Students in Years 3-6 at Excelsior Primary School attend weekly hour-long lessons of Italian, in which they are exposed to a variety of stimulating and engaging learning experiences designed to foster their appreciation and understanding of Italian language and culture. Excelsior Primary School has a culturally diverse community, and the learning of Italian further strengthens student acceptance and tolerance of this diversity.
Students are encouraged to have an appreciation of the Italian language and culture as well as an awareness of the many ways in which it has helped to shape our own way of life here in Australia. Excelsior students make connections between the English and Italian languages and are aware of the many direct link between them. Students of Italian are fortunate to have many opportunities to use the language in everyday life, with Australia having many Italian restaurants and cafes where Italian is spoken.
All students are encouraged to “have a go” in a supportive and encouraging learning environment. Content is often taught through themed units (e.g. All about me, Weather, Family, Food, Hobbies etc) and also study the grammatical ‘structure’ of the Italian language.
Digital technology (iPads, Smartboards) are incorporated into each lesson and provide students with hands-on opportunities to develop their written and oral language skills. Students participate in a variety of activities with a strong focus on oral and aural language development, including games, role plays, interviews, songs etc.
Cultural appreciation is developed through creative art projects, incursions, and hands-on cooking lessons.