Fabio Girelli-Carasi

ITALIAN 1010
SUMMER 2018

SYLLABUS
COURSE DESCRIPTION
POLICIES

Basic Rules

  1. All assignments (compiti-videos) and eventual quizzes must be emailed by 11.59PM of the due date, EASTERN STANDARD TIME.
     
  2. Meeting a deadline also counts as "attendance."
     
  3. LATE work will not be accepted, even if it is late by one minute. (Please, don't try this stunt.)
     
  4. There are no extensions, no exceptions and no "extra credit."
     
  5. Partial or incomplete assignments will not be graded.
     
  6. I will post one assignment at a time, about every 3-4 days. If I decide to give quizzes, they will be announced 3-4 days in advance.
     
  7. No cheating. One strike and your are out. (Scroll down for policy details.)
     
  8. Ignoring email protocols and document format will result in a penalty.
     
  9. Additional instructions will be provided as needed during the session.
     
  10. The course homepage contains the course's official record.

  Academic Integrity 
  (i.e. no cheating)

  DO NOT USE TRANSLATION APPS OR DEVICES 
 ONE STRIKE AND YOU ARE OUT.

 Using an online translation site (google etc.,) an app, or an electronic device is a violation of the plagiarism policy.

  You can and should use dictionaries, in electronic or paper format, but NEVER a system that 
     translates automatically more than one word at a time.

  WARNING: I will be merciless with anyone who tries to cheat. I know the process of language 
  learning, therefore, I know what you can and cannot do.
  I will not give anyone a second chance.
  ONE STRIKE AND YOU ARE OUT.  


Academic dishonesty of any type, including cheating and plagiarism, is unacceptable at Brooklyn College. Cheating is any misrepresentation in academic work. Plagiarism is the representation of another person's work, words, or ideas as your own. Students should consult the Brooklyn College Student Handbook for a fuller, more specific discussion of related academic integrity standards. Faculty members are encouraged to discuss with students the application of these standards to work in each course. Academic dishonesty is punishable by failure of the "test, examination, term paper, or other assignment on which cheating occurred" (Faculty Council, May 18, 1954). In addition, disciplinary proceedings in cases of academic dishonesty may result in penalties of admonition, warning, censure, disciplinary probation, restitution, suspension, expulsion, complaint to civil authorities, or ejection.
(Adopted by Policy Council, May 8, 1991.)

 
EMAIL PROTOCOL

It's time to set some rules about your emails.

  1. When you compose a new message, or respond to a message from a professor, start with a greeting. Do not "hey" them.
     

  2. If the conversation goes back and forth, skip the greetings. You can go straight to the point.
     

  3. Every single message must bear your signature. Set up the automatic signature option.
     

  4. I require full sentences, grammatical, with upper case when needed and proper punctuation. Impossible to do it with your phone? Wait until you get to a computer.
     

  5.  No one-liners.
     

  6. DO NOT RECYCLE THE SUBJECT OF OLD MESSAGES. If you want to talk about something new, compose a NEW message with the appropriate subject. (Suggested subject: "New problem / question.")
     

  7. In an ongoing conversation, in each message repeat the relevant information and circumstance (lost assignment, message not-received etc.) Nobody can read your mind except you.
     

  8. YOUR SCREEN NAME MUST SHOW YOUR FIRST AND LAST NAME. If you don't know what a screen name is, google it. If you don't know how to change it, maybe this course is not for you.
ASSIGNMENT FORMAT
 
File name:  the file name must be:      last name/dot/due date

EXAMPLE:     smith.27febbraio.docx        Nothing more, nothing less.
 
USE THE DUE DATE NOT THE DATE WHEN YOU FINISHED THE ASSIGNMENT.

 

EXAMPLE OF ASSIGNMENT FORMAT

I will only accept assignments in the following formats: .doc  .docx  .rtf

I will not accept Macintosh .pages or .pdf

Do not 'share' documents from google docs or any other archival/sharing system. I will not open them.

All your assignments must be emailed as attachments.

Email subject:    Assignment 27 febbraio

Nothing else. No assignment number, no creative subjects, no name. JUST THE SUBJECT OF YOUR EMAIL and the DUE DATE.   THE DUE DATE, not the date you are sending it.
Office Hours

I am available on Skype by appointment.
When you ask for an appointment, clearly state the agenda (what you want to talk about) and the preferred time and date of the appointment. List at least two options of date/time.

