Conversational Italian

1. Conversational Italian • The Eclectic Approach to TeachingAn Outline for a Beginner’s Book of Italian Language Instruction Liberal Arts Capstone2011-02-LIB-495-OL009Holly Higgins

2. Introduction There is a plethora of books available for learning the Italian language. Apart from the college and high school text books, the bookstore shelves seem to add new books every day, inviting the reader to teach oneself to speak Italian in 20 minutes a day, with little or no effort required of the student. However, learning to speak Italian is not a quick and easy process. The good news is that with the guidance of a qualified instructor, one can achieve reasonable success beginning with the first lesson, and continue to increase in proficiency, reaping even small rewards at each meeting. Consistent success throughout the learning process can be attained by using a more student-centered approach, where the lessons, although structured around a curriculum, are also developed according to the student’s needs and abilities. It is part of a more personal approach to teaching known as the Eclectic Approach. This approach as well as being student-centered, also employs various instructional methods and activities to keep the student ‘in the language’ and able to reasonably converse in real life situations.Learning Italian may not be easy, but it can be fun. This paper consists of an outline for a book intended for use by a teacher ‘guiding’ the beginner student wishing to learn to converse in the Italian language. One can expect to see at times some very unconventional approaches used to making the Italian language understandable, and attainable, for most any learner. The reader with an open mind may actually see the ‘method to the madness’ used, and be able to appreciate it. It is important to teach students the Italian language without making it any more difficult than it needs to be. Perfection is not to be expected early on, but reasonable speaking and comprehension can be. My future classrooms will hopefully be in a high school, and I am eager to make learning Italian fun and exciting for the students. I believe that once they get over the name of ‘Holly Higgins’ as an Italian teacher issue, we’ll be well on our way! 1

3. The Importance of Being Able to Construct a Sentence • For an analogy of how to define the way the Eclectic Approach encourages students to learn to converse in Italian, consider the TV game shows, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy: • When you remember or recall something, you are using the Temporal and Frontal Lobes of the brain. It's like pulling up a file on the computer  that you have not looked at in awhile. Games to improve this area are the spot the differences in pictures, trivia games, memory games; even Jeopardy would be good for this part of the brain….When you speak, understand speech, or read, you are using the Parietal Lobe of the brain. Word games are excellent for this. Crossword Puzzles, Wheel of Fortune and Scrabble type games are great for this part of the brain (Ogashi). • This reference is very interesting because it has always been said to students of Mondo Italia Scuola e Centro Culturalethat if one is good at Wheel of Fortune, one is able to put together the puzzle, or fill in the gaps (reasonably say or understand simple phrases) from having only partial information (knowing some things, yet not being fluent). This is good when having some basic knowledge of the language, always closing the gaps as one learns more and improves through grammar lessons, personalized vocabulary, and in class conversation, to mention a few. Jeopardy, on the other hand, represents the ‘catch phrases’ that one memorizes; they are certainly useful in the learning process, but not helpful in conversation without being able to piece together a sentence on one’s own, possibly integrating the memorized phrase. The ability to piece together a sentence, even imperfectly, whether when speaking or when listening is an essential building block to developing independence in the language. To expect perfection, particularly for a beginning student can be discouraging. Research conducted so far reveals that "students prefer not to be marked down for each minor spoken and written error because this practice destroys their confidence and forces them to expend so much effort on details that they lose the overall ability to use language (Walker 103). • The following summary of instruction is meant as a basis from which to structure classes so that beginner students can learn in a most efficient, less frustrating manner, to converse in the Italian language. 2

