Beginner 1 (In-Person) – Wednesday evenings
Beginner 1 is an introductory course that teaches the four basic skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) in the context of major themes in Italian culture. It is designed for those with little or no previous knowledge of the Italian language.
This course is being delivered virtually with live instruction and interaction.
If you already have a basic understanding of the language, consider Italian for Beginners II.
What you will learn
- How to communicate in a variety of social situations, such as introducing yourself, talking about daily activities, describing what you do for work, writing and reading simple texts, such as an e-mail, talking about the things you like dislike, ordering a meal, and telling time
- Basic grammar structures such as articles and nouns, adjectives, and present tenses of regular and irregular verbs
- Italian culture, including daily life, film, cuisine, and vacationing
Syllabus
Benvenute e Benvenuti!
Textbook: Nuovo Espresso – The course consists of Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4. The textbook is mandatory, the 55$ is on top of the course fee.
Schedule
Wednesday evening, October 4 TO December 13, 2023
4:00 pm – 6:00 pm PST
11 weeks – Classes meet once a week in our downtown school
Courses Fee
310 (+ GST) after September 15th
Course Cancellations
Please note that the school administration may cancel courses at any time due to low enrollment. Upon cancellation, registrants will receive a full refund.
For any further info about our cancellation policy please visit Cancellation & Refund Policy.
Speakers
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Alessia Corte SualonAfter living in Italy her whole life, Alessia decided to move to Vancouver as soon as she completed her degrees in Cultural Mediation (BA) and in Specialized Translation and Conference Interpreting (MD). Her main objective was always to share her passion for languages and different cultures with other people. Her love for her own country has always driven her to develop and perfection her language skills overtime and she is looking forward to welcoming you all into her classroom to put them to good use. Her passions include traveling, reading, and exploring the outdoors.
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Francesco ZappalàI grew up in Italy where I reached the rank of captain of the Air Force and as a lawyer obtained a doctorate in Commercial and Business Law at the Universitá degli Studi La Sapienza di Roma. I recently moved to Vancouver with my family. I am a lover of Italian cuisine, especially Sicilian, and a fan of “calcio”, but also of other sports. I spent my childhood and adolescence in my wonderful Sicily, specifically in Catania. Teaching is part of my DNA. Currently I am a University Professor and Associate Researcher of Law. I was an Italian instructor several universities and Italian associations, for instance at the Dante Alighieri Society, chapter Cali Colombia where I lived for several years. I’m a certified examinator for language exams. Teaching Italian is above all a way to promote Italian culture and “l’Italianitá.”
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Sonia Dal TortoI was born in the small region of Molise and then moved to the north of Italy (Emilia-Romagna) at the age of 19. There I obtained my Master’s degree in International Cooperation and Protection of Human Rights. I discovered the passion for teaching while working as Assistant Grant Writer in an NGO in Greece. There I started to teach Italian to young refugees and to hold seminars about human rights in high schools and other non-formal educational settings. Once back in Italy, I continued to teach Italian to migrants and I started to study at Università per Stranieri di Siena.
Furthermore, as a Grant Writer, I had the chance to promote inclusion and diversity in the education system, thanks to proposals I made in the areas of Youth and Children, Disabled people, Education and Social Services. I proposed strategies for parents, teachers and community workers to confront educational poverty in disadvantaged backgrounds, introducing intercultural teaching practices with the help of cultural-linguistic mediators.
To me teaching holds so many invaluable meanings: it is turning into success the potential that every student has; it is understanding our communities to build better ones; it is a life-learning process thanks to the engagement with students from different backgrounds; it is falling in love every time with the Italian culture.
