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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "IT 101-3"
COURSE NAME: "Introductory Italian I"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Summer Session I 2016
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Ada Bertini Bezzi
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: MTWTH 9:00 AM 10:45 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: This course carries 3 semester hours of credit.
OFFICE HOURS: TH - WED from 10,40 to 11,40 or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to give students basic communicative ability in Italian. By presenting the language in a variety of authentic contexts, the course also seeks to provide an introduction to Italian culture and society. Students work on all four language skills: speaking, listening comprehension, reading, and writing. Note: This course carries 4 semester hours of credit during the Fall and Spring terms, 3 hours in Summer.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

Upon completing this course, students will possess the ability to:

  • satisfy a very limited number of immediate needs
  • understand and convey some spoken Italian through the knowledge and usage of familiar and memorized structures, on the most common features of daily life that require the interchange of simple and direct information.
  • understand the general meaning of oral announcements and brief texts on familiar subjects with simple morphology and lexicon.
  • produce one-paragraph texts with limited formulaic information by using elementary functions
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Listening

  • In-class listening activities: Students will listen to the instructor and to recorded texts the duration of which will be at least 250 words. Students will have to answer (orally and in writing) an increasing number of questions that test their comprehension of what they have heard.

Speaking

  • In-class oral activities and exams: Students will be examined singularly and in pairs. The type of tests will be: conversation between two students, monologues, role playing. The multiplicity of situations and the request to express personal opinions will increase from elementary level to advanced level. Conversations, monologues and role playing will be elicited by visual stimuli, texts, or questions from the instructor.

Reading

  • In-class activities and exams: Students will have to read an increasing number of texts of increasing length, complexity and of different genres. They will have to answer in writing several questions that test their comprehension of what they have read.

Writing

  • Homework assignments and exams: Students will have to answer written questions and produce written texts of increasing length, formality and complexity on topics of every day life.
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Grammar.it Grammar for English SpeakersGruppo CSCBonacci Editore978-88-7573-430-5     
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
2 Tests 25 %
2 Oral Presentations 25%
Final Exam 30%
Attendance, Participation, and Homework 20%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the cou
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Students are supposed to come prepared to class and participate in all activities. Active participation is crucial, since the learning process requires considerable practice. Regular attendance is an essential component of class participation. Students are allowed two (2) unjustified absences. The final grade will be lowered by 2 points for each additional absence. Make sure your travel plans do not interfere with the class schedule.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE



WEEK 1

Chapter 1: Come ti chiami? – Role play: a. Come ti chiami? b. Chi è? c. Chi sei? d. Di dove sei? e. Come stai? – Oral presentation: Introduce yourself f. Some useful expressions. - Alfabeto – Role play: a. Come si scrive? b. Come si pronuncia? - Fonetica (hard sounds and soft sounds). Listening Comprehension Activities – Numbers from 0 to 20.

 

Chapter 2: Che cos’è? a. Feminine nouns ending in –a; Masculine nouns ending in –o. b. Feminine articles la and una; Masculine articles il and un. – Classroom Vocabulary – Com’è? a. Feminine and masculine adjectives ending in –a and in –o. Writing Activity: describe your classroom. – Restaurant Vocabulary. Role play: At the restaurant. – Numbers - Personal Pronouns – The verb Avere. Role play: Quanti anni hai? – Some expressions using Avere – Nouns and adjectives ending in –e – Che giorno è oggi? Days of the week, months, dates. Role play: Quando è il tuo compleanno? – Masculine and Feminine Nouns beginning with a vowel – Role play: Qual è il tuo indirizzo?

Masculine Nouns beginning with S + Consonant and Z - Role play: Domanda e risposta. Articles Review – Role play: Al Bar – Chapter 3: Che cosa sono? a. Plural Nouns and Adjectives. B. The plural of the definite articles. C. The verb Essere – Dov’è? Role play: Asking for directions on the street.