4. Meeting and Greeting The first lesson should be rather undemanding, and beginning with a ‘getting to know you’ session is a good way to introduce the language while the students and teacher can become familiar with each other. In addition, the simplicity of a lesson like this will allow students to have immediate success in the language. Success with actual conversation is highly undervalued in many foreign language classes. This is the simple fact of success, and the effect that this has on our view of what we do. As human beings, we generally like what we do well, and are therefore more likely to do it again, and put in more effort (Littlejohn). A student is more likely to lose interest and give up when there is no indication of success. Success is particularly important when learning a foreign language because students often begin with unreasonably high expectations, sometimes influenced by the advertising claims such as one can “learn a language in 10 minutes a day,” with seemingly little or no effort. It is important that students understand that learning a foreign language is by no means quick nor easy. The challenges of learning another language are immense. Yet millions have achieved some degree of fluency in at least one other language. Those who achieve true fluency do so because they put in dedicated, consistent effort over a long period of time. Claiming otherwise is tantamount to fraud (Eaton 8). Although learning to converse in Italian requires hard work and dedication, a large part is being able to achieve levels of reasonable success from the first lesson, and continue to reap even small rewards at each lesson, allowing the student to achieve consistent success throughout their time of study. The Eclectic Approach being presented in this paper suggests that the first class be structured in the following manner (based on a class of 20 students attending class once a week for two-hours each class). • Becoming Familiar With the Class • The teacher begins by speaking only in Italian, introducing herself and welcoming the class, giving a brief, relatively simple explanation of the class. The teacher will often be able to understand quite a bit about the personality of each student: the shy and inexperienced one will look panicked, as if wanting to escape at the first possible chance; the inexperienced, yet more extroverted student will have an expression of interest, possibly mixed with some level of concern about the level of the class they entered; and the student with some level of experience will either seem surprised that he knows less than perceived, or even smile and nod when some things are understood. 3

5. To be a truly effective Conversational Italian teacher, it is imperative to understand each student’s personality, as studies generally agree that personality does play a part in success in foreign language acquisition for conversational purposes (although different in other aspects). • “… findings of personality studies is that personality variables may be a major factor only in the acquisition of conversational skills, not in the acquisition of literacy skills. The confused picture of the research on personality factors may be due in part to the fact that comparisons are made between studies that measure grammatical accuracy or metalinguistic knowledge. Personality variables seem to be consistently related to the former, but not to the latter (Lightbrown and Spada 55-56).”One can certainly not expect to change the innate personality of a student, but it is helpful to be sensitive to how personality may affect a student’s success. Understanding the different personalities and how a teacher can possibly encourage the student to reach his potential can be the difference between success and failure. It is largely considered in the Eclectic Approach to foreign language instruction. • Getting to Know You • Following a few minutes of introduction and welcoming in Italian, the teacher indicates to the students to wait a moment, putting a hand up palm forward, for example, while saying, “Un momento, per favore.” She then will then write on the board according to the following chart (yes, it is a good idea to have different colored dry erase markers to distinguish pronunciation and actual words). This should take about two minutes to complete, which is a welcome break for the students. UnFiglio(Oon Feel-yo) UnaFiglia(Oon-ah eel-ya) Mi Chiamo _________ Sonodi _________ (Me Key-ah-moh) (So-no Dee) Ho ___ (Oh) Non Ho ___ (Known Oh) Figli(Feel-yee) Figlie(Feel-yay) 2 = do-ay 3 = tray 4 = qwat-tro 5 = cheen-qway Si Chiama _________ Ha ____ (See Key-ah-moh) (Ah) Anni(Ah-nee) Figure 3.1.b 4

6. As soon as the chart is completed, the teacher will then point to ‘Mi Chiamo’ on the board, and say, “Mi chiamo Jane Doe,” while placing her hand to her chest to indicate she is saying, “My name is Jane Doe.” She repeats a few times, rather slowly, and then moves on to point to ‘Sonodi’ on the board, while saying it, followed by the town she lives in. Going immediately back to pointing to the board, indicating by gestures, and saying a few times, “Mi chiamo Jane Doe, sonodi Colts Neck.” Then she can gesture to the first student, saying, “Mi chiamo Jane Doe, sonodi Colts Neck, e Lei?” The student is guided by the teacher pointing to the board what he should say should he have trouble. Each student will be addressed until the whole class has introduced themselves. • Then, still speaking in Italian, the teacher points to ‘Ho’ on the board, placing her palm on her chest to indicate ownership, and says, “Ho” and then points to, for example, ‘Un figlio’ on the board (or ‘Unafiglia’ or whatever number and son/daughter they have), while saying “Ho un figlio (son).” The whole process will immediately be repeated, pointing, gesturing, and saying, “Mi chiamo Jane Doe, sonodi Colts Neck, ho un figlio.” She should then also point to ‘Non Ho’ and while gesturing with the index finger waving in front of her to indicate negation, and say, “Non ho unafiglia (daughter).” She will repeat a couple more times the whole process and then again invite the class to introduce themselves with the new additions. Without formal instruction, she can even ask students what their children’s names are, at this point keeping simple singular tense, pointing to the board saying, “Come sichiama?”. If the student doesn’t understand, she can repeat, “Mi chiamo Jane Doe, sonodi Colts Neck, ho un figlio, SI CHIAMA Dylan.” And again invite the student to try again. • While some pronunciation correction can be helpful, too much too soon can discourage a beginning student. Striving to gain perfect pronunciation from the first day, as the Audio-Lingual methods stresses, is not as important as making oneself understood; it is important to settle for some mistakes along the way and keep a friendly and fun mood. The primary purpose of language is communication. Therefore, despite common misperceptions, mastery of a language does not require near-native pronunciation or grammar. What theorists call communicative competencies are far more important than a good accent or perfectly constructed sentences. If you are learning a language and you can understand and can be understood when you speak, you are well on your way (Lessow 16). • Finally English! Explaining the Class for Optimum Understanding • Once the entire class has introduced themselves, finally the teacher speaks English to them. At this point everybody in the class has experienced some degree of success, and they are feeling confident and ready to learn. This is when the instructor explains how the class runs, that no, it is not always so easy to learn to speak and understand Italian, and that the first few weeks will not 5

