This page contains educational curricula, directories, forums and online publications and networks.

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Curricula

Alma Edizioni (exit WisItalia) - Educator resource for Italian textboks, grammar, workbooks, readers, Italian literature, games, audio tracks, songs, Italian cinema and other materials at the primary and secondary grade levels, as well as materials for adults learning Italian (website is in Italian and English).

Editrice La Scuola (exit WisItalia) - Educator resource for Italian textboks, story books and other materials at the primary and secondary grade levels. This publisher is one of Italy's well-known and established publisher's of school textbooks for all levels.

Some sample links:

List of Italian Books for the Primary School Level (exit WisItalia)

www.ed-lascuola.it (exit WisItalia) - Elementary level history, geography, science and math resources

ciaoit.com (exit WisItalia) - "Ciao It" is an Italian language program aimed at 5 - 11 year olds. "Super Ciao It" is an Italian language program geared for middle school and high school students.

Edizioni Edilingua (exit WisItalia) - Catalogue of a variety of educational materials. Most interesting are the materials for the Progetto italiano junior 1 (elementary), Nuovo Progetto italiano 1 (elementary), The Italian Project 1a (elementary), The Italian Project 1b (elementary), Nuovo Progetto italiano 2 (intermediate) and Nuovo Progetto italiano 3 (intermediate-advanced).

Edizioni Edilingua - YouTube Videos (exit WisItalia) - A number of well done video segments with situations, interviews and self testing.

Edizioni Farinelli (exit WisItalia) - Educator resource for Italian AP prep books, idioms and expressions, readers and exercises, listening and comprehension study programs (film and music), and culture materials for learning and teaching Italian.

2009-2010 Catalog (pdf). You can also call them at 212 751-2427 for more information or to order by phone.

Culture - a great way to discover the wonders of Italian culture – history, literature, music, art and geography.
NEW Cultura Italiana: di regione in regione (For high school, university and self-study students - Levels 3-4). This lively cultural text covers all 20 regions of Italy tracing three groups of American students as they travel throughout Italy.

Readers and Exercises - a great way to enhance your Italian program. Select from the following levels:
Mi diverto con Gianluigi! (For beginning-level students)

Diario della studentessa Jean (Levels 1-2)

Eserciziario per Diario (Levels 1-2)

Jean e Roscoe vanno a Perugia (Level 2)

Uffa! (Level 3) - Idioms and expressions - Read a review of Uffa! Espressioni idiomatiche e molto di più in the 2008 issue of "Quaderni D'Italianistica" by Teresa Fiore, California State University Long Beach (pdf - review is in Italian).

Non soltanto un baule (Level 4-5) - Culture: Italian emigration

NEW Letture divertenti: UMORISMO (Level 4-5) - Mastering difficult lexical and grammatical material.

The Film and Music Study Programs are a new systematic approach to learning Italian through focused viewing of classic and contemporary Italian films and music. This series helps university and high school teachers keep their curriculum fresh and interesting.

Selected Categories:

EF Film Study Program:
Caternina va in città - This film portrays a family's relocation from a small town to Rome.

Cristo si è fermato a Eboli - This classic film released in 1979 and directed by Francesco Rosi is based on the book by Carlo Levi which tells the story of a year spent in exile during World War II to a small, remote and primitive village in Lucania (Basilicata). Read the promotional release (pdf).

Ricordati di me - This film examines personal and professional interests among a seemingly stable, middle class Roman family. Read the promotional release (pdf).

Giorni e nuvole - This film vividly portrays how the absence of financial security can change everything. Read the promotional release (pdf).

Il postino - This 1994 award-winning film portrays the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda during a stay on an island off the coast of Italy and the local postman (Mario) who delivers his mail. Read the promotional release (pdf).

La vita è bella - Roberto Benigni's Oscar-winning La vita è bella is timeless in that it not only helps students learn Italian but also provides a cultural, political and historical perspective on the historic events of the Holocaust. Read the promotional release (pdf).

NEW Pinocchio - Rated G, this 2002 film stars Roberto Benigni who also directed and co-wrote the Italian version. The film is based on the "Adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi. (For high school, university and self-study students - Level 3)

EF Music Study Program - The Best of Laura Pausini

EF Workbook and Laboratory Manual Series
NEW Sei pronto... a perfezionarti? - The Sei pronto series complements traditional textbooks used in Italian instruction. It helps build communicative proficiency in Italian through a variety of materials, such as newspaper and magazine articles, on-line blogs, advertisements, radio and TV program excerpts and more. This workbook is at the Intermediate-Advanced Level. Read the promotional release (pdf).

JeopardyLabs (exit WisItalia) - Allows you to create a customized jeopardy template without PowerPoint. The games you make can be played online from anywhere in the world.

