AP Italian Language and Culture Syllabus



AP® Italian Language and Culture Syllabus

2018-2019

Course Overview

This course is designed to give upper lever Italian students the opportunity to further their Italian studies in a challenging, exciting environment. This course continues to reinforce grammatical structures, but also incorporates cultural and societal aspects of Italy. The course is taught completely in Italian, and allows the students a chance to discover new texts, voice their opinions in class discussions, and learn more about a culture that is different than their own.

Course Requirements

• Students must speak in Italian at all times.

• Students are expected to complete all homework assignments (writing, grammar exercises, reading)

• Students must be active participants in class or group discussions

• Students will be assessed with a unit exam after each grammar unit (approximately 3 times per 9 week quarter).

• Students will complete 4 projects/presentations throughout the school year.

Student Evaluation

Students are evaluated on short quizzes that assess their grammar usage, unit exams, formal and informal writing assignments, oral activities (presentations, group work, skits, role-plays), and projects.

Resources Used

Prego! An Invitation to Italian, 6th ed., Lazzarino et al. (McGraw-Hill, 2004)

Adesso, Danesi. (Heinle and Heinle, 1992)

Avventure in città, Costantino and Wald ( AMSCO, 1987)

Ciao! 4th ed., Federici and Riga. (Holt, Rhinehart, Winston, 1999)

Crescendo, Italiano and Jones (Thomson Heinle, 1995)

Da Capo, 4th ed., Lazzarino and Moneti. ( Harcourt, 1996)

Graded Italian Readers, Cioffari and Van Horne (DC Heath and Company, 1961)

Italian: Two and Three Years 2nd ed., Tursi and Cincinnato. (AMSCO, 1997)

La Divina Commedia, Dante

L’Agnese va a morire¸Viganò. ( Einuadi, 1949)

Nuove letture di cultura italiana, Lawson. (National Textbook Company, 1990)

Oggi in Italia, 5th ed., Merlonghi et al. ( Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994)

The New College Italian and English Dictionary (AMSCO, 1978)

Various films: Otto e mezzo, La vita è bella, Paisà, Roma, città aperta, Un americano a Roma ,L’America etc.

Various magazine articles from Oggi and Panorama

Various travel brochures from various cities and events that have taken place in Italy

corriere.it-Web site for Italian newspaper Corriere della sera

repubblica.it-Web site for Italian newspaper La Repubblica

Course Planner

This course is planned on a monthly basis. Students are assessed after each grammar unit with a unit test. The course plan is as follows:

Month_________________Grammar Unit Topics

August 1 Introduction, Review

September 2 Geography, Individual, School

October 3,4 Eating, Commerce, Business

November 5,6 Family, Professions

December 7 Current events

January 8,9 Politics, Government

February 10 Music and the arts

March 11 Mass Media

April 12 Cinema, Culture

May Review for AP Exam

Teaching Strategies

Having taken several courses on Second Language Acquisition (SLA), I have realized that for students to truly excel in acquiring and mastering the target language they must be exposed to the target language at all times. They must also be pushed to produce the target language. I find that if this is done from the beginning, students get over their fear of making mistakes and they are ultimately more relaxed in the classroom setting. I use a variety of approaches to aid students and nurture their growth. I am a strong advocate of group work as it strengthens individual thought and encourages students to participate in meaningful discussions. Guided discussions as a class are also a major part of my class. Students use a wide assortment of resources such as the Internet, film, art, novels, and textbooks. I pride myself on correcting and returning student assignments promptly and giving feedback on the majority of assignments. Presentations on various topics are taken very seriously by the students. Students are encouraged to question each other and to compare and contrast each other’s opinions. I provide a comfortable classroom setting that addresses the interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational aspects of the AP course.

Examples

Interpretive: Students read short stories, newspaper articles, literature excerpts, and poems. While doing this reading, students must be able to summarize in their own words what the author’s main idea is and also be able to make inferences about the text. A class discussion follows the reading and gives students the opportunity to voice their opinions about the text and ask questions about ideas that they have not understood. Students are often required to write compositions reflecting on what they have read. These compositions are graded for grammatical errors, organization, content, and style.

Interpersonal: Students are often engaging in role-play and skit activities. These activities give them a chance to practice their Italian in a more relaxed and amusing setting. Previous role-plays have included restaurant scenes (ordering food), buying a ticket at the train station, and being the President of Italy and having to talk about how to improve Italy.

Presentational: Students give 4 presentations a year. Three of them they must work alone and the last presentation is a group presentation. The students are given ample time to come up with a relevant topic, research that topic, and then provide the class with a coherent presentation on their findings. After the presentation, there is a question and answer section where the student’s peers can answer questions about the presentation. Students must also turn in their typed presentation to me. Past presentations have covered topics such as Italian economy, globalization, famous Italian figures in history, and the Italian educational system.

Cultures: Students are continually exposed to Italian cultural trends as we often read and discuss current events articles. Films also help to reinforce aspects of Italian culture and the students are often comparing it to their own culture.

Connections and Communities: I am very much interested in how America is portrayed in Italian films and novels and my students seems to like this topic as well because it gives them the chance to relate to Italian culture and find things that are similar. Excerpts from novelists such as Pavese, Vittorini, Calvino, and DeCarlo, and films such as Un Americano a Roma aid the students in learning how Italians relate to Americans. These authentic works help to develop students’ comprehension skills and challenge them to form independent opinions.

Comparisons: Students are encouraged to compare and contrast texts and ideas with texts that they might have studied previously or in another course.

Grade Components:

Homework 15%

Classwork 10%

Tests 15%

Quizzes/Compositions 15%

Participation 25%

Projects/Presentations 20%

AP Italian Professoressa Chase

I have read and thoroughly understand the course requirements, course expectations, and the course components, and I accept accountability for compliance with said policy.

I understand that I need to purchase a small Italian dictionary. ( Not having a dictionary will hinder your grade and impede the learning process. You can purchase

used dictionaries on for as little as 4 dollars!!) Please don’t wait to buy it…it will help your grade (

Name: ______________________________________________

Signature: ____________________________________________

Date: _______________________

Period:______________

Parent/Guardian Name: _________________________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature: _______________________________________

Date: _________________________

Please return signed for a classwork grade by Monday, August 27, 2018

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