 

 

COURSE ASSESSMENT  (aka HOW TO GET AN "A")

  • QUIZZES: I may decide not to assign quizzes, based on the overall performance of the class. Each quiz will be very tightly connected to the assignments and will test both your vocabulary retention and the ability to produce language.
     
  • ASSIGNMENTS: 
    Some tasks will be marked <busy work>. I will only check that you did them, but will not grade them.
    Other tasks will be marked <for grade>.
    NO CREDIT (aka "F")  FOR LATE ASSIGNMENTS.
    In addition to written assignments, I also require video-recordings to show oral competence.
     

  • Participation is a challenge in the online environment. It requires that you follow my instructions RELIGIOUSLY.
     

  • QUALITY performance in your assignments, active participation in web searches and blog postings are crucial components of your work.

 

FINAL GRADE
Preparedness and Participation (punctuality, blog and individual research.)

10%

Quizzes and Weekly Assignments (each items has the same weight.)

85%

Final Exam

5%

TOTAL

100%
Lectures and Assignments will be posted regularly on the course homepage. They may consist of actual prompts, exercises and other materials, or they may be LINKS to an outside website.

Expect TWO lectures and assignments per week, consisting of a variety of tasks (exercises, language research, audio-video recordings, etc.)
It is your responsibility to check the homepage regularly to meet deadlines.

Quizzes: If, in my judgment, the class is making satisfactory progress and homework assignments are consistently of high quality, I may decide that quizzes are not necessary. If and when quizzes are scheduled, they will be announced in advance (with an allowance for unforeseeable events.) Usually, you will have 24 hours to complete a quiz.
DOWNLOAD THIS FORM  RECORD YOUR OWN GRADES
At the end of the session, you will complete it and send it with all the information requested.

 

 

What to Expect in This Course

  1. This course will be taught in the ONLINE FORMAT. You will work on your own and on your own schedule PROVIDED YOU MEET ALL DEADLINES. If you are in a different time zone or somewhere in the world with a lousy Internet connection, plan ahead.
     

  2. I CANNOT TEACH YOU BASIC TECH SKILLS: download, upload, naming files, change file formats, video and voice recording and all other related issues. I will help you in case of unexpected bugs here and there but for the bulk of operations you must know how to troubleshoot. THERE IS ALWAYS A VIDEO ON YOUTUBE THAT SHOWS YOU HOW TO FIX YOUR PROBLEM.
     

  3. THERE ARE NO COMMERCIAL TEXTBOOKS TO BUY. Corporate commercial textbooks are a crime against humanity. You pay for glossy paper; fancy, colorful layouts; marketing campaigns; outrageous compensations for CEOs and huge profits for Wall Street investors.  Second, my method requires flexible materials that match the progress of each class differently. It also requires constant engagement on your part and serious work and study on your own. Use this WEBSITE.
     

  4. My job and my duty is to teach you how to learn Italian.  I don't know what is motivating you to take this class. Some students can't wait to learn the language. Some like the convenience of an online course and only care about getting 3 credits. My duty is to teach and evaluate your performance. PERIOD. YOUR GRADE WILL DEPEND EXCLUSIVELY ON YOUR PERFORMANCE.
     

  5. If you learn the language you will get an A. Or, mirror image,  if you get an A, it is because you learned the language. If you are shooting only for a C or something like that, you will learn very little, you will end up struggling, getting frustrated and, possibly, you may end up dropping the class. It's your decision. It is your money.
     

  6. Conceptually and intellectually a beginning language course is not difficult. But what it lacks in terms of "difficulty," it makes up in the amount of work/time required.  You can't expect to learn by cramming.
     

  7. Studying a language is like studying math or chemistry. Knowledge is cumulative. You can't skip additions and subtractions and go directly to multiplication tables.

See you online.

FGC
 

IT'S NOT EASY TO LEARN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

To learn any language well is one of the most difficult tasks humans can undertake. It literally takes a lifetime. After all, we all are still learning English, aren't we?

However, at the beginning it is a very simple process. The same curriculum, at different speeds, is used from elementary school to college. The intellectual challenge at this level is not particularly formidable, but you will need to devote time and purpose to studying.

First of all, you must learn words, lots of words. The only way to do that is to practice. There are no magic pills.

 Communicative ability is the primary goal of this course. You will soon be in a position to say a few basic things about yourself, to ask questions and to understand simple statements.