7. Combine a greeting from Box A with a selection from Box B to form a simple greeting. Box B Box A BuonGiorno (bwone-jore-no) Buona Sera(bwone-ah-sair-ah) BuonaNotte(bwone-ah-note-ay) Good Morning/Afternoonused all day Good Evening same as US – 5:00ish (pm) Good Night final – i.e. going to bed, leaving evening event to go home Signore(seen-yore-ay) Signora(seen-yore-ah) Signorina(seen-yore-een-ah) Sir/Gentleman Ma’am/Lady Miss/Young Lady Figure 3.3.1 • consist of so much conversation as the first, but with bits dispersed between lessons. The instructor will also talk about the importance of learning to construct a sentence, and how the earliest lessons will actually make a large difference in how their learning will be affected even when they become more advanced learners. It is important that the teacher be up front about the first lessons and that albeit not so much fun as instructional, and even not appearing important to the beginner, they will be essential to their success for speaking and understanding the Italian language. • Employing the Book and Formal Exercises • To begin with, simple rote phrases regarding ‘meeting and greeting’ can be introduced. However, an exhaustive list is not only pointless, but too much for the beginning student to undertake. The ease with which a student can transition from one lesson to another is important to their success. One can begin the introductory phrases with an easy to follow chart as shown in figure 3.3.1. • The students can be instructed to greet each other briefly using the above format – of course, the greeting would be the same depending on time of class, but they can begin to become familiar with addressing people face-to-face. • Some simple questions can then be introduced with a 3-column chart, and also with a 2-column chart representing some simple phrases. Both are represented in figures 3.3.2 and 3.3.3 below. 6

8. No, I don’t speak Italian. I speak English. I don’t understand. English What is your name? Speak slowly, please. (His/Her/It’s) name is ________. How are you? Hi!/Bye! (familiar) Where are you from? Hello. (familiar and formal) Do you speak English? Goodbye. (familiar to single person – any group) Suggested questions for simple greeting phrases are Familiar Come tichiami?(Com-ay Tee Key-ah-me?) Come stai?(Com-ay sty?) Di dov’ései?(Dee Dove-ay Say?) Parliinglese?(Par-lee Ing-glay-say?) Formal Come sichiama, Lei?(Com-ay See Key-ah-mah Lay?) Come sta, Lei?(Com-ay Stah Lay?) Di dov’é Lei?(Dee Dove-ay Lay?) Parlainglese?(Par-lahIing-glay-say?) Figure 3.3.2 Suggested phrases for simple greeting phrases are English Italian My name is _________. Mi chiamo _________.(Me Key-ah-mow) I am fine, thank you. Stobene, grazie.(Stow Ben-ay, Graz-ee-ay) I am from ________. Sonodi ________.(So-no Dee) I speak a little Italian. Parlo un po 'italiano(Par-low Oon Po Ee-tal-ee-ah-no No, non parloitaliano(No, Known Parl-oh Ee-tal-ee-ah-no) Parloinglese.(Par-low Een-glay-say) Non capisco.(Known Kah-pees-co) Parla lentamente, per favore.(Parl-ah Lent-ah-ment-ay Pear Fah-vore-ay) Si chiama ________.(See Key-ah-mah) Ciao! (Chow) Salve.(Sal-vay) Arrivederci.(Ah-reeve-eh-dare-chee) Goodbye. (formal to a single person) ArrivederLa.(Ah-reeve-eh-dare-la) 7 Figure 3.3.3

