Italian
At Pender’s Grove Primary School all students learn Italian. They attend a 50 minute weekly session in the Italian classroom. Italian is taught in a fun and interactive way. Stories are shared and re-enacted, puppets come to life in conversations and students actively engage in songs, rhymes, dances, role-plays, games and art work. Units are explored through everyday themes, such as greetings and introductions, as well as in conjunction with classroom Inquiry units, whenever possible. The inclusion of various digital technologies reinforce and consolidate concepts taught throughout the grades. The Annual Italian Day is a highlight at Pender’s Grove Primary School, whereby students celebrate all things Italian. They enjoy cooking demonstrations, dancing and sporting workshops. It is a time where the school community all comes together to celebrate.
Rationale
The focus of the Italian program at Pender’s Grove Primary School, is on building students’ confidence and capacity to use the Italian language to communicate. Students also gain a deeper understanding of how languages ‘work’. They reflect on their own culture and language, make connections and compare and contrast their life, with life in Italy.
Italian has many commonalities and connections with English, sharing many Latin-derived words and using the same Roman alphabet. The meaning of many Italian words can be instantly recognised through their similarity in English. There are points of difference between Italian and English grammar, for example, variations in word order, tense use, the use of articles and the gendering in Italian of nouns and adjectives. Italian is a mostly phonetic language, pronounced generally as it is written, which is especially helpful in the development of listening and speaking skills.
As Italian is widely spoken in Australia, many opportunities exist to hear and use the language in real-life situations, as well as through the Italian media in Australia and in actual and virtual connections with Italian communities in Italy and beyond.
Italian has many commonalities and connections with English, sharing many Latin-derived words and using the same Roman alphabet. The meaning of many Italian words can be instantly recognised through their similarity in English. There are points of difference between Italian and English grammar, for example, variations in word order, tense use, the use of articles and the gendering in Italian of nouns and adjectives. Italian is a mostly phonetic language, pronounced generally as it is written, which is especially helpful in the development of listening and speaking skills.
As Italian is widely spoken in Australia, many opportunities exist to hear and use the language in real-life situations, as well as through the Italian media in Australia and in actual and virtual connections with Italian communities in Italy and beyond.