Language is about communication. Without communication there is no language.  You will exchange information with your classmates, report,  discuss topics -- all, of course, within the range of your ability.

At the end of the semester, you will marvel at how much you will have learned, and will be even more aware of how much you still need to learn to become proficient.

This is just the beginning of what I hope will be a long long journey. I wish you all the best and I hope to see you one day very far along in your voyage.

ITALIAN 1010
SUMMER 2018
CALENDAR
 Jun 4, 2018-
Jul 11, 2018

Dates of lesson plans and assignments are to be regarded as indicative only.
The course homepage reports the calendar of record.
Detailed and updated information on lectures, assignments and quizzes are published timely on the course homepage.

Quiz dates are not listed in the present calendar.
They will be announced in advance as needed.

DO NOT BUY COMMERCIAL TEXTBOOKS.

We will use my ONLINE COURSE (free of charge)
oggi-domani.com

Dictionary
WORDREFERENCE.COM

I update, integrate and reorganize the course every time I teach this class.

 
WEEK 1

compito 0

 

 Due the first day of class.
Complete all the preliminary tasks.
Read and accept the rules on the syllabus.
Compose and send an email.
In the body of the message explain what COMPITO means.

compito 1

 

  Introduction; basic expressions; greetings; syllabus; Oggi&Domani

Task 1: Write your 'autobiography' using the sentences as model. Say who you are, what your name is, where you live, age... STICK ONLY TO THOSE MODELS.
Task 2: Look at the video roster (on the blog) and choose the student who comes immediately after you in the video. Ask a series of questions based on the models.

Start with: "CIAO, nameoftheperson"
THEN ASK LEADING or ECHO QUESTIONS. 
Example: Are you a professor? Do you live in Flatbush? Do you work in a store?  Are you Italian? Do you live alone? How old are you?

Type questions and  answers in your COMPITO document.

compito 2

 Verbs ESSERE, AVERE; Oggi&Domani; Lezione 1 AVERE idiomatic expressions

1) Memorize THE DATE of your assignment (you must be able to write it without errors).
2) Memorize the conjugations of verbs ESSERE (to be) and AVERE (to have)

Task: on the homepage, scroll to <Software, links, etc>, open <Online Dictionary>
Open the site WORDREFERENCE.COM Enter the word <bruschetta>; Click ON THE WORD <bruschetta 1>; COPY THE DEFINITION (copy&paste: you don't need to learn /memorize it.)

Task :OGGI&DOMANI <Lesson 1 Page 1>(link in <Software, links, etc>)
Research and answer the following questions:
Who are the two characters in the dialogue?  In which museums are they? In what city? Who are the artists who created them? In what Century?

REVISION QUIZ/COMPITO from the previous week. REQUIRED 95% correct for "PASS"

 Dispensa ARTICOLI DEFINITI 1
 Dispensa ARTICOLI DEFINITI 2

WEEK 2

compito 3

 

 

 Verbs 1st conjugation ARE (regular) ; Oggi&Domani; Lezione 2; Verbs 2nd conjugation ERE (regular); Oggi&Domani: Lezione 2

Complete the exercises (write the first person of each verb; find the translation of each infinitive.) DO NOT COPY AND PASTE THE FORMAT, i.e. the table.  Re write individually the entries. Do this as an exercise.
TASK 1:  Write down all the dates you have encountered so far (dates of our classes etc) plus your age --- in letters.
TASK 2: WRITE ONE SENTENCE PER VERB (USING <IO>)

IO MI CHIAMO IO ABITO IO LAVORO IO STUDIO IO PARLO
  ABITARE LAVORARE STUDIARE PARLARE

IO SONO.......     nazionalita'  (Oggi e domani)
ask a classmate a Leading question:::::::::: tu sei ''australiano'?  (use any of the nationalities on the list and ask the question.)
ALERT: masculine and feminine form
 

AGE: Learn and remember how to ask for AGE and how to say how old you are:
QUANTI ANNI HAI?
<IO HO VENTI ANNI>
 

ANSWER:
MIO PADRE HA.......
MIA MADRE HA........
GLI STATI UNITI D'AMERICA HANNO........
LA REPUBBLICA ITALIANA HA...........
SECONDO LA BIBBIA LA TERRA HA.............. [according to the Bible]
SECONDO GLI ASTRONOMI L'UNIVERSO HA........... [according to astronomers]
LA STATUA DELLA LIBERTA' HA ..........

