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Presented by Dina Staffiero ITALIAN Teacher

Learning Italian at St Gabriel’s School

Saluti a tutti!  

At St Gabriel’s School students participate in one Italian language and culture lesson per week. Italian is one of the major community languages in Australia. Italian is also a major community language in Europe, the United States, Canada, South America and parts of Africa.

Italian belongs to the Romance family of languages that includes Catalan, French, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish. Italian and English have a common linguistic link with Latin, sharing many Latin-derived words and using the same Roman alphabet.  Many words we use in English have Italian origins, for example: alfresco, opera, solo, broccoli, ballerina and finale.

Language learning provides the opportunity for students to engage with the linguistic and cultural diversity of the world and its peoples, and reflect on their experience in various aspects of social life, including their own participation and ways of being in the world. Source: Australian Curriculum-Languages 2022

Through learning Italian students learn to:

*Use language for communicative purposes in interpreting, creating and exchanging meaning

* Analyse and understand language and culture as resources for interpreting and shaping meaning in intercultural exchange

*Develop a capability for reflection on language use and language learning

Here are some highlights from our Italian learning journey this year.

Maestra Dina- Italian Teacher