This is an all-skills course designed to improve pronunciation, oral communication, and reading ability. Italian 2 establishes a foundation for correct writing, and provide an expansion of grammar.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

• What is the purpose of language?
• How is the structure of a language related to its function?
• What kinds of beauty does language create?
• How do we express our values and beliefs through language?
• How do culture and language interact?
• How does language influence who I am?
• How does language influence perception and understanding of diverse cultures?
• How does competency in language empower us in decision-making?
• How does language influence the development and interaction of civilizations?

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How do I talk about myself and others?
• How do I use numbers to express time and date?
• Can I describe my environment at home and at school?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• greet and say goodbye with the proper level of formality at different times of day.
• recognize and use correctly various classroom-based commands and questions.
• recite the Italian alphabet and spellcorrectly using the alphabet names.
• count to 100 in Italian and tellthe time and the date.
• review nationalities, colors, modes of transportation, family terms, home and community terms.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• knowledge of formality to choosing correct forms of greeting.
• extract key concepts from previous study of Italian I.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• connect previous study of Italian with new course and goals.
• examine the similarities and differences between Italian and English language modalities.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• How does one function in the market and piazza in Italy?
• How can I speak about the weather and outdoor activities?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• discuss prices, products and services in the Italian marketplace.
• list activities that can be done out of doors or while shopping.
• count and calculate numbers over one million.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• apply knowledge of numbers and products to shopping situations.
• correlate prices and values in Italy and the U.S.A.
• create dialogues using their language skills.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast Italian and U.S. shopping experiences.
• examine the Italian “culture of the piazza” and compare with suburban Connecticut culture.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• Can I speak about food, beverages and the three main meals of Italy?
• Can I express what I want and what is mine?
• What are the similarities and differences in eating in the United States and Italy?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify and describe foods typical of an Italian breakfast, lunch or dinner, with herbs and spices.
• describe eating and meals in Italy.
• conjugate the verb volerein the present tense, with the polite (conditional) forms of volere.
• form and use possessive and demonstrative adjectives.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• analyze social situations correctly to determine if polite speech should be used.
• apply knowledge of foods to order correctly in a restaurant.
• generalize from grammar rules to spontaneous speech in a real situation.
• decide what they want to eat and express their desires.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast Italian and U.S. eating patterns.
• discuss nutrition and take a position on what is a healthy diet/lifestyle.
• incorporate knowledge gained into a realistic role-play.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• Can I speak about sports and pastimes that I enjoy, and learn about those of Italy?
• Can I speak about events in the past?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify and describe sports and pastimes that they enjoy.
• conjugate regular and irregular verbs in the past tense.
• form and use various forms of the negative.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• argue for the benefits of their favorite sport.
• apply past tense forms to natural conversation.
• generalize from grammar rules to spontaneous speech in a real situation.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast Italian and U.S. sporting and hobby lifestyles.
• discuss recreation and take a position on their favorite sport.
• incorporate knowledge gained into a realistic role-play.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• Can I speak about school (subjects, classrooms, grades, etc.) and the arts?
• Can I make comparisons, say what I can / must / know how to do?
• What are the similarities and differences in education between the United States and Italy?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• describe family relationships in Italian, using possessive pronouns and other ways of describing possession.
• identify the different parts of the body, and illustratehow to express aches and pains.
• express physical states and age using the verb “avere”.
• demonstrate proper forms of –ere verbs to describe family activities.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• identify and describe school subjects, report cards/grades, musical instruments and objects in a classroom.
• describe education in Italy.
• conjugate the verbs dovere and poterein the present tense.
• form and use comparatives and superlatives.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast Italian and U.S. education.
• discuss opera and take a position on what kind of music they like.
• incorporate knowledge gained into a realistic role-play.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• Can I speak about my body, my health, and medical remedies?
• Can I speak about my daily routine (waking up, getting dressed, etc.)?
• What are the similarities and differences between the United States and Italy in health and remedies?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify and describe body parts and physical characteristics, states of health and pharmaceutical remedies.
• describe daily routines using reflexive verbs.
• conjugate reflexive verbs in the present tense.
• learn and use prepositions to describe location.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• apply knowledge of reflexive verbs and physical characteristics to describe personal daily routines.
• generalize from grammar rules to spontaneous speech in a real situation.
• summarize the products and services of an Italian pharmacy.
• analyze the Italian practice of thermal baths.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast Italian and U.S. pharmacy and health practices.
• discuss thermal baths and take a position on natural remedies for health.
• incorporate knowledge gained into a realistic role-play.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• Can I shop for all kinds of clothing, discussing sizes and negotiating price and payment?
• Can I speak about where I have been and what I have done in the past?
• Can I speak about the different regions of Italy, describing their essential characteristics and important features?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify and describe clothing, clothing sizes, and accessories.
• describe the 20 regions of Italy, including some important details for each.
• conjugate verbs in the past tense using the helping verb “essere”.
• learn and use correctly direct object pronouns.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• apply knowledge of clothing and shopping to negotiate payment in a real shopping situation.
• generalize from grammar rules to spontaneous speech in a real situation, using direct object pronouns and the past tense with “essere”.
• summarize the important details of the 20 Italian regions.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• compare and contrast Italian and U.S. clothing and sizes.
• compare and contrast the use of pronouns in English and Italian.
• incorporate knowledge gained into a realistic role-play.
• extrapolate from knowledge gained about Italian regions to predict what parts of the United States correspond to the various Italian regions.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• Can I identify the various professions and what they do?
• Can I speak about the future in general, and my own future career goals?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify and describe various professions and the activities associated with each.
• summarize the life and work of Michelangelo.
• conjugate verbs in the future tense, with both regular and irregular stems.

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• predict what each of their classmates will be doing in 20 years.
• generalize from grammar rules to spontaneous speech about future professional choices each student might make.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• forecast their own future professions from what they know of themselves, their classmates and the various professions.
• infer their own future lifestyle and activity based upon their professional choices.

FOCUS QUESTIONS

• Can I negotiate the writing and sending of letters, making phone calls, and securing lodging in Italy?
• What is the significance of the life of Dante Alighieri to modern Italy?

CONTENT OBJECTIVES

INITIAL UNDERSTANDING The student will . . .

• identify and describe the vocabulary and grammar associated with communicating on a formal and informal level in Italy, while letter-writing, telephoning and securing lodging.
• summarize the life and work of Dante Alighieri.
• conjugate verbs in the informal imperative (review).
• demonstrate the correct use of indirect object pronouns, and the verb “to say or tell” (dire).

DEVELOPING AN INTERPRETATION The student will . . .

• generalize from grammar rules to spontaneous speech in realistic tourist situations.
• construct indirect speech patterns from their knowledge of the verb “to say or tell” (dire).
• correlate the writings of Dante to modern Italian language.

MAKING CONNECTIONS The student will . . .

• role-play a realistic phone call and dialogue with a real hotel in Italy.
• express personal choices in the choice of lodging and locale in Italy, and make a plan to realistically accomplish this.