Adjectives to describe a person – Oral presentation: Describe yourself – Writing Activity: Describe your roommate. Listening Activities: 1. Un bel ragazzo romano ; 2. Chi è? – Role play: Che cosa ti piace fare? – Role play: Un pezzo di pizza da portare via. - Writing: Parla un po’ di te.

WEEK 2

Review – Video 1: Chi sono?

Test 1 

Chapter 4: Lauren e Marco sono amici. a. Listening activity on a given story. B. Questions on the listening activity. C. Reading comprehension of the listening activity. – The present tense of the verbs ending in –ARE . Learning how to conjugate a verb. Listening activity: Chi lo fa?

Vocabulary: Andiamo a fare la spesa! Role play: Fare la spesa – On-site activity: Al Supermercato.

WEEK 3 

The verb Andare. Role play: Andiamo a visitare Roma! – Vocabulary: Colazione, Pranzo e Cena. Role play: Che cosa mangi? – Reading activity: Gli italiani a tavola – Interview your classmate – Listening comprehension: Le abitudini degli italiani. Review - Writing: Describe a given person.

Chapter 5: Il mio appartamento. Apartment vocab. Oral presentation : Describe your apartment using c’è and ci sono – Vocab. to describe a town. Writing activity: Describe your hometown – The 3 conjugation –are –ere –ire. – Time words (adverbs of frequency) – Role play: 1. Ogni quanto? 2. Da quanto tempo?

Video 2: Case e apprtamenti – Chapter 6: All’Università – Role-play – Vocab. Le atiività a scuola – Listening: Davanti alla biblioteca – Video 3: A scuola – I verbi in –isc. Role play: Che cosa preferisci? – Role play: 1. Che ore sono? 2. A che ora? – The verb Fare. Idiomatic expressions made with Fare – Listening: 1. Che cosa fai nel tempo libero? 2. Che cosa fai il fine settimana? – Writing: La mia vita a Roma.

Oral Presentation 1 

WEEK 4 

Chapter 7: Marco e la sua famiglia. Family Vocab. – Listening: Una famiglia italiana – Video 4: Felicita e la sua nuova famiglia. – Gli aggettivi possessivi – Listening: Chiara descrive i suoi parenti – Reading: La famiglia italiana.

Vocabulary and Role-play: In un negozio di vestiti – Listening: Che bel vestito! – Direct pronouns: lo la li le

Test 2 

Mi piace e mi piacciono. Role-play: Ti piace o ti piacciono? – Writing: Come ti piace vestirti? - Le stagioni e il tempo. Vocabulary: Che stagione preferisci? - Listening: Che programmi hai? – Video 4: Come sono? Che cosa portano?
Chapter 8: Al telefono. Role play: Making plans on the phone. – Vocabulary: Le faccende di casa. – I verbi Dovere, Potere e Volere. – Listening: 1. Prima di uscire. 2. In famiglia chi lo fa? – Writing: Che disordine!

Le preposizioni articolate – Gli avverbi di luogo – Writing: Descrizione di una stanza con gli avverbi di luogo – I verbi Conoscere e Sapere - I verbi Venire e Uscire – Role play: Intervista.

WEEK 5 

Chapter 9: Il fine settimana di Lauren – Il passato prossimo – Listening: 1. Quando? 2. Che giornata ieri! 3. Un lungo messaggio

Reading: La musica in Italia – Discussion – Listening: Un giorno come gli altri – Role-play: Quando è stata l’ultima volta che ...? – Video 5: Che cosa hanno fatto? - Reading: Una lettera di una donna a una rivista – Writing: Rispondi alla lettera.

Chapter 10: Una mattina tipica. I verbi riflessivi. – Le attività di tutti i giorni – Vocabulary: Cosa facciamo ogni giorno? - Listening: 1. Giorno dopo giorno! 2. Cosa fanno? - Writing: La mia mattina tipica – Vocabulary: 1. Le parti del corpo – 2. Ho mal di testa – 3. La farmacia – Role-play: In farmacia – Video 6: Attività giornaliere.

Oral Presentation 2 

Final Review

FINAL EXAM