The Italian Department
Buongiorno e benvenuto! Pizza, piano, ghetto, broccoli – we use Italian words every day in English, sometimes without realising. Italian is the language closest to English (Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language, 1987) and therefore Italian serves to enrich the students’ English vocabulary and understanding of their mother tongue.
Italian is also the Romance language closest to Latin from which many English, French, Spanish and Portuguese words are derived.
Presdales’ Italian department is very proud of its excellent results. In 2018, 88 percent of pupils gained an A*- C grade and 56 percent of pupils gained an A*- A grade in their Italian GCSE.
Department aims and vision
The department aims to equip students with language which they can make use of in Italy, and with the skills of language learning. We also aim to provide an insight into Italian culture and traditions, providing excursions to Italy and exhibitions in the UK when suitable.
Students may begin in Italian in Year 7, during this year they will learn the basics for communication in Italian and additionally study cultural aspects of language. In Years 8 and 9 they continue to build on what they have learned in Year 7.
In Year 7 students have the chance to start Italian as their second language option. Students are placed in one of two groups based on their ability shown in French and other areas.
Students learn how to conduct a variety of everyday conversations and have the opportunity to put these into practice in Italy if they take part in the 4 day trip to Rome in March/April of Year 8 or 9.
Students are introduced to the basic grammatical concepts of the language. Classes are conducted mainly in Italian and students are actively encouraged to use the language as much as possible themselves. The four skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing are developed during the course of the three years. Topics covered include self, descriptions, free time, talking about their town and classroom language. Assessment is by means of mid-year tests and end of year examination.
Year 9 Italian Trip to Rome
