CHILDREN'S LEVEL: 3 to 5 YEAR OLDS
Aim: To build students' communicative skills
and give them the confidence and ability to use the Italian
language in practical everyday situations.
Description: The program for this age group is
activity-based. Students are presented with various interesting
activities (games, songs, role-plays etc.) as a means of
encouraging them to speak in Italian. The activities are vital to
attract and maintain students' interest, but it is the language
surrounding the activity that is the main focus of each lesson.
Whilst the class is conducted almost entirely in Italian, every
care is taken to cater for the specific needs and abilities of each
child.
In classes of 10 or more, there are two or three teachers in the
class at all times which ensures that each child receives lots of
individual attention.
Class Text: No set text. Materials are prepared
and supplied by teachers. Each child will receive a scrap book in
which to store their work.
Homework: Words to all songs, poems, rhymes
etc. as well as all worksheets are kept in students' scrap book so
that parents can monitor their children's progress. Where possible,
parents are encouraged to listen to children's poems, songs etc. to
reinforce the new words and phrases that have been learnt during
the lesson.
Possible communicative tasks:
- Introduce yourself and others
- Greet people in different ways
- Understand and carry out commands related to the classroom
- Express feelings
- Expressing likes and dislikes
- Describe people, things, animals, etc.
- Give information about family members and relationships
- Identify numbers and count up to 10 and beyond
- Recognize and identify colours
- Describe weather conditions
- And much, much more!
Possible themes:
- Celebrations: Christmas, Easter, birthdays, Mother's day,
Father's Day etc.
- My family
- Parts of the body
- Feelings
- Favourite things: foods, animals, activities etc.
- Weather
CHILDREN'S LEVEL: 6 to 9 YEAR OLDS
Aim: To provide students with an opportunity to
speak in Italian as much as possible. To expand students'
vocabulary and extend their language skills to include reading and
writing in Italian.
Description: While the emphasis of this level
is on conversation, students are beginning to develop their
reading, writing and grammatical skills. They are presented with
various interesting activities (games, songs, role-play etc.) as a
means of encouraging them to communicate in Italian. The activities
are vital to attract and maintain students' interest, but it is the
language surrounding the activity that is the main focus of each
lesson.
The class is conducted almost entirely in Italian and every care
is taken to cater for the specific needs and abilities of each
child. Small class sizes ensure that each child receives lots of
individual attention.
Class Text: There is no set text for 6-7 year
old classes. Materials are prepared and supplied by the teachers.
Each child will receive a scrap book in which to store their work.
The 'Avanti' book is used in 8-9 year old classes. This is
available from the CIS bookshop.
Homework: Children are encouraged to go over
any new vocabulary and/or grammar points during the week. Words of
all songs, poems, rhymes etc. are kept in students' scrap books so
that parents can monitor their children's progress. Where possible
parents are encouraged to listen to children's poems, songs, etc.
to reinforce the new words and phrases that have been taught during
the lesson.
Possible communicative tasks:
- Understand and carry out commands related to the classroom
situation
- Describe physical appearance of self
- Identify and describe family members and extended family
- Describe weather conditions
- Identify months, days of the week and seasons
- Identify activities which take place during the day at home or
at schools
- Express likes and dislikes
- Identify numbers and count up to 20 and beyond
- And much, much more
Possible themes:
- Celebrations: Christmas, Easter, birthdays, Mother's day,
Father's Day
- Myself and my family
- Parts of the body
- Feelings
- Activities: at home and at school
- Animals
- Food and shopping
CHILDREN'S LEVEL: 9 TO 14 YEAR OLDS - Beginners &
Advanced
Aim: To expand students' knowledge of the
Italian language and provide them with the skills and the
opportunity to speak in Italian as much as possible. To expand
their vocabulary and extend their reading, writing and grammatical
skills in Italian.
Description: At this level, the class is
conducted entirely in Italian. Students are encouraged to use the
language in as many different situations as possible. Whilst
conversation remains the main focus of this level, grammar, reading
and writing are also covered thoroughly. Students will examine
contemporary Italy through various cultural units and their
language studies may extend to other subject areas such as History,
Geography, Art etc. Small class sizes ensure students receive lots
of individual attention.
Class Text: 'Avanti' is used for Beginners and
'Sempre Avanti' is used for Advanced. These are available at CIS
Bookshop.
Homework: Students are encouraged to learn new
vocabulary and practice various phrases at home. Written exercises
and cultural assignments will be set.
Possible communicative tasks:
- Understand and carry out commands
- Talk about where you live
- Ask and tell the time
- Ask for and give permission
- Express likes and dislikes
- Ask and say how much something costs
- Ask for and give directions
- Buy and order food
- Follow a recipe
Possible themes:
- Environment
- Sport and leisure
- History of Italy
- Geography of Italy
- Shops and shopping
- The home
- School
- Family
- Food
- And much, much more