9. Formal ‘you (s)’ should be indicated in the charts, and a notation under the vocabulary list should inform the students that they need to understand that in Italy the formal is used for any adult one does not know. Children also address the adults they do not know, although adults address children familiarly, even when not known. The students should take notice that for instructional purposes, formal ‘you’ (Lei) will always be with a capital ‘L’. Formal ‘you (pl)’ is not necessary as most people do not use it in conversation. 3.4 Vocabulary, Final Lesson, and Homework The ‘meeting and greeting’ theme should include vocabulary for the purpose of introductions, such as family: husband, wife, father, mother, son, sons, daughter, daughters, brother*, brothers, sister*, sisters, grandfather, grandfathers, grandmother, grandmothers, grandchild (m), grandchild (f), grandchildren(m), grandchildren (f), uncle, uncles, aunt, aunts, cousin (m), cousin (f), cousins (m), cousins (f), dog, dogs, cat, cats. The teacher should instruct the students that if they have other family related words, they can look up in the dictionary. Also included in the first vocabulary list is the conjunction ‘e’ (and). *A nice tip for remembering these vocabulary words is to ask what kind of ‘house’ do some boys at college live in –fraternity; and what kind of ‘house’ do some girls at college live in –sorority. • Numbers should be introduced, and to round out the first lesson, workbook exercises done together as a class; each student saying the answer out loud. Initially, the lessons should be very simple and straight forward, so as not to overwhelm the students. Also, the teacher can, as she feels possible, try to engage students in a little conversation based on the lesson. • Give the Italian equivalent for the following: • My name is (insert your name). ____________________________ • Good morning, Mr. Rossi. _________________________________ • How are you, Mom? ______________________________________ • What is your name? ______________________________________ • I have three sons. ________________________________________ • I don’t have children. _____________________________________ • Good afternoon, sir. _____________________________________ • I am from (insert town) ___________________________________ • Do you speak English? ____________________________________ • 0.Speak slowly, please. ___________________________________ 8 Figure 3.4.1

10. A good homework assignment for the first week is to have the students prepare a brief introduction of themselves to present in class the following week. They should be reminded, repeatedly, to keep it very simple! They can get lost when they try to be too elaborate so early. Another important tip is to encourage them, at every class, to make index cards for vocabulary; and whenever they find a new word useful for them, to make a card. This seems childish to many, but is a great way to memorize vocabulary and basic phrases (as well as verbs, later). Easing into the Italian Language Foreign Language Learning Made More ‘User Friendly’ Learning a foreign language, as discussed earlier, requires hard work and dedication, but it can be made less ‘foreign’ to the students, which can lead to a much more relaxed and fun learning environment. Following are just a few examples that can help the teacher make learning easier, and even more fun for the students.Pronunciation DemystifiedStudents often have difficulty understanding how to pronounce the words properly when studying at home. Phonetics, as they pertain to this study, are defined by the Mirriam-Webster online dictionary as follows: • 2: representing the sounds and other phenomena of speech: asa: constituting an alteration of ordinary spelling that better represents the spoken language, that employs only characters of the regular alphabet, and that is used in a context of conventional spellingb: representing speech sounds by means of symbols that have one value onlyc: employing for speech sounds more than the minimum number of symbols necessary to represent the significant differences in a speaker's speech (Merriam). • The dictionaries utilize the second and third types of phonetic representations. Take, for example, the common Italian greeting ‘buongiorno’: Webster’s New World Italian Dictionary provides ‘[bwon'ʤorno]’ as a pronunciation guide. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary online, represents pronunciation of the simple English greeting, ‘good morning’ as ɡʊd  ˈmɔːnɪŋ (Oxford) – most Americans, given only the pronunciation ‘guide’ would not even recognize a simple phrase in their own language.   9