 
compito 4

OGGI E DOMANI:

ABITARE IO ABITO IN UNA CASA IO ABITO IN UN APPARTAMENTO IO ABITO IN UN HOTEL IO ABITO CON LA MIA FAMIGLIA IO ABITO DA SOLO IO ABITO CON UN AMICO IO ABITO CON UN'AMICA

TU ABITI IN UNA CASA GRANDE O UNA CASA PICCOLA? TU ABITI IN UN APPARTAMENTO ELEGANTE O MODESTO? TU ABITI DA SOLO O CON AMICI? TU ABITI IN UNA CASA CON GIARDINO? TU ABITI CON TUO PADRE? TU ABITI CON TUA MADRE? TU ABITI CON TUA NONNA? 

LAVORARE
IO LAVORO  IN UNA SCUOLA. IO LAVORO IN UN UFFICIO IO LAVORO IN UN NEGOZIO IO LAVORO IN UNA BIBLIOTECA IO LAVORO IN UNA CHIESA IO LAVORO IN UN OSPEDALE IO LAVORO IN UNA FABBRICA

Listen to the soundfile and translate immediately.
In the quiz I will give the same exercise - you won't be not allowed to write the English input, only the immediate translation. I call this exercise FLASH TRANSLATION.
VERBS ESSERE and AVERE
I am using the form YOUZE to indicate YOU PLURAL = VOI
 
Listent to the soundfile and translate immediately.
In the quiz I will give the same exercise - you won't be not allowed to write the English input, only the immediate translation. I call this exercise FLASH TRANSLATION.
 VERBS LAVORARE ABITARE
 I am using the form YOUZE to indicate YOU PLURAL = VOI
======================
Vocabulary from OGGI E DOMANI, Lesson 1 Page 3
========================
More busywork (do not include with compito)
ESSERE AVERE  fill in the blank ---- useful format to know in the quiz
WEEK 3

compito 5

 

 

 Verbs 3rd conjugation IRE (regular); Oggi&Domani; Lezione 3; Verbs ARE irregular forms; Oggi&Domani: Lezione 3

TASK 1 For each verb on the list in Dispensa 1
Write one sentence with <io>  then find at least one word per sentence that can be associated with the verb.
Model: < io arrivo  treno  bicicletta> 

TASK 2
Write all the dates in Italian in all the compiti I have assigned so far.

Conjugation of ESSERE, AVERE and   -- ARE verbs.
One section similar to Soundpage -ARE.
Some elements from QUIZ Feb 7
DICTATION ( I will read and you will write)  from OGGI E DOMANI, dialogues or sentences in Lesson 1 Page 1
How to tell your age.
Lavorare: basic question/answer

 
compito 6 Verbs ERE irregular forms;Oggi&Domani: Lezione; 4Verbs IRE irregular forms; Oggi&Domani: Lezione 4
 TASK 1
QUIZ CULTURA: Download, print and answer the first TEN questions ONLY. LEARN THE ANSWERS

TASK 2
Find and write the names of at least 3 online Italian media publications (newspapers, blogs, etc).

PHONETICS / FONETICA
Pronunciation of  <C> <G> followed by FRONT and BACK Vowels
Rewrite the words in the following videos and memorize the pronunciation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GFqUabfuVE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cffVlLj3HDE

WIKIOpen this document and FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY.
 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bc84FjRhuU9sbF5E6XAsStMKr17mGdmqCiwIsOEZGn8/edit?usp=sharing

 

  WEEK 4

 compito 7

 CONIUGAZIONE -ERE
DISPENSA: study VERBI - ERE

WIKI
Open this document and FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY.
Read and STUDY   AVERE -- ESPRESSIONI IDIOMATICHE
DISPENSA ESPRESSIONI AVERE

Review of regular and irregular verb forms.
Task 1:  QUIZ CULTURA ITALIANA: domande 11-20
Task 2: Italian media. Open the blog, Italian media links. Report here the headline of the article you posted on the blog, with ad-sensum translation (it means, not literary transl.) Mention the source publication.
Taks 3: homepage. Under "tutte le dispense" open n. 5 and 6 and do the exercises. (Yes, dispensa 6: all the exercises, ABCD 1,2.)DO NOT COPY AND PASTE the format (the tables and text fields.) RETYPE the INPUT.
quiz 3 part 1, quiz 3 part 2 (under LEZIONI on homepage.)

 
 compito 8 soundpage IRE VERBS

Task 1:  QUIZ CULTURA ITALIANA: domande 20-30
PRINT OUT the portion of the quiz and WRITE YOUR ANSWERS BY HAND.
Task 2: Italian Media. Copy at least 3 headlines that mention NAPOLITANO. Answer: who is Napolitano? What is his official title?
Taks 3: For each letter of the alphabet, write a NOUN, with indefinite article, relating to the semantic field CASA or POSTO DI LAVORO (workplace). EX: A: un'aula (classroom).

