Students focus on the sounds of the alphabet, in particular the vowel sounds, and ‘c’ (ciao) and ‘ch’ (Chi?), and on intonation patterns and the use of accents. Students are also introduced to nouns and pronouns. They learn simple sentence structure using subject–verb–object order as well as how to form questions. They explore the idea of masculine and feminine...
Students focus on the sounds of the alphabet, in particular the vowel sounds, and ‘c’ (ciao) and ‘ch’ (Chi?), and on intonation patterns and the use of accents. Students are also introduced to nouns and pronouns. They learn simple sentence structure using subject–verb–object order as well as how to form questions. They explore the idea of masculine and feminine gender, how to use singular and plural forms, the negative form non and the placement of adjectives.
Students use Italian for social interactions. The focus is on listening to the sounds, shapes and patterns of Italian through activities. Repetition and recycling help students to identify frequently used words and simple phrases, and to recognise the purpose and intention of simple texts. They identify and use Italian non-verbal communication strategies and experiment with formulaic expressions and one or two-word responses to prompts and cues. Students begin to notice that language use is different in different situations and that Italian speakers communicate in some ways that are different from their own. Students notice that they are part of a connected world which includes many languages and cultures, and they become aware of themselves as communicators in particular cultural contexts and communities.
By the end of Level 2, students use Italian to communicate with their teacher and peers through action-related talk and play. They demonstrate comprehension by responding both verbally and non-verbally. They imitate without always comprehending. They respond to familiar games and routines such as questions about self and family (for example, Come ti chiami? Dove abiti?), and choose among options, for example, in response to questions such as Vuoi il gelato o la caramella? They produce learnt sounds and formulaic expressions (for example, È bello! Non mi piace), or partial phrases, often providing only part of the required response in Italian or using a key word to convey a whole idea. They experiment with and approximate Italian pronunciation, for example, producing vowel sounds and ‘c’ and ‘ch’ pronunciation with some accuracy. They differentiate between statements and questions according to intonation. They rely on extensive paralinguistic and contextual support such as pictures, gestures and props. They write descriptions, lists, labels and captions, using familiar words and phrases selected from modelled language, for example, rearranging sentence patterns such as Ho sei anni. Sono bravo. Il gelato è buono.
Students recognise that Italian is the national language of Italy. They understand that the Italian alphabet has 21 letters. They are aware that simple sentences follow a pattern, and that nouns require an article and are gendered either masculine or feminine. They understand that there are different ways of addressing friends, family and teachers/other adults. They begin to notice patterns in Italian words and phrases and make comparisons between Italian and English. They are aware of word borrowings and recognise that Italian words and expressions are often used in various English-speaking contexts. They make observations about similarities and differences in the cultural practices of Italians and Australians. They understand that they have their own language(s) and culture(s), and that they are also learners of Italian language and culture.