11. This study, on the other hand, suggests a pronunciation that uses simple American pronunciation - ‘bwone-jore-no’. The idea is to make learning as uncomplicated as possible, and breaking away from the standard phonetics is a good idea. Certainly this is not a phonetic suggestion to be used as a world-wide standard; however, this study is conducted in the interest of teaching American students the Italian language. • In addition to making phonetics more understandable for students, a teacher must not stress too much perfection with regard to perfect pronunciation. Lessow is very clear about this, stating that the primary purpose of language is communication. Therefore, despite common misperceptions, mastery of a language does not require near-native pronunciation or grammar. What theorists call communicative competencies are far more important than a good accent or perfectly constructed sentences. If you are learning a language and you can understand and can be understood when you speak, you are well on your way (16). Realistically, even after a year of fairly intense study one is not going to sound like a native, so it is important to place emphasis on communicating effectively, polishing the language as one continues to become more advanced in conversational skills. • Comprehensible Grammar • When too much is expected of the students early on, they are often discouraged causing them to give up, assuming that they cannot learn a foreign language. Many curriculums, specifically school textbooks, but also many other self-teaching programs, rush students into more advanced concepts much earlier than they are ready for them. It is imperative that students are eased into the language, slowly but effectively. They must be introduced to simple grammar that can be mastered in the lesson, with the level growing at each class. For beginner students, make sure they first can master the present tense, such as ‘parlo’ and the simple present perfect, or passatoprossimo, such as ‘I talked’. In this way, students can be understood, and once mastery is attained, more tenses can be introduced, one at a time, gaining reasonable mastery as the study increases. • When students have expectations, or the expectation of the teacher, to learn all of the numerous forms of verbs early in curriculum, they may be able to remember the rules, but not be capable of constructing a sentence that is the important point of conversational study. • Make Language Learning Fun Through Games and Activities • Students of all ages enjoy some more relaxed time in class. Early childhood education is full of activities in which the students believe they are playing a game, yet they are actually doing something educational at the same time. The adult students also have a great deal to gain from the same concept. Bingo – Tombola in Italian – is a wonderful, simple game to help 10

12. with the numbers. Chi Sono?, a game based on Twenty Questions, helps students interact using the ‘essere’ and ‘avere’ verbs as well as numbers and adjectives. For those who enjoy crossword puzzles, they are a wonderful way to practice vocabulary. Music is a great way to learn a language for students a little more advanced - translating songs, understanding poetic license, and after practice, even being able to sing along and understand is very empowering for more advanced students. ‘Verbo’ a verb game based on Bingo, was created as a homework assignment by an intermediate student of Mondo Italia Scuola e Centro Culturale when the assignment was to create a lesson or game to help students differentiate between the passatoprossimo and the imperfetto. This list is by no means exhaustive, and the Eclectic Approach encourages games and student participation as a means to get everybody involved and having fun while learning to converse in the Italian language. Basic Outline for a Beginner Italian Curriculum Following is a basic outline for beginner students of Conversational Italian. It should be noted that the Eclectic Approach encourages incorporating reading and translating cultural stories, games, and other activities as the class is ready for them, and they should be enjoyed throughout. For homework assignments, an audio program is to be included in the course, using vocabulary and concepts current with the studies. This outline is intended as the structure from which to base a course in Beginning Italian to encourage conversation – not perfection – the goal being reasonable mastery of the language with the intent of later, at more advanced stages, to polish skills when necessary. 11

13. Preface Introduction to the Eclectic Approach to Foreign Language Instruction The Importance of Being Able to Construct and Say/Understand a Sentence Jeopardy vs. Wheel-of-Fortune Concept of Learning Phonetics Americans Can Relate To Pronunciation of Vowels A = ah E = ay I = ee O = oh U = oo LESSON 1 MEETING AND GREETING Meeting and Greeting Vocabulary - Phrases Vocabulary Simple Introductory Phrases Some Family Members Numbers 1-10 Practice 1 Simple Written Exercises Practice 2 Very Basic Conversation Using Meeting and Greeting Phrases/Vocabulary LESSON 2 GENDER AND NUMBER OF ITALIAN NOUNS VocabularyNumbersPeople and Pets Home and Transportation Grammar IGender and Number of Italian Nouns Decide Whether Masculine or Feminine Ending in ‘-o/i’ Masculine Singular/Plural Ending in ‘-a/-e’ Feminine Singular/Plural Confusion for Ending in ‘-e/i’ (Some Tips to Help Differentiate the ‘e’ nouns) Practice I Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using Vocabulary 12

