Chabot College
Fall 2009
Replaced Fall 2010
Course Outline for Italian 1A
BEGINNING ITALIAN
Catalog Description:
1A - Beginning Italian
5 units
Introduction to the Italian-speaking cultures of the world featuring the study and practice of the four
language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) of Italian. Strongly recommended: eligibility
for English 1A. 5 hours lecture, 1 hour laboratory.
[Typical contact hours: lecture 87.5, laboratory 17.5]
Prerequisite Skills:
None
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of the course the student should be able to:
1. compare and contrast American and Italian-speaking cultural practices in relation to speech,
social attitudes, and values;
2. demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the cultures of Italian-speaking people,
including formative historical events and relevant geographical information;
3. demonstrate proficiency in understanding and using, orally and in writing, the grammatical
structures presented and vocabulary assigned;
4. correctly spell "active" vocabulary items, write basic autobiographical information, and take
dictation based on assigned vocabulary;
5. demonstrate the ability to comprehend a short conversation composed chiefly of the vocabulary
and grammar studied;
6. apply the sentence patterns and grammar structures presented in the course to create new
sentences in culturally appropriate ways both orally and in writing;
7. conduct a simple, culturally sensitive conversation in Italian on topics studied, using words and
expressions in structurally correct sentences;
8. write a coherent and culturally appropriate paragraph of sixty words or more on a topic studied
and/or discussed in class;
9. make simple descriptions in Italian related to size, shape, and color orally and in writing;
10. demonstrate functional competence in pronunciation of Italian.
Course Content (Lecture):
1. Introduction to the history and geography of Italian-speaking countries, cities, regions, and other
places of the world
2. Social and cultural information necessary to understand important differences between Italian
and American cultural practices and to be sensitive to cultural differences in social interactions
3. Functional vocabulary and grammar to allow students to:
a. identify themselves in the target language (name, age, nationality, place of birth, profession
or occupation) orally and in writing
b. order food and drink in restaurants, buy food in shops and markets, read menus, and write
shopping lists
c. greet others, make introductions, take leave, thank, and write simple culturally appropriate
expressions of thanks
d. be able to express spatial relationships (far, near, right, left, etc.) orally and in writing
e be able to ask for, read, understand, and write simple street directions
f. count, understand, and write numbers, and be sufficiently comfortable with numbers for
simple financial transactions in the currency of the target culture(s)
g. use vocabulary related to weights and measures orally and in writing
h. make descriptions related to size, shape, and color orally and in writing
i. identify clock time, the date, the weather, and be able to read and write them as well
Chabot College
Course Outline for Italian 1A, Page 2
Fall 2009
j.
discuss in simple terms their likes and dislikes and to inquire in culturally sensitive terms into
likes and dislikes of others, orally and in writing
k. function successfully in basic cultural interactions that involve buying tickets and requesting
and paying for services (public transportation, taxis, post offices, hotels)
4. Introduction to the principles of Italian pronunciation
5. Syntax and grammar that allows students to correctly use orally and in writing:
a. nouns and adjectives, their singular and plural forms, their placement, gender, and gender
and number agreement
b. definite and indefinite articles, singular and plural
c. cardinal numbers
d. present, imperfect, and passato prossimo tenses of the irregular verbs essere, avere, andare,
dare, fare, stare, dire, uscire, venire, conoscere, sapere, piacere
e. present, imperfect, and passato prossimo tenses of the three regular conjugations (-are, -ere,
and –ire)
f. idiomatic expressions based on avere
g. the three Italian verbs “to leave”: lasciare, partire, and uscire
h. reflexive verbs
i. imperative mood
j. subject, object, and disjunctive pronouns
k. the impersonal pronouns si, ne, ci
l. possessive pronouns and adjectives
m. cardinal numbers
n. adjectives and their comparative forms
o. adverbs and their comparative forms
p. preposition and article combinations
q. interrogative pronouns and adjectives
r. write simple declarative and interrogative sentences
Course Content (Laboratory):
1. Activate lecture content using interactive audio and audiovisual programs on CDs, DVDs, CD
ROMS, target language websites, etc., featuring culturally authentic and contextual guided
speaking, reading, and writing activities such as cued repetition of native speech, dictations, cued
oral responses, listening comprehension, and interactive realia (culturally authentic texts).
2. Organized laboratory activities including conversation groups.
3. Fundamentals of Italian pronunciation:
a. The seven Italian vowels, including both open and closed e and o
b. Consonants and consonant clusters
c. Soft and hard c and g
d. Tonic accent and written accent
e. The sounds of the letter s (sorda, sonora, single s and double s)
f. Single and double g
g. The combination sc
h. The combinations qu and cu
i. The sounds of the letter z
j. The letter h
k. Diphthongs and triphthongs
Methods of Presentation:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Lecture/discussion in target language
Choral/individual repetition of model speech
Re-creation of dialogues and improvisation
Small group activities leading to skits, dialogues, etc.
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Chabot College
Course Outline for Italian 1A, Page 3
Fall 2009
Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1. Typical Assignments
a. Demonstrate "ordering" skills in a restaurant skit.
b. Demonstrate aural understanding of street directions by tracing examples of such directions on a map.
c. Laboratory assignment: Demonstrate proficiency in the fundamentals of Italian pronunciation by
making a recording of the poem "I fiumi" by Giuseppe Ungaretti.
d. Write a paragraph that includes basic biographical information, such as nationality, place of
birth, birthday, and current residence.
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a. Tests, quizzes, and interviews to evaluate the four language skills in relation to material presented
b. Student participation in class activities
c. Homework assignments
d. Recordings from the language laboratory to evaluate pronunciation skills
e. Final examination
Textbook(s) Typical:
Prego! An Invitation to Italian, seventh edition, Graziana Lazzarino, McGraw Hill, 2008.
Workbook to accompany Prego! An Invitation to Italian, seventh edition, Andrea Dini and Graziana
Lazzarino, McGraw Hill, 2008.
Special Student Materials:
None
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