ITAL10030 Italian Language I b

Academic Year 2020/2021

This module is primarily conceived for students who started Italian as beginners in the previous term, and it assumes familiarity with the basic features of the Italian language as presented in ITAL10020 - Italian Language I a. However, any student with a comparable advanced-beginner competece may register, without necessarily having taken ITAL10020, as long as they are already familiar with the structures introduced in it (including reflexive verbs amd passato prossimo). Building on this basis, the module completes the overview of the main linguistic structures used in daily communication, and introduces vocabulary relative to the main aspects of everyday life, bringing students to master simple connected texts and conversations. Tuition in small groups involves language production and reception, orally and in writing. Small group tuition implies that students are expected to take an active role in the language practice in class. Students who have achieved at least a B grade in this module are deemed to have reached the standard of the Common European Framework of Reference level A2 in most competencies.

Show/hide contentOpenClose All

Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

On successful completion of this module, students should demonstrate an ability to:
1 communicate in routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar matters to do with work and free time, and sustain a short conversation in Italian about predictable matters, centred on themselves and incorporating short accounts of past or future actions;
2 understand simple texts, deducing the meaning of unknown terms, and write simple descriptions or accounts of matters of personal significance involving some variety in the use of tenses;
3 appropriately use the structures covered in ITAL10020, plus the choice of tenses including the future, the compound perfect (passato prossimo), and the imperfect, as well as clitic pronouns (direct and indirect objects) and the particles ne and ci;
4 construct coherent short texts of simple interlinked sentences using the present tense and an appropriate choice of imperfect or passato prossimo, and future or isolated conditional forms when appropriate.

Indicative Module Content:

Grammatical dimension:
Weeks 1-4: review of the basic elements (noun and adjectives, articles, prepositions including combined with articles, possessives; present of verbs); imperfect and compound perfect (passato prossimo), future of regular verbs, including reflexive verbs, and of the most common irregular ones.
Weeks 5-9: basic instances of conditional present, limited to formulaic expressions; use of clitic (non-stressed) pronouns,;
Weeks 10-12: comparative, particles, and pluperfect (trapassato prossimo);

Communicative dimension:
Introducing oneself and interact with a partner in a conversation using common expressions and descriptive vocabulary (about appearance and personality); relate events about daily routines, past experiences, likes and dislikes, and formulate simple plans.
Gist comprehension of short texts with simple vocabulary and content appropriate to this level, displaying some variety in grammatical forms of verbs. Audiovisual practice and class practice complement these receptive skills.

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Small Group

36
Specified Learning Activities

20
Autonomous Student Learning

54
Total

110
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module will be delivered online. Teaching takes place in small groups. All groups follow the same week-by-week schedule, available to students on Brightspce, so that the same topics are covered in the same week (not necessarily in the same day). Each week has three online classes in live streaming, which will be recorded so that they remain available to students for future use in the term. Students are expected to attend all online classes and participate actively.

Class activities mix teacher explanation, individual practice, and group work. The linguistic structures and the abilities to be covered are presented by means of the textbook and of additional material provided by teachers via Brightspace. Students are constantly involved in activities and exercises (formative), chosen and managed group by group. The exercises that go towards the final grade (summative), that is class tests and three designated exercises are the same for all groups and they are always corrected.
The coverage of the grammar syllabus thus takes place through interaction with texts; it is these texts which provide the core vocabulary, along with spoken interaction in class and with the supporting extra materials on Brightspace. 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations
Learning Requirements:

Some familiarity with the language is necessary, possibly minimal

Learning Exclusions:

absolute beginners


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Incompatibles:
ITAL10100 - Italian Language I NonBeginner, LANG10010 - Italian Gen Purp 1, LANG10070 - Italian Gen Purp 2, LANG20180 - Italian Gen Purp 3


 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Continuous Assessment: homework exercises Throughout the Trimester n/a Not yet recorded No

20
Continuous Assessment: online quizzes Throughout the Trimester n/a Other No

10
Examination: timed written assessment 2 hour End of Trimester Exam No Not yet recorded No

30
Oral Examination: short conversation Unspecified n/a Not yet recorded No

10
Class Test: timed tests Throughout the Trimester n/a Not yet recorded No

30

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn Yes - 2 Hour
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Group/class feedback, post-assessment
• Self-assessment activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Designated exercises and class tests are returned in the sequence in which they are done, typically in the next class or the second next. The corrected papers highlight errors and show the correct forms. Usually, the results are discussed in class.

T. Marin-S. Magnelli, Nuovo progetto italiano 1, Edilingua.

M. Ricci, Via della grammatica for English speakers, Edilingua


Extra materials will be presented in class
Name Role
Professor Ursula Fanning Lecturer / Co-Lecturer