Italian Curriculum at SHS

The Italian curriculum at Stoneham High School takes a communicative approach to language acquisition. Classes are designed to engage students in verbal and written communication starting from level 1. Students are exposed to assessed in all four language skills: listening, reading, speaking and writing. Throughout the levels of study students are exposed to various aspects of the Italian culture, including beauty & aesthetics, contemporary life, families & communities, global challenges, personal & public identities, science & technology, and more.

Below are the course descriptions for the classes offered at Stoneham High School.

ITALIAN I

During the first year, students will perform simple communicative tasks such as greeting and responding to greetings, asking and answering simple questions, expressing likes and dislikes, and exchanging simple, concrete information. Students will explore language through topics such as school, family, food and travel. Listening,

speaking, writing and reading in the present tense, and Italian culture will be emphasized.

ITALIAN IA

Italian 1A and 1B at the comprehensive level is a program designed for students who need extra time and a slower pace when acquiring a second language. This program takes two years to complete Italian 1. At the end of two years(Italian 1A and Italian 1B), students will have earned the equivalent of one full year of high school Italian in terms of college requirements. Therefore, it takes two years to complete Italian 1 Comprehensive. In Italian 1A, students will perform simple communicative tasks using single words in naming articles or listing favorite foods. Students will also use common expressions to tell time, the date, or the weather. Students will learn to form complete sentences. Listening,speaking, writing and reading, and Italian culture will be emphasized.

ITALIAN IB

In Italian 1B, students will grow in their performance of simple communicative tasks: ask and answer questions, make and respond to requests, exchange factual information, express needs. The course covers the second half of the text. At the end of two years(Italian 1A and Italian 1B), students will have earned the equivalent of one full year of high school Italian in terms of college requirements. Therefore, it takes two years to complete Italian 1 Comprehensive. Students taking Italian IB have successfully completed Italian IA.

ITALIAN II

In this class, students use sentences,strings of sentences, and combinations of learned words, phrases, and expressions. They begin to create new combinations of the language they have learned in Italian 1. Students will ask and respond to questions to clarify information, exchange opinions about people and activities, and discuss class readings. Students will read short stories, narratives, advertisements and brochures. Students will communicate using the past, present and future tenses and will write simple paragraphs, notes, letters, and e-mail as well as give presentations on cultural topics.

ITALIAN III

In Italian 3, students are able to produce and comprehend fluid sentence-length and paragraph-length messages. Students will be able to suggest possible solutions to a problem, discuss personal feelings and ideas to persuade someone to consider an alternate viewpoint, and share personal reactions to authentic literary texts. Students will read articles, plays,stories and understand theme, character and setting. Students will be able to comprehend

narration in present, past and future tenses in reading, audio, and videotext.

ITALIAN IV

At this level, students study the history of Italy from the Roman Empire to modern day politics, to focus on grammatical concepts both new and old. At this level students will be reading historical information,short stories, and novels, interpreting artwork, and watching Italian films to initiate verbal and written discussion. Students will be able to convey messages of paragraph length in speaking and essay length in writing. Students will be able to initiate,sustain and close a conversation, negotiate a compromise, discuss national, international, or current events, exchange and substantiate opinions, and analyze literary text. Students will write analytical essays, prepare oral and visual reports on Italy’s history, and narrate in all tenses.

ITALIAN V

At this level, students convey messages of paragraph length in speaking and essay length in writing. Students will be able to initiate,sustain, and close a conversation, negotiate a compromise, discuss national, international, or current events, exchange and substantiate opinions, and analyze literary text. Students can write most types of correspondence and statements of position.

AP ITALIAN LANGUAGE

Students at this level are able to speak the language with sufficient accuracy to participate effectively in most informal conversations. They can support opinions and hypotheses and will be able to discuss in depth highly abstract topics. They can write most types of correspondence and statements of position. They will read a novel from which they will gain a deeper understanding of Italian Language and Culture. Students will prepare to take the Advanced Placement test in May. Students will be given listening and/or reading assignments to complete over the summer.

Commonly asked questions:

What is AP Italian?

Is designed to prepare you for the AP Italian Language and Culture Exam that is offered by the College Board. It is an objective assessment of the knowledge and skills acquired during the learning process of the Italian language. For more information checkout the College Board website.

Why take AP Italian?

1. You have been studying Italian for many years- this is your chance to show the world what you can do.

2. At many Universities a passing score will earn you college credit, allow you to skip the introductory language levels, gain you sophomore standing as a freshmen, and/or save you time and and money.

3. AP is awesome

Do Italian University recognize the AP Italian exam?

On the College Board International website you can find information about this.

Can I take AP Italian?

Students who have taken Italian 4 are eligible to take AP. Students interested should discuss with their teacher if the AP level is right for them.