Italian

ITALIAN LANGUAGE AND CULTURE (Including the existing cohort)

The Italian Language and Culture Cohort is only open to current students who have successfully completed Italian 2 in the 2024-2025 school year. The purpose of the cohort is to provide opportunities for students to become proficient in Italian and develop a deep appreciation for the Italian language and culture.  Students who have an interest in the visual and performing arts will find that this program complements those areas of study.  The Italian Language and Culture cohort differs from traditional world languages study because all students begin their study together in 2023-2024 and finish the program upon graduation. Through community sponsorship, the program has guaranteed funding of one Italian class per year for a total of four years (2023-2027).  

*A cohort is an educational model in which a group of students begins their study together and is expected to remain together for the duration of the program.  Students in this program do not move in and out of the program.  Rather, they stay with the same group of people as they progress through the different classes in the program.

Italian 1 will be offered again this year with incoming 9th grade students receiving scheduling priority. Students enrolling in Italian 1 will have the opportunity to continue their study up through Italian 4. 

Course Descriptions:

Course Name:  Italian 1

Course # 464

Level: CP

Grade Level: 9-12

Credits: 6

Prerequisite: None

Beginning of Course Proficiency: None or Novice Low (N-1)

End of Course Proficiency Target: Novice Mid (N-3)

Italian 1 College Preparatory (CP) is designed for students beginning their study of the language and/or for those students who have not yet attained Novice Mid (N-3) proficiency. Through interactive activities focused on making language comprehensible and accessible, students develop basic proficiency in interpretive, presentational, and interpersonal communication. Thematic cultural units provide the context for the learning and permit students to carry out real-world tasks and functions in the target language. Vocabulary and grammar are taught in context and for a communicative purpose. Students develop proficiency in the Italian language and culture by working with a variety of authentic texts, media, and related technologies and by carrying out regular performance tasks. Classes are conducted in Italian. *Italian 1 College Preparatory (CP) and Italian 1 Honors (H) may be combined.

Course Name: Italian 1

Course # 465

Level: H

Grade Level: 9-12

Credits: 6

Prerequisite:  None

Beginning of Course Proficiency: None or Novice Low 1 (N-1)

End of Course Proficiency Target: Novice High (N-4)/Intermediate Low (I-1)

Italian 1 Honors (H) is an accelerated course designed for students who are beginning and/or continuing their study of the language. It is designed for students interested in attaining Novice High (N-4)/Intermediate Low (I-1) proficiency in one year. Through interactive activities focused on making language comprehensible and accessible, students develop basic proficiency in interpretive, presentational, and interpersonal communication. Thematic cultural units provide the context for the learning and permit students to carry out real-world tasks and functions in the target language. Vocabulary and grammar are taught in context and for a communicative purpose. Students develop proficiency in the Italian language and culture by working with a variety of authentic texts, media, and related technologies and by carrying out regular performance tasks. Classes are conducted in Italian. *Italian 1 Honors (H) and Italian 1 College Preparatory (CP) may be combined.

Course Name: Italian 2

Course # 466

Level: CP

Grade Level: 9-12

Credits: 6

Prerequisite:  Successful completion of Italian 1 (C- or better) or teacher recommendation

Beginning of Course Proficiency:  Novice Mid (N-3)/Novice High (N-4)

End of Course Proficiency Target:  Intermediate Low (I-1)

Italian 2 College Preparatory (CP) is designed for students who have successfully met the Novice Mid (N-3) or Novice High (N-4) proficiency goals of Italian 1. Through real-life performance-based tasks, students gain proficiency in interpersonal speaking and writing; interpretive listening and reading; and presentational writing and speaking. Up-to-date authentic readings, video and audio texts, digital realia, and collaborative technologies enhance the student-centered experience. Thematic units allow students to gain a greater appreciation of diverse cultural practices of the Italian world and use the language in context. Students expand their ability to communicate about familiar topics using sentences and begin to use more than one time frame. The Italian 2 CP class is taught in Italian.  Students are expected to review and study vocabulary on a regular basis. 

Course Name: Italian 2

Course # 467

Level: H

Grade Level: 9-12

Credits: 6

Prerequisite:  Successful completion of Italian 1 H (B- or better) or teacher recommendation.

Beginning of Course Proficiency:  Intermediate Low (I-1)

End of Course Proficiency Target: Intermediate Mid (I-3)

Italian 2 Honors (H) is an accelerated course designed for students who have successfully met the proficiency goals of Italian 1 H and are starting to work at the Intermediate Low (I-1) level. Students expand their ability to communicate about familiar topics using a variety of questions, well-connected sentences, and a few time frames. Through real-life performance-based tasks, students gain proficiency in interpersonal speaking and writing; interpretive listening and reading; and presentational writing and speaking.  Up-to-date authentic visual and audio texts, realia, and collaborative technologies enhance the student-centered experience.  Thematic units allow students to gain a greater appreciation of diverse cultural practices of the Italian world and use the language in context. The class is conducted entirely in Italian. Students’ home study and regular class participation in the target language are essential for success. Students are expected to speak, write, read, and listen to authentic texts on a range of daily topics at the intermediate level. Students should feel comfortable using Italian and initiating conversations in Italian with their teacher and their peers. 

