4 - 6 hours a week: up to a few hours a day -
Mondays through Wednesdays.
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ITALIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
COURSE DESCRIPTION & OBJECTIVES |
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COURSE DESCRIPTION: Class will master the fundamentals of Italian and begin to understand and speak on an elementary level. Basic "Traveler's Italian" will be emphasized to make life easier getting around in Italy. Every week a list of new important vocabulary words will be introduced and reviewed in the form of word puzzles. Each week there will be brief readings on Italian culture, dialogs, translating Italian cartoons and doing Italian word puzzles. Grammar coverage will be limited since emphasis will be on basic vocabulary development. Weekly vocabulary quizzes will be in the form of Italian cross word puzzles with pictures. These quizzes will be given every Thursday at an outside cafe during the Thursday morning market.
TEXT BOOK: The Introductory to Italian Book, "Oggi in Italia" will be used for regular reading, writing, listening and speaking exercises. The class will cover the first eight chapters lightly. More fun, light, creative supplementary Italian books will be utilized as well. These books are at the villa for student's convenience. Students must not write in any of the books since they are being reused in every session. So books do not have to be bought unless student writes in them. No text books will be used Mondays or Thursdays. Please bring only pens to Maniago Mondays and Market Thursdays.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: The following is a general description of the weekly course objectives. From the text book, the class will cover no more than a few chapters a week. Course speed will depend on the progress of the class. Two week sessions will be accelerated and move more rapidly. They will be more condensed programs and cover material at a quicker pace. For more advanced students, we will start by covering the quick basics, then focus on the later material. See the program below for details. |
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WEEK I - II
Greetings
Italian political and geographical maps
20 nature vocabulary words
numbers 1-1000
the verb "to be"- "essere"
the verb "to have"- "avere"
singular and plural nouns
Asking questions
articles
20 city vocabulary words
20 important verbs
20 fruits and vegetables
are, ere, and ire verbs
common irregular verbs
WEEK II - III
Weeks and time
weather and months
20 clothes items
20 adjectives
conjugating are, ere, and ire verbs
more common irregular verbs
Listening to and understanding Famous Italian Songs
(Learning Vocabulary & Culture through Song Lyrics)
Discussions of Italian culture on romance and family
20 inside house vocabulary words
20 outside house vocabulary words
Review of vocabulary words and verb tenses
Brief summary of the past and future verb tenses
*weekly vocabulary puzzle quizes
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| *Student is not required to participate in all activities and is entitled to make other plans on any given day or days thereby forfeiting lessons or meals. Instructor asks for advanced class or meal cancellation notice. No make up sessions or meals are offered. |
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Instructor's Thoughts
on Lessons and Activities |
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Students usually get back as much as they have put into learning the language. If students want to be able to speak and understand Italian when they are in Italy, they need to work outside the classroom a lot. I would advise studying and memorizing the vocabulary, verb tenses and grammar every day for about an hour or two. A work book is also available with homework assignments that supplement each lesson. Students may also take advantage of the "Language Exchange" and team up with an Italian who wants to learn English. But this is your own choice. I would not feel in any way offended if a student decides not to spend much time learning the Italian language. It is your trip, and I encourage you to spend it the way you want. I am offering these services, you can take full advantage of them or you can pick and choose what you want to do.
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Don't forget, the daily activities are just as important as the lessons. They are what makes up the small town Italian lifestyle. They will provide you with ample opportunity to practice your Italian and mingle with the locals. It will be a cultural experience to live life like an Italian. On Mondays, we go to the small mountain village of Maniago, to a large open market in the piazza or main square. We will shop, have a drink at mezzogiorno and a light lesson. On Tuesdays, we take the bus to bustling Udine. It is the biggest city nearby. Lots of restaurants, shopping boutiques, interent cafes, etc. fill the city. It will give you the Italian urban flare that you may miss being in the country and little towns. On Wednesdays, we stay in Arba. After our lesson, we have a big dinner party and invite a few neighbors. It is a great way to get to know the locals and share in a real cultural exchange. On Thursdays, we take an short Italian quiz in the piazza of Arba, then shop at the little open market there. Weekends you are free to travel!
First and foremost, I want to provide you with a real non touristy Italian experience. The program's charm is in the whole cultural experience combined; the activities, the language lessons, the social exchanges, etc., all together. In our weeks together, I want you to learn a little of the language, a little of the culture, meet a few locals, have a few parties, make a few friends, etc. But most of all I want you to have a good time and come home with some wonderful memories!
Viva!
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A Note To All Of You Who:
1) previously had no interest in learning the Italian language,
2) have taken up to 1st year Italian before, or
3) have prior foreign language learning experience, especially latin based...
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1) The lessons teach the Fundamentals of Beginning Italian along with cultural information of Italy. So for those of you not coming strictly for the language learning aspect, there are other course attractions. The classes involve a great deal of practical, interesting information and are mostly in English. But, learning the language and culture of a people is a very enriching experience. To understand a little bit of the language enables you to better understand the culture. It allows you to get the most of your stay, socially. We will also deal with basic fundamental words and frases that all visitors should know when traveling through Italy. It will help you out a lot while traveling and get you out of a lot of communication jams. So the lessons are practical as well as light and fun. The program will also allow you to have an intimate personal experience with Italy. You won't see it through the eyes of a tourist.
The group can elect to get more cultural activities in exchange for less formal language lessons, also. In this way, the weekly 10 hours of Italian Language Lessons and Cultural Activities would be only about 4 hours of formal Italian lessons with about 6 hours of cultural activities. Moreover, you are also not required to take the classes every day. Just give me some advanced notice if you want to do something else instead. Cancelations are no problem.
2) The program is also good for people who have taken up to a year of Italian before. If you're conversational, the instructor will strive to see that you get lots of conversation practice. More "language labs" with Italians outside the classroom can be arranged. There is plenty of opportunity for it! You may also greatly benefit from the review, since most people who have studied it but have never lived in Italy, need it! Most people need to review the grammar, verb tenses and expand their vocabulary, after taking an introductory Italian course. There is always room for improvement! |
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Those of you who have taken Italian before and are coming for only 2 weeks will have a more condensed program covering more of the material in a shorter time. The class will progressively cover more advanced material; more grammar and vocabulary. (See course description) So the class material will be more challenging for you. Also, the last week deals with more advanced cultural material such as songs and music lyrics that are ideal for advanced students. But please realize that the class is "Beginning Italian". So the most important exercise for you is to mingle, take full advantage of the outside activities and practice speaking Italian with the locals.
3) If you are fluent in a foreign language, you will have less trouble learning Italian. It is my experience that those of you who already know the ins and outs of language learning pick up languages much more quickly. So knowing other languages is a big plus, especially latin based languages like Spanish. I've often heard that there are no two languages more closely related than Spanish and Italian. I have seen people who came on the program hold lengthy conversations to Italians in Spanish. It then evolves to a mixture of the languages, then of course, the goal is ultimately Italian. But it is way better to use a Spanish or French word in conversation, as opposed to no words at all! So knowing other languages, especially latin based, is a big help! |
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