Summer Immersion Italian Camp for Children - Ideas for Activities - Campo d’italiano “Prato Verde e Lago Azzurro” for Children (5-10 year olds) designed by Giovanna Miceli Jeffries. This curriculum is for a 2-week immmersion camp, taught 2 hours/day. The name of the Italian Summer Camp is taken from the first song students will learn the first day (a well known song, "Ho visto un prato," beloved by generations of Italian children). The program is designed to allow students to acquire an understanding and develop basic communication skills in Italian language while exploring a European culture and its ways by engaging directly in activities and functions every day. They will follow a routine that is meant to reinforce what they have acquired each previous day and facilitate the acquisition of new topics. It is designed as an immersion language and culture experience with the contemplated outcome of having children with no previous knowledge or understanding of spoken Italian acquire linguistic communicative skills and an appreciation of Italian/European culture and ways of life.

Camp Program Overview (Word)
2-Week Camp Program Schedule (Word)

Thirty-One Days of Italians - Ideas for Lessons Plans (exit WisItalia) - This website was designed to educate others about the contributions that those of Italian heritage have made to America. The website lists names of Italians or Italian-Americans, and what they have accomplished, to provide ideas for lesson plans that can be easily integrated into any American History curriculum. Select the person's name to locate a brief biography and resources, and create a lesson plan appropriate for your class. The names of the people are grouped according to Grade and Time Period in History. Most schools use Time Periods, and two of the most common are used by the U.S. Department of Education. The names correlate with both time periods and overlap within grades, offering flexibility in developing lesson plans. Contact Janice Therese Mancuso at 31italians@earthlink.net for more information. (Excerpt from Thirty-One Days of Italians, ©2009 Janice Therese Mancuso.)

Transparent.com Resources for Educators (exit WisItalia) - Software solutions for educators. Transparent Language offers a wide variety of language learning tools for educators. Whether you are interested in building your students’ vocabulary, helping them practice their conversation skills, or want to improve their grammar, they have a product you can use to assist your students’ learning. They also have products to recommend to your schools and to students and parents.

UCLA Language Materials Project K-12 Gateway (exit WisItalia) - A website for elementary and secondary foreign language teachers with downladable lesson plans and supplementary materials written in English and adaptable to any language.

Universality of Italian Heritage Curriculum for Grades K-12
(exit WisItalia) - An exciting and enriching program developed by the Curriculum Development Committee of the New Jersey Italian and Italian American Heritage Committee. It consists of a Curriculum Infusion Model whereby Italian and Italian American content material is integrated into existing curricula K-12. Link to the NIAF webiste about this curriculum. (exit WisItalia)

Books for Children and Teenagers

www.alicenelpaesedeibambini.it (exit WisItalia) - Alice nel paese dei bambini - libri per bambini e ragazzi. Website is in Italian.

The Literary Show - Books for Children/Teenagers (exit WisItalia) - "The Literary Show" www.andreamarrone.com (exit WisItalia) by Andrea Marrone provides weekly literary reviews of books published recently in Italy with particular attention to emerging Italian authors and minor publishers. It includes Italian narratives, essays, guides, books for children/teenagers, poetry, reviews, and links to other book websites.

Directories

Directories Page - Information about the schools, programs, and Italian educators in Wisconsin

Forums

Blogspot (exit WisItalia) - Interested in ideas and strategies on how to best teach an Italian 3/AP split.

NIAF - ItalTalk, Italian Language Culture Forum
(exit WisItalia)

Word Reference Forum - Italian-English language forum
(exit WisItalia)

Online Publications and Networks

COPILAS - Council for the Promotion of the Italian Language in American Schools (exit WisItalia) - COPILAS is a national non-profit organization dedicated to assisting individuals, associations and communities around the United States, desiring to introduce or broaden the study of Italian language and culture in their public and private schools, colleges and universities. It is made up of representatives from Italian and U.S. education agencies, Italian American cultural organizations, educators and interested private individuals. All are experts in their respective fields, and are committed to promoting the study of Italian language and culture in the United States. COPILAS offers a free KIT, "Start Italian In Your School!" designed to help parents and students approach school authorities, apply for funding and carry out other related activities necessary to achieving their objectives.

"Start Italian In Your School!" (Word version)

"Start Italian In Your School!" (pdf version)

Italia Italiano (exit WisItalia) - Italia Italiano is a bi-monthly educational magazine conceived to offer two things to learners of Italian as a non-native language: a learning tool designed to improve their knowledge of Italian, and an up-to-date profile of the country where Italian is spoken. All articles in Italia Italiano are at an intermediate-advanced level. They provide a portrait of contemporary Italy: how it is, how it is evolving and by what it is inspired. Each issue covers a wide range of topics, from current affairs to national surveys on the country's main social trends, profiles of prominent public figures, news on sports events, exhibitions, concerts and other significant cultural activities. Website is in Italian and English.

Italica (exit WisItalia) - Once you are on the AATI website, select Italica from the left-side bar under Publications.

I-Italy (Editorial Network about Italy and Italian America) (exit WisItalia)

MagazineFactory (exit WisItalia). E-Learning without Borders. MagazineFactory is an easy and enjoyable publishing tool that provides teachers and pupils an opportunity to work as editorial staff in the class and to publish a web magazine of their own. The teacher is the editor-in-chief, while the pupils are journalists. The web magazine may be a single project, or a magazine that is edited continuously throughout the school year. View the Italian eMagazine site at magazinefactory.edu.fi/magazines/2669_1440 (exit WisItalia).

Updated March 6, 2010