Syllabus

UC – Siena Study Center

Spring Semester 08

Italian Language – Level 1
Course Syllabus


Instructor Contact Class Schedule
Prof. Daniele Tiezzi
347/6771472
danijele@inwind.it January 21st – April 30th
9:00 – 12:00
At Via Montanini, 101 - Conference Hall


Office/Tutoring Hours
By appointment


Required Texts
Avanti!, textbook and workbook, McGraw Hill, New York, 2007.


GRADE PERCENTAGES FOR ALL COURSEWORK
L1 (6 Units) L2 (6 Units) L3 (6 Units)
Participation…………………………15%
Quiz 1……………………………………5%
Oral presentation…………………15%
Test 1…………………………………..20%
Quiz 2 ………………………………....5%
Final Exam 1(Written)…………25%
Final Exam 1(Oral) ……………15% Participation…………………………15%
Quiz 3……………………………………5%
Oral presentation…………………15%
Test 2…………………………………..20%
Quiz 4 ………………………………....5%
Final Exam 2(Written)…………25%
Final Exam 2(Oral) ……………15% Participation…………………………15%
Quiz 5……………………………………5%
Oral presentation…………………15%
Test 3…………………………………..20%
Quiz 6 ………………………………....5%
Final Exam 3 (Written)……… 25%
Final Exam 3 (Oral) ……………15%


Absence Policy
There will be no unexcused absences. Each unexcused absence will incur an academic penalty. Each unexcused absence will result in a deduction of a 5 percent from the student’s final grades of each course. Consult the Academic Profile for further details regarding absences.

Please note the use of computers during class is strictly forbidden.

*Under no circumstances is it possible to take the Final Exams on an earlier date.
Please see the Academic Profile for more information.



Course Description
This course is designed to provide students with a general knowledge of Italian language. They will be able to express themselves in a simple, fluid and clear manner, other than write on familiar topics on daily life expressing their own opinions, projects and actions. Students will also understand the essential points of clear messages spoken in standard language and will describe experiences, events, hopes and ambitions.
Syllabus

JANUARY
Week 1 (January 21st – 25th)
Communicative objectives and vocabulary: greeting someone, finding out someone’s name, finding out where someone is from, saying good bye, expressing likes and dislikes; alphabet and pronunciation, months and seasons, numbers from 0 to 9.999.
Grammar: gender, indefinite articles, numbers, definite articles, the verb piacere, the verbs “essere” (“to be”) and “avere” (“to have”).
Days of the week Date Grammar Out of class activities Homework Assignments Exams
Monday 21 Avanti 1

• Introduction to the class
• Greeting someone; finding out someone’s name; finding out where someone is from
• Saying good-bye
• Seminar on Italian grammar (in English) WB: 1-A
Tuesday 22 • Seminar on studying tecniques
• Alphabet; pronunciation
• Gender WB: 9-A, B
Wednesday 23 • Numbers
• Indefinite article
• Expressing likes and dislikes
• The verb piacere WB: 10-A, C; 11-A; 11-C; 14-A
Thursday 24 • Definite articles
• Months and Seasons WB: 13-A,C,D; 8-C; 6-A
Friday 25 Avanti! 2

• Asking how someone is
• The verbs to be and to have
At the bar! WB: 30-C; 31-E; Scriviamo!, 20
REPLACEMENT TEST












Week 2 (January 28th – February 1st )

Communicative objectives and vocabulary: asking how someone is, asking someone’s nationality; describing people, places and things.
Grammar: adjectives, possessive adjectives, irregular plural adjectives, demonstrative pronouns questo e quello, other adjectives that precede the noun, adjectives “buono” e “bello”, idiomatic expressions with “avere”.

Days of the week Date Grammar Out of class activities Homework assignments Exams
Monday 28 • Asking someone nationality
• adjectives WB: 21-A; 23-B; 24-C, F; 26-B
Tuesday 29 • Possessive adjectives WB: 23-A, B; 24-D

Wednesday 30 • Demonstrative pronouns “questo” and “quello” WB: 27-C; 28-E
Thursday 31 • Irregular plural adjectives
Interview an Italian! Handout



FEBRUARY
Friday 1 • Other adjectives that precede the noun
WB: Scriviamo!, 38; Handout

QUIZ 1



Week 3 (February 4th – 8th )
Communicative objectives and vocabulary: asking and telling time, asking when events occur, saying what you like to do in your free time; talking about your daily activities.
Grammar: the infinitive of the verb, the present indicative of regular verbs, irregular verbs (andare, bere, fare, uscire, venire, rimanere, scegliere).

