Italian Beginners
| Module title | Italian Beginners |
|---|---|
| Module code | FLI1130 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Mrs Antonella Freschi (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 | 11 |
Module description
Italian Beginners is intended for students who have little or no previous knowledge of Italian and provides an introduction to the Italian language and culture in a general context. It is also suitable for students with a GCSE (Grade C or below) in Italian. The emphasis is on enabling you to communicate orally in Italian.
If you already speak another language or one connected to Italian, you should consider taking FLI2130, Italian Beginners Fast-Track.
Italian Beginners can be taken towards achieving ‘with proficiency in Italian”. See: http://humanities.exeter.ac.uk/flc/undergraduate/proficiency/
Module aims - intentions of the module
The module is intended for students who have little or no previous knowledge of Italian and offers an introduction to Italian language and culture. This module is broadly equivalent to A1/A2 Basic User level of the Common European Framework and aims to:
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate a sound grasp of the basic grammatical structures of the target language
- 2. Read and comprehend simple written and aural texts and extract specific, predictable information related to every-day situations
- 3. Communicate effectively on a variety of general topics requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters, both orally and in writing
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Understand the principles of learning a foreign language intensively and organise his/her learning with guidance from the tutor
- 5. Use available learning aids in a variety of media, such as a reference grammar and bilingual dictionary, to consolidate his/her learning
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Communicate at a basic level in the target language
- 7. Make progress through developing skills of self-study and application and develop an awareness of and sensitivity to a foreign culture
Syllabus plan
The module provides a systematic approach to acquiring essential grammar structures in a communicative context and in accordance with the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. It covers the following grammar / topics:
- Grammar Nouns (masc/fem)
- Formal/informal registers
- to be/to have
- Nouns (sing/pl)/definite/indefinite articles/adjectives
- Present indicative regular verbs/negative form/piacere
- Adverbs of time
- Present indicative irregular and reflexive verbs
- Possessive adjectives/agreement with noun
- Prepositions/prepositions + det. Article
- C'è/ci sono/more irregular verbs
- Prepositions of place
- Ci vuole/ci vogliono/modal verbs
- Partitive/impersonal/more prepositions + det. Article
- Voglio vs vorrei
- Stare+gerund
- Passato prossimo with avere of regular verbs
- Practice passato prossimo Passato prossimo with essere/reflexives/piacere
- Comparatives/ bene/ meglio
- Future OR Imperfect tense
Main Topics
- Greetings/introducing oneself/giving and asking for personal information
- Ordering drinks and snacks
- Talking about work
- Telling and asking the time
- Daily routine
- Talking about family/describing people
- Talking about home
- Booking into a hotel
- Finding a place/asking and giving directions
- Means of transport
- Shopping for food
- Booking into a restaurant
- Shopping for clothes
- Talking about events
- Events in the past,
- Talking about health problems,
- Talking about holidays/future plans/weather
Main Vocabulary
- Alphabet/pronunciation/spelling
- Greetings/countries and nationalities/numbers
- Food/drinks
- Jobs/personal preferences
- Time/parts of the day and meals/days of the week/months of the year
- Habits/daily activities
- Family/appearance/personality
- Rooms/furniture
- Accommodation/making a call/writing an email
- describing position of places/directions
- Enquiring about public transport
- Food/weights and measures
- Position of table/table dressing/complaints
- Clothes/shoes/accessories/sizes
- Daily routine/leisure activities
- Biographies
- Health problems and remedies/the chemist
- Holidays/weather
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 88 | 212 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 88 | Language classes |
| Guided independent study | 212 | Consolidate class work by learning vocabulary and structures, and by reading, watching or listening to material in Italian. Prepare exercises and activities for class, write short assignments and generally begin to acquire a repertoire of effective language learning strategies. Learning activities are supported by various media, including audio, video/DVD, and, where appropriate, computer software |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 formative tasks covering some or all of the following areas: grammar, writing, listening, reading, speaking. | Variable | 1-5, 7 | Written and oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 25 | 25 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 50 | As described on the ELE page | 1-5,7 | Written and oral |
| Oral exam | 25 | 7/8-minute | 1, 3-7 | Written and oral |
| Written exam | 25 | 1.5 hours | 1-5, 7 | Written and oral (upon request) |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening test | Listening test | 2, 7 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Oral test | Oral test | 1, 3-7 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Written examination | Written examination | 1-5, 7 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
You will only be required to retake any failed assessments. Marks for any passed assessments will be carried forward. If you have failed any assessments but managed to pass the module overall, you will not be allowed to retake the failed assessments.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- M. Freeth, G. Checketts: Contatti 1 Italian Beginner's Course, Coursebook, Third Edition, Hodder Education. ISBN 978-1-444-13314-1
- Recommended materials: Grammar: Essential Italian Grammar in Practice - Book (English edition) Dictionary: Collins Concise Italian Dictionary or BBC English-Italian/Italian-English Dictionary.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 4 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 2010 |
| Last revision date | 15/07/2020 |