Task 4: STUDY -IRE verbs, both WEAK and STRONG (debole, forte).
Conjugations-
-IRE VERBS -- list of verbs
For each verb on the STRONG list, write TWO NOUNS with the indefinite article.

 
WEEK 5

compito 9

 REFLEXIVE verbs; Oggi&Domani: Lezione 4;
REMEMBER. PRINT OUT THE LAST QUIZ, answer by hand.
Task 1:  QUIZ CULTURA ITALIANA: domande 30-40
Choose 10 -IRE verbs (strong) and 10 -IRE verbs (weak)
Use them in sentences (total 20) that follow this model:
IO AMO .............pulire la casa
IO AMO .........(to follow the wind)
IO AMO ...... (to punish criminals)
You can change IO AMO to something like : THE JUDGE LOVES TO PUNISH CRIMINALS
The more creative the better BUT make sure you do it correctly.
Look at the model carefully:  "IO AMO" (main clause) is followed by a verb in the INFINITIVE FORM.
IO AMO ...... MA IO DETESTO.... (I like/love .... but I hate/detest)
After the main clause "IO AMO" you can use a NOUN = io amo il gelato
Or you can use a verb = io amo correre
Same with DETESTARE:  "IO DETESTO" la trippa  or "IO DETESTO" aspettare
NOW COMBINE AMARE AND DETESTARE IN A SINGLE SENTENCE THAT MAKES SENSE:
MODELS:
Io amo la pizza ma detesto la trippa
Io amo correre ma detesto nuotare
WRITE a total of 10 sentences like the models above. The opposition BUT must make sense. Don't throw down the first thing that comes to mind. Squeeze your brain
 
compito 10 Oggi&Domani: Lezione 5
For each letter of the alphabet, write a NOUN, with indefinite article, relating to the semantic field CASA or POSTO DI LAVORO (workplace). EX: A: un'aula (classroom).
You are encouraged to share, communicate with each other, split the job among yourselves.
Find a word that fits the description for each letter of the alphabet. Start early and share with classmates, split the job etc.

BRING TO CLASS THE HANDOUTS:
stagioni mesi giorni  vestiti   altri vestiti

Make sure you know the INDEFINITE and DEFINITE articles for these items.

Task 1:
Find the names of the days of the week, write them down and explain their original meaning (from Latin and, in one case, from Hebrew)
 

TASK 2:
Write at least 10 sentences using CONCRETE SUBJECTS (ex. La gente, il professore, gli studenti, i tifosi, an elegant lady, a sloppy teenager, il mio dottore, etc).
Say what they wear on different days of the week OR months of the year OR seasons.
Also use these expressions:
OGNI GIORNO (every day)
QUALCHE VOLTA (sometimes)
SPESSO (often)
RARAMENTE (seldom)

 EX. My doctor seldom wears a tie *on Sunday (in italiano, 'on Sunday' is singular)

 

 WEEK 6

compito 11

 Oggi&Domani: Lezione 5
 FLASH TRANSLATION OF  SOUNDPAGE
STUDY: ANDARE, FARE, DARE, STARE
DISPENSA SOUNDPAGE\

Oggi&Domani: Lezione 5
preposizioni
dispensa 1   dispensa 2 

Oggi&Domani: Lezione 6
POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES (my, your, his/her, our, your, their)
DISPENSA 1  exercises 1,2,3 (copy the input and write the answer)
DISPENSA 2 exercises 2, 3  (copy the input)
WRITING SIMPLE SENTENCES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj-A_NinLIc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_Bbzd9d5kw
 

 compito 12

 Oggi&Domani: Lezione 6

Canzoni
Buonanotte fiorellino
E penso a te
Viva l'Italia

DISPENSA CHI E'
DISPENSA DOV'E'
DISPENSA DOV'E' 2

DISPENSA CHE TEMPO FA
DISPENSA LA STORIA
DISPENSA FORMAZIONE DOMANDE