FAQs
- How is my grade calculated?
- Is extra help offered?
- How can I improve my Italian?
- How can I understand what is going on in class if I don't know Italian?
- Do you speak English in class?
- I understand that your orals are not scripted. How does that work?
- How often do you give homework?
- Why aren't all the presentations from the entire year on the site?
- What is your e-mail address?
How is my grade calculated?
Your grade is made up of the following:
10% homework
10% participation
40% oral practice/presentations
40% written quizzes/tests
These grading rules are standard across all languages.
Is extra help offered?
Yes. For Hammarskjold students, help is available by appointment.
For Churchill students, students may make
arrangements with me to meet at Hammarskjold after school. If
this is not possible, I can arrange for another Italian teacher
to help you after school at Churchill.
How can I improve my Italian?
PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE! Please don't be afraid to speak -
the more you speak the more natural it will feel and the better
you will become. It doesn't matter if you are not saying
everything perfectly - what matters is that you can get your
point across to another Italian speaking person. Of course,
grammatical accuracy is something to strive for but that
will come in time. You can also go on the various authentic
sites listed on my links page to further your exposure to Italian
and the culture.
How can I understand what is going on in class if I don't know Italian?
You are not expected to understand everything that is said in
beginning. Since the entire class is conducted in Italian and you
will not know much to communicate, it is crucial that you pay
attention and practice in class and at home. You will be given a
list of commands that you will hear the teacher say and you will
practice in class performing those commands. You will also be
given a list of common useful phrases that you will be expected
to use in class every day. Those phrases will be extremely
helpful to get you through the beginning until you begin to
understand and use language on your own. You will be surprised at
how quickly you will understand Italian!
Do you speak English in class?
The entire class is conducted in Italian and students are
expected to speak in Italian. Though it may sound scary now, it
is a very effective way to learn a language and you will find
that as you progress through the year, you will be able to
understand most of what is being said. English will be used
occasionally to answer questions or to clarify. Students
will be made aware which times are appropriate to use English
through the use of an "English Permitted" sign. When the sign
says "Italiano", Italian is the only language that is acceptable
at that time.
I understand that your orals are not scripted. How does that work?
Orals are conversations between two or more people in different
scenarios. Students are not permitted to memorize a script of
what they plan to say. Students will be told what they are
expected to talk about and students will practice with random
partners in class to feel more comfortable. When
students perform their orals, they will not know who their
partners are or which person they will be in the situation until
they are called up to perform. The focus is on real life
communication and in a real life situation it is not possible to
write a script as to what you will say. This is what we try to
replicate in the classroom so that when your child
does go to Italy, s/he will be able to communicate.
How often do you give homework?
Some form of homework is given every day except Fridays.
Homework may be a written assignment, a study assignment or both.
Please check your child's agenda to make sure s/he is doing
her/his homework.
Why aren't all the presentations from the entire year on the site?
It was my goal to keep all of the presentations from the entire
year on the site so that students could refer back to them as
necessary. Unfortunately, there is not enough memory alloted on
the site to keep them all there. Instead, I can only keep the
most recent presentations on the site.
What is your e-mail address?
ldangelobonelli@ebnet.org
