Italian for beginners

Teacher(s)

Scarpa Laura (coordinator);

Language

Italian

Prerequisites

None

Main themes

Help the students getting control on phonetics and spelling, developing the student's communicative competence in general Italian by practicing basic notions/functions of the language as well as basic vocabulary; introduce the student into the Italian culture.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

understand short texts written in common everyday language relating to everyday life (short  letters, advertisements, notices, etc.); understand short, simple narrative or descriptive texts.; understand phrases and the highest frequency vocabulary related to areas of most immediate personal relevance (e.g. personal and family information, shopping, employment). He/she can catch the main points in short, clear, simple messages and announcements; Speak about himself/herself, his/her environment and living conditions; communicate simple and current tasks requiring only short and direct exchange; Write short and current documents (a postcard, a personal letter etc.); Correctly pronounce and write the Italian sounds; control the vocabulary and the grammatical contents of basic Italian. At the end of the course: A2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

Content

acquisition of phonetics and spelling rules of the Italian language. Development of elementary communicative competences through the acquisition of basic language notions/functions and vocabulary. Focus on cultural aspects.

Teaching methods

The method gets its inspiration from the notional/functional approach and is mainly centered on developing communicative oral skills, not disregarding some simple forms of written skills.
Some examples of activities in the class: exercises to enhance pronunciation and spelling, listening comprehension activities (by means of audio/video material), drills, simple conversation in pairs or small groups, songs, writing simple texts etc.

Evaluation methods

The first term (part 1-Q1) assessment consists of a written test and an oral test (two video-recorded activities: a short reading and a short oral production) on Q1 contents. More details about the recording will be given during the course. The score for the Q1 assessment, when positive (=ou>10), represents 40% of the final score.
The second term (part 2- Q2) assessment is also composed of a written test and an oral test (listening comprehension + oral production on Q1 + Q2 contents. The oral exam could take place in the language lab in the form of a recorded exam.) The score for the Q2 assessment represents 60% of the final score. 
NB1 : Students who have not taken the Q1 assessment, or have received a score less than 10/20, will have a supplement of written test on Q1 contents. Also in this case the ratio between written test Q1 and written test Q2 is 40/60 %.
The third term assessment also consists of a written and an oral test on the Q1+Q2 contents.
Formative assessments will take place during the course. Their results will not affect the final score.
The content of each assessment will be based on the materials and references as weekly indicated in the course moodle.
NB 2: In the final score of each assessment (part 1, part 2 and third term), the ratio between the written and the oral part is 50/50 . During the official tests the use of books or any other materials, off- or online, is not allowed.
NB3: Significant or unreported use of AI tools to prepare the oral and written parts of the evaluation will be considered unfavorably .

Other information

Office hours will take place on appointment, either face-to-face or on Teams. To make an appointment please contact the teacher by e-mail only. Laura.Scarpa@uclouvain.be

Online resources

Mandatory course material: During the information session the teacher will communicate the title of the course book. Besides that, complementary learning material will be available in the course Moodle. The teacher will also advise links to different complementary websites (extra exercises, dictionary, verbs conjugation etc.), also available in Moodle

Faculty or entity

> ILV