Days of the week Date Grammar Out of class activities Homework assignments Exams
Monday 4 Avanti! 3

• “Che ora è?/ Che ore sono?” “A che ora?”
• Days of the week
WB: 39-A; 42-C

Tuesday 5 • present indicative
At the library! WB: 42-E ; 44-G


Wednesday 6 • “Mi piace” WB: 45-E; 46-A

ORAL PRESENTATION 1

Thursday 7 • Verbs “andare” e “fare” WB: 46-B; 47-E; 50-B; 48-G


Friday 8 WB: 49-H; 53-H; Scriviamo!, 58
TEST 1





Week 4 (February 11th – 13th )
Communicative objectives and vocabulary: meeting people and finding out what they do for a living; commenting on things and complimenting people; talking about your family,
Grammar: review of possessive adjectives, interrogatives, the present indicative, adjectives.
Possessives with family members, interrogatives, the interrogatives “quanto” e “quale”, more irregular verbs (fare, dare, stare, sapere, dire), the comparative.

Days of the week Date Grammar Out of class activities Homework assignments Exams
Monday 11 Avanti! 4

• Family members
• Possessives with family memebers
WB: 61- A; 62-C; 66- C

Tuesday 12 • Interrogatives
• Comparative WB: 68- A ; 69-B; 75-B; 77-F
Wednesday 13 • More irregular verbs WB: 71-A; 72-B; 74-G; Scriviamo!, 82

QUIZ 2



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Long Weekend - No School (February 14th – 17th )
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Week 5 (February 18th – 22nd)
Communicative objectives and vocabulary: inviting someone to do something, declining an invitation; restaurant terms and items on an Italian menu; let’s set the table!
Grammar: “there is”/ “there are” (c’è / ci sono); verb + infinitive, prepositions, the partitive, the pronoun “ci”.

Days of the week Date Grammar Out of class activities Homework assignments Exams
Monday 18 Avanti! 5

• There is/There are WB: 93-A; 94-C; 95-E

Tuesday 19 • Verb + infinitive WB: 97-C; 98-E; 99-F

Wednesday 20 • Prepositions At the restaurant! WB: 99-A, B; 101- C, D

Thursday 21 • The partitive WB: 102-A, B; 103-E L1
WRITTEN FINAL 1
Friday 22 • The pronoun “ci” WB: 89-E, F; Scriviamo!, 108; Handout L1
ORAL
FINAL 1





Week 6 (February 25th – 28th )
Communicative objectives and vocabulary: expressing surprise, pain and so on, asking what happened; talking about your weekend activities.
Grammar: the present perfect of regular verbs and irregular verbs; the present perfect of sapere, conoscere, piacere, negative expressions.

Days of the week Date Grammar Out of class activities Homework assignments Exams
Monday 25 Avanti! 6

• Present perfect (regular verbs) WB: 114-C; 116-F

Tuesday 26 • Present perfect (irregular verbs) WB: 117-A; 118-D; 119-F
Wednesday 27 • Present perfect of sapere, conoscere, piacere.
Interview: “The weekend” Handout

Thursday

28 • Negative expressions WB: 119-A; 120-B; Scriviamo, 123.



QUIZ 3





MARCH




Week 7 (March 3rd – 7th)
Communicative objectives and vocabulary: making polite requests, asking permission, describing your clothes.
Grammar direct and in direct objects, present progressive, reflexive verbs, adverbs, molto, poco, buono, cattivo, bene, male.
Days of the week Date Grammar Out of class activities Homework assignments Exams
Monday 3 Avanti! 7

• Direct and indirect objects WB: 127-A; 131-A,B

Tuesday 4 • Present progressive
WB: 132-A; 133-C;
Wednesday 5 • Reflexive verbs WB: 135-B; 137-F

ORAL PRESENTATION 2

Thursday 6 • Adverbs
• Molto, poco, buono, cattivo, bene, male
Clothing store

WB: 139-C


Friday 7 • Adverbs
• Molto, poco, buono, cattivo, bene, male
WB: 129-F; 130-G; Scriviamo!, 143

TEST 2





Week 8 (March 10th – 14th)
Communicative objectives and vocabulary: asking for information, expressing good wishes, talking about Italian and American holiday celebrations, finding out who someone is and what s/he does for a living, finding out someone’s future plans, talking about education and professions.
Grammar: review of reflexive verbs, the present perfect, definite and indefinite articles, prepositions. Also: reciprocal verbs, the present perfect of reflexive and reciprocal verbs, the prepositions in and a, the present perfect of dovere, volere and potere, the pronoun ne, indefinite adjectives and pronouns, the future, the relative pronoun “che”.

Days of the week Date Grammar Out of class activities Homework assignments Exams
Monday 10 Avanti! 8

• Reflexive and reciprocal verbs
• The present perfect

WB: 148-B; 152-C; 154- C,D
Tuesday 11 • Definite and indefinite articles
• prepositions WB: 156-A, B; 158-B, C
Wednesday
12 Avanti! 9

• indefinite pronouns and adjectives WB: 171-A,B



Thursday 13 • the future
• hypothetical of probability WB: 176-D; 179-A



Friday 14 • the relative pronoun “che” and “cui”
The Palio and the traditional holydays WB: 180-C; Scriviamo!, 184; handout


Quiz 4




Week 9 (March 17th – 21st)
Communicative objectives and vocabulary: expressing regret, making an apology and expressing sorrow, seeking approval and expressing hesitation; identifying parts of the body.
Grammar: the superlative, the imperfect, suffixes.