Course Name: Italian 3

Course # 468

Level: CP

Grade Level: 11-12

Credits: 6

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Italian 2 CP (C- or better) or teacher recommendation.

Beginning of Course Proficiency: Intermediate Low (I-1)

End of Course Proficiency Target: Intermediate Mid (I-3)

Italian 3 College Preparatory (CP) is designed for students who have successfully met the proficiency goals of Italian 2 CP and are working at the Intermediate Low (I-1) level. Students continue to enhance their interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational communication skills by carrying out a variety of Intermediate level performance tasks to meet the end-of-course target of Intermediate Mid (I-3) proficiency. Through thematic units, students explore the cultures of Italian-speaking countries in greater depth and develop more advanced skills to improve their comprehension and expression in Italian.  Students read, view, and study authentic cultural texts and media to expand their linguistic and cultural proficiency.  Emphasis is placed on written composition and oral communication skills. The class is conducted entirely in Italian.  Students’ home study and regular class participation in the target language are essential for success. Students are expected to speak, write, read, and listen to authentic texts on a range of daily topics at the intermediate level. Students are expected to speak Italian with their teacher and their peers during class with little to no reliance on English.  In addition, students are expected to review and study vocabulary on a regular basis. *Italian 3 College Preparatory (CP) and Italian 3 Honors (H) may be combined.

Course Name: Italian 3

Course # 469

Level: H

Grade Level: 11-12

Credits: 6

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Italian 2 H (B- or better) or teacher recommendation.

Beginning of Course Proficiency: Intermediate Mid (I-3)

End of Course Proficiency Target: Intermediate Mid (I-4)

Italian 3 Honors (H) is an accelerated course designed for students who have successfully met the proficiency goals of Italian 2 H. Students continue to enhance their communication skills and are expected to develop Intermediate Mid (I-4) proficiency in all modes of communication by the end of the course. Students explore the cultures of Italian-speaking countries in greater depth and carry out more advanced performance tasks that require them to use paragraphs and multiple time frames. Students read, view, and study selected authentic texts and media to develop greater linguistic and cultural proficiency. Students explore the cultural products, practices, and perspectives of Italian-speaking communities by interacting with authentic texts, such as music, children’s books, short novels, art, and films. Increased emphasis is on essay writing and oral communication. This course is conducted exclusively in the target language and is demanding, requiring a significant amount of independent work.  Students are expected to use Italian as the primary language in the classroom and readily communicate in Italian using well-connected, comprehensible sentences. Students’ home study and daily, active participation in the target language are essential for success. *Italian 3 College Preparatory (CP) and Italian 3 Honors (H) may be combined.

Course Name: Italian 4

Course # 470

Level: CP

Grade Level: 12

Credits: 6

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Italian 3 CP (C- or better) or teacher recommendation 

Beginning of Course Proficiency: Intermediate Mid (I-3)

End of Course Proficiency Target: Intermediate Mid (I-4)

Italian 4 College Preparatory (CP) emphasizes communication through the study and analysis of Italian language films and authentic texts that represent different genres and cultural themes. Drawing on previous knowledge, students view, discuss, and critique films and texts that allow them to explore a range of topics related to geography, politics, contemporary life, ecology, employment, music, art, and identities. Students review and enhance their understanding of Italian language and culture as they work towards reaching the Intermediate Mid (I-4) proficiency level.  Conducted entirely in Italian, this course is taught at a pace that allows students to develop strong communication skills at the Intermediate proficiency level. Students enrolling in Italian 4 CP should be prepared to work daily on class assignments and feel comfortable using the target language for all class activities. *Italian 4 College Preparatory (CP) and Italian 4 Honors (H) may be combined.

Course Name: Italian 4

Course # 471

Level: H

Grade Level: 12

Credits: 6

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Italian 3 H (B- or better) or teacher recommendation

Beginning of Course Proficiency: Intermediate Mid (I-4)

End of Course Proficiency Target: Intermediate High (I-5)

Italian 4 Honors is an accelerated course designed for students who have successfully met the proficiency goals of Italian 3 Honors. Students continue to enhance their communication skills and work toward Intermediate High (I-5) proficiency in all modes of communication.  Students explore a variety of genres and media to further build strong skills in reading and listening comprehension, conversation and presentation, and composition writing. Performance tasks focus on the accurate use of more sophisticated vocabulary and structures, extended discourse, and multiple time frames.  Culture continues to drive all thematic units and emphasis is placed on the diversity of the Italian-speaking world, as students compare the products, practices, and perspectives of Italian-speaking countries. Conducted exclusively in the target language, this course is demanding and requires a significant amount of independent work. Students are expected to communicate with both their teacher and their peers with little to no hesitation on a variety of topics. *Italian 4 College Preparatory (CP) and Italian 4 Honors (H) may be combined.