14. Grammar I(a)The Nouns Ending With an Accented Vowel (á, é, í, ó, ú) (Tip to Remember Masc. or Fem.) Practice 1(a) Written/Oral Exercises Using Vocabulary Cumulative: Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using All Lessons to This Point LESSON 3 THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE (‘a’ or ‘an’) Grammar I Pronunciation of ‘c’ and ‘g’ • Pronunciation of ‘C’ Pronunciation of ‘G’ Ca = Cup Co = Coke Ga = Garage Go = Go Ce = Chay Cu = Coop Ge = General Gu = Goo Ci = Chee Ch = K Gi = GeeGh = Ghost Practice 1 Written and Oral Exercises Using ‘C’ and ‘G’ Words Grammar II The Indefinite Article (‘a’ or ‘an’) Masculine Before a Consonant (note exception to come)Before a Vowel Before ‘s-impure’ Nouns Beginning with ‘s’ and Followed by a Consonant Nouns Beginning with ‘z’ FeminineBefore a Consonant Before a Vowel Practice 1 Simple Written/Oral Exercise for Indefinite Articles – Masculine and Feminine Cumulative: Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using All Lessons to This Point LESSON 4 THE DEFINITE ARTICLE (‘the’) Masculine Singular Before a Consonant (note exception to come) Before a Vowel Before ‘s’ Followed by Consonant and ‘z’ 13

15. Plural Before a Consonant (note exception to come) Before a Vowel Before ‘s’ Followed by Consonant and ‘z’ Feminine Singular Before a Consonant Before a Vowel Plural All Feminine Plural Nouns Begin With ‘le’ Practice 1 Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using All Forms of Definite Articles Cumulative Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using All Lessons to This Point LESSON 5 SUBJECT PRONOUNS (I, You, He/She/It, We, Yous Guys, They) Grammar I Some Things to Know Why Italian ‘Formal’ is Important to Learn ‘Yous Guys’ How ‘Placement’ Can Help When Conjugating Verbs Memorizing the ‘Chart’ Will Help With Verb Placement Singular Plural To help clarify why You (formal) is spelled and said like ‘she’ – think that you address ‘la persona’ – the ‘shell’, if you will – which is feminine – when addressing formally, one addresses the person, not the personality… hence, You formal, is always Lei (capitalized for instructional purposes) 14

16. Practice 1 Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using Subject Pronouns Cumulative Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using All Lessons to This Point/Intro. Reading LESSON 6 INTRODUCING VERBS – AVERE (to Have) Explanation of Regular and Irregular Verbs and Basic Structure Grammar I The Irregular Verb Avere (to Have) Simple Present Conjugation of Avere Practice I Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using Avere Grammar II Common Terms with Idiomatic Avere Explanation of Idiomatic AvereBasic/Common Idiomatic Avere Terms Practice II Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using Idiomatic Avere Practice III Written/Oral Exercises Using Avere (also Idiomatic Uses) Very Basic Conversation Using ‘Avere’ Cumulative Written/Oral Exercises Using All Lessons to This Point Include Simple Reading and Comprehension LESSON 7 INTRODUCING VERBS – ESSERE (to Be) Grammar ISimple Present Conjugation of Essere Practice I Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using Essere Very Basic Conversation Using Essere Play “Who Am I” (similar to 20 Questions) Practice II Combine Avere and Essere in Simple Written Exercises Combine Avere and Essere in Very Basic Conversation Cumulative Written/Oral/ Easy Reading and Comprehension All Lessons to This Point LESSON 8 INTRODUCING REGULAR VERBS Vocabulary Adjectives - Different Languages (italiano, inglese, francese, spagnolo) Question Words – Who, Where, Why, What, How? Clothing and Accessories Explanation of –are, -ere, and –ire Verbs Review Explanation of ‘Formal’ vs. ‘Familiar’ 15

17. Grammar ISimple Present Conjugation of –are Verbs Introduce Other Regular –are Verbs Practice I Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using –are Verbs and Vocabulary Basic Conversation Using –are Verbs (include –iare, gare, care to ‘test’) Explain –iare, gare, care (spelling for pronunciation) Cumulative Written/Oral/ Easy Reading and Comprehension All Lessons to This Point LESSON 9 REGULAR VERBS –ERE Vocabulary Vocabulary – Arts and LeisureGrammar ISimple Present Conjugation of –ere Verbs • 3rd Per. Pl.– DON’T stress ‘ohno’ ending of –ere. The distinction from ‘ahno’ for Americans is very subtle. 16