Days of the week Date Grammar Out of class activities Homework assignments Exams
Monday 17 Avanti! 10

The superlative
WB: 188-C; 190-E; 192-A,B

Tuesday 18
The imperfect Film :
“My name
is Tanino” WB: 194-A; 196-D
Wednesday 19
Suffixes Handout

Thursday 20 Imperfect “Travel Agency” Lettura, 200-201 L2
WRITTEN FINAL 2
Friday 21 Imperfect WB: 198-G
L2
ORAL
FINAL 2


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Spring Break! (March 22nd - 30th)
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Week 10 (March 31st – April 3rd)
Communicative objectives and vocabulary: describing how things used to be; describing Italian houses and furniture.
Grammar: the imperfect vs. the present perfect, object pronouns, object pronouns and the present perfect, da / per + expressions of time, sapere and conoscere.

Days of the week Date Grammar Out of class activities Homework assignments Exams
Monday 31 Avanti! 11

• The imperfect vs. the present perfect

WB: 208-A; 206-B; 207-F


APRIL
Tuesday 1 • Object pronouns
• Object pronouns and the present perfect

WB: 211-A; 212-E; Handout

Wednesday 2 • Da/per + expressions of time
Web activity WB: 210-F; Handout


Thursday 3 • Sapere and conoscere Handout; Scriviamo, 216.

QUIZ 5



Week 11 (April 7th – 11th)
Communicative objectives and vocabulary expressing opinions; talking about Italian cities and towns, expressing wishes and desires.
Grammar: review of the present perfect of irregular verbs, the imperfect, the “trapassato prossimo”, the comparative, object pronouns. And also: the past progressive, the irregular comparative, more about the verb piacere, double object pronouns.

Days of the week Date Grammar Out of class activities Homework assignments Exams
Monday 7 Avanti! 12

• Review : the present perfect, the imperfect, the trapassato prossimo.

WB: 219-A; 222-F; Handout

Tuesday 8 • Review: comparative and object pronouns
• more about the verb “piacere” Film :
“Ricordati di me” WB: 231-C; 232-F; Handout

Wednesday 9 • The past progressive
• The irregular comparative
WB: 229-B; 230-E; 226-B; 227-C
Oral Presentation 3

Thursday 10 • Double object pronouns Interview a Sienese Handout
Friday 11 Avanti! 13

• The present conditional
WB: 248-C; 249 E, F; 250-H; Scriviamo!, 260.
TEST 3





Week 12 (April 14th – 18th)
Communicative objectives and vocabulary: expressing whishes and desires, making suggestions and giving advice; talking about vacations; talking about what people do in general, explaining how things are done; talking about Italian society today.
Grammar: the informal imperative, the formal imperative. “si”+ verb, the present subjunctive.

Days of the week Date Grammar Out of class activities Homework assignments Exams
Monday 14
• The informal imperative Where would you go for vacation?
WB: 250-A; 251-C; 252-E

Tuesday 15 • The informal imperative
WB: 252-F; 243-D
Wednesday 16 • The formal imperative
WB: 253-A; 254-C; 256-E, F

Thursday 17 Avanti! 14

• The present subjuncitve WB: 269-A; 271-D, E

Friday 18 • Verbs and expressions followed by the subjunctive

WB: 273-A; 275-E; 276-G


QUIZ 6



Week 13 (April 21st- 24th)
Communicative objectives and vocabulary: asking and verifying whether someone can do something, recognizing regional varieties of Italian; the languages of Italy.
Grammar: past subjunctive, conjunctions followed by the subjunctive.

Days of the week Date Grammar Out of class activities Homework assignments Exams
Monday 21 • “Si” + verb WB: 265-E; 267-A, D; 268-F


Tuesday 22 Avanti! 15

• past subjunctive WB: 286-A; 287-B,C

Wednesday 23 • conjunctions followed by the subjunctive
Treasure hunt! WB: 289-G; Handout


Thursday 24 • conjunctions followed by the subjunctive
WB: 292- C; 289-A

EXIT TEST



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Legal Holiday – No School (April 25th – 27th)
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Week 14 (April 28th - 30th)
Communicative objectives and vocabulary: making recommendations; talking about historical people and events.
Grammar: review of the infinitive and present indicative, the present perfect, the imperfect, object pronouns. And also: stressed pronouns, pronominal verbs and idiomatic expressions: andarsene, farcela, avercela con qualcuno.

Days of the week Date Grammar Out of class activities Homework assignments Exams
Monday 28 RIPASSO
Film :
Notte prima degli esami, oggi” Handout

Tuesday 29
L3
WRITTEN FINAL 3
Wednesday 30
L3
ORAL FINAL 3