18. Introduce Other Regular –ere Verbs Practice I Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using –ere Verbs and Vocabulary Basic Conversation Using –ere Verbs LESSON 10 REGULAR VERBS –IRE Vocabulary Travel Related Grammar I Simple Present Conjugation of –ire Verbs Introduce Other Regular –ire Verbs Practice I Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using –ire Verbs and Vocabulary Basic Conversation Using –ire Verbs Cumulative Written/Oral/ Easy Reading and Comprehension All Lessons to This Point LESSON 11 TELLING TIME IN ITALIAN Grammar I What Time is it, and at What Time…? How to Ask What Time is it, and at What Time… How to Say the Time (Singular and Plural) The 12 Hour and 24 Hour Clocks Practice I Responding to the Question, “What Time is it?” Responding to the Question, “At What Time…. 17

19. Grammar II Present Tense - Irregular Verb Andare Practice I Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using Andare Very Basic Conversation Using Andare and Time Grammar III Present Tense - Irregular Verb Venire Practice I Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using Venire Very Basic Conversation Using Venire and Time Practice II Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using Venire/Andare/Time Cumulative Written/Oral/ Easy Reading and Comprehension All Lessons to This Point 18

20. LESSON 12 THE PRESENT PERFECT (But, it’s in the Past) Grammar I The Past Participle Il PassatoProssimo Introduce Some Commonly Used Irregular PassatoProssimo Verbs Practice 1 Changing Simple Verbs from Present to PassatoProssimo Grammar II Using ilPassatoProssimo with Avere as an Auxilary Verb Parlare Ricevere Dormire Practice I Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using PassatoProssimo with Avere Very Basic Conversation Using PassatoProssimo with Avere 19

21. Grammar II Using ilPassatoProssimo with Essere as an Auxilary Verb Andare Nascere Partire **When to Use Avere and When to Use Essere? For Essere, Think Coming, Going, Idling Practice I Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using PassatoProssimo with Essere Very Basic Conversation Using PassatoProssimo with Essere Practice II Simple Written/Oral Exercises Using PassatoProssimo with Avere/Essere Very Basic Conversation Using PassatoProssimo with Avere/Essere Cumulative Written/Oral/ Easy Reading and Comprehension All Lessons to This Point End of Lessons 20

22. The end of this book will contain, in addition to extensive exercises within: Answer Key to ExercisesVerb Conjugation ChartsDictionary of VocabularyAdditional Exercises/GamesIndexAudio CD A workbook and interactive website would also be available to accompany the book. About Curriculum Development Developing a curriculum is no easy task, particularly when using an approach with such great scope as the Eclectic Approach. However, it is important for educators to share information and keep updating their teaching to keep current with student interests, social trends, and technology. The teachers need also consider what is comfortable for them as a method to use with each class and even each lesson. Another, more difficult problem is to select an instructional method that best fits one's particular teaching style and the lesson-situation. There is no one "right" method for teaching a particular lesson, but there are some criteria that pertain to each that can help a teacher make the best decision possible (“Instructional”).  After all is said and done, there can be as many methods out there as there are students, and certainly as many personalities; it is imperative that the teacher be dedicated and enthusiastic in order to utilize the Eclectic Approach in a way that will produce optimum results. 21

23. Works Cited Eaton, Sarah Elaine. "Global Trends in Language Learning in the 21st Century." Online Submission (2010): ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 4 Mar. 2011. Lessow-Hurley, Judith, and Alexandria, VA. Association for Supervision and Curriculum . ERIC. EBSCO. Web. 4 Mar. 2011. Lightbrown, Patsy M. and Nina Spada. How Languages Are Learned. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print.Littlejohn, Andrew. “Motivation: Where does it come from? Where does it go?.” English Teaching Professional. March 2001. 19. Web. 16 Feb. 2011. Merriam-Webster Online. Merriam-Webster Incorporated. 2011. Web. 26 Feb. 2011. Ogashi, Madison. “Games for the Brain.” Bukisa. Webika Ltd. 08 April 2009. Web. 07 Feb. 2011 Oxford Online Dictionary. Oxford University Press. 2011. Web. 20 April 2011. Walker, J.L. “Opinions of University Students About Language Teaching.” Abstract. Foreign Language Annals 7 (1973): 102-105. Web. 4 April 2011. • Webster’s New World Italian Dictionary. Concise Edition. 1992. Print. 17