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Italian Language and Culture for Children in Sacramento, California

May 7th, 2012 by

Did you know that just an hour a week of foreign language gives an important grounding in the language which allows leads to conversation?

If you like the idea of your children learning Italian, you will be happy to know that the Italian Cultural Society of Sacramento brings Italian language to the many children who do not have Italian offered in their school.

The Italian Cultural Society offers year round language programs with small teacher to student ratio. These fun-filled programs are designed to let children explore Italy, its rich culture, food, art and language in a fun setting.

To learn more, visit their website: http://www.italiancenter.net/

 

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Italian Language Classes inside the Home of a Great Italian Inventor

May 2nd, 2012 by

In the heart of Rosebank (Staten Island, NY) is the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum, located in the historic home of the inventor, Antonio Meucci.

Meucci was a prolific Italian inventor, engineer, and practical chemist who is most known for developing a voice communication apparatus, precursor of the telephone, in 1857.

 

Today the house is a museum and a National Landmark, owned and operated by the Order Sons of Italy in America.

 

You can visit the museum,  take a historical tour to discover more about Meucci and his friendship with Italian hero Giuseppe Garibaldi and enroll in Italian language classes.

To find out more, please visit the museum website at: http://pub1.andyswebtools.com/cgi-bin/p/awtp-home.cgi?d=garibaldi-meucci-museum

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Italian American Community Center of Rochester, New York

Apr 16th, 2012 by

The Italian American Community Center of Rochester, NY offers a wide range of interesting activities. They include dinner dances, receptions, graduations, weddings, and meetings in the Ballroom, bocce tournaments and soccer games, just to name a few.  The Community Center has a library with a collection of Italian publications. The Italian language and Italian culture are being promoted with classes and many services are being offered to the community.

To learn more, please visit the Italian American Community Center website: www.iaccrochester.org

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New Italian School in New Jersey

Mar 29th, 2012 by

If you live in the Parsippany, New Jersey area and wish to keep your family’s language, history, and values alive, you may want to go and visit this new school: Italian School NJ

The school is coming to Parsippany in collaboration with the PAL and the local Sons of Italy chapter and offers classes and private and semi-private tutoring for all ages from 2 1/2 years old to adults.

The objectives of the school are to provide each student with formal instruction and the confidence to speak and write in Italian. The method the school uses is the full-immersion approach, with no English spoken in class.

To find out more, please visit the school website: http://italianschoolnj.com/

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Italian Classes and Culture in the New York Area (part 2)

Mar 15th, 2012 by

Here is another opportunity to practice and learn Italian in the New York city area with an organization called Italian Charities of America.

It was founded in 1936 and its main headquarters are located at 83-20 Queens Boulevard, Elmhurst, New York 11373. Telephone (718) 478-3100.

It was established to assist Italians and Italian-Americans in need during the great depression in New York City.

Its mission was to provide charitable assistance. It has provided support to disabled children, cerebral palsy organizations, cancer patients, retired members of religious orders among others.

Italian Charities of America is also a social and cultural center for those of Italian origin in the greater New York City area. It offers weekly Italian language classes for children and adults. Ballroom dancing lessons are offered twice weekly. Dinner Dance events are held two Saturdays per month.

Find out more by visiting their website at: http://italiancharities.org/

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Italian Classes and Culture in the New York Area

Mar 1st, 2012 by

Italian language students in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut might be interested in checking this organization out: The Italian American Committee on Education (IACE).

IACE is a New York based non-profit organization founded in 1975 for the purpose of promoting the study of the Italian language and culture within the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The IACE program is made possible primarily through an Italian Government grant and operates under the supervision of the Consulate General of Italy in New York.

For more information about classes and events, visit the organization website at: http://www.iacelanguage.org/

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Common Questions About Language Learning

Feb 27th, 2012 by

Q: How do I make my language learning easy and effective?

A: Choose a language learning method that is right for you and establish a daily or weekly routine.

It is that simple! If you can commit a certain amount of time every day or every week, you will make steady progress that will take you from beginner to intermediate to advanced speaker without great effort.

Q: How do I find my method?

A: Explore the following options and pick at least three or four tools you will employ to study your target language:

  • A grammar book
  • Phrase Book
  • Dictionary
  • Newspapers/Magazines
  • Books and Readers
  • Audiobooks
  • Dual-Language Books
  • Flashcards
  • Audio Cassettes/CD’s
  • Movies/Videos
  • Internet Radio
  • Online Instructor
  • Language Club
  • Pen Pal

Q: How do I keep motivated?

When you have made some progress, don’t forget to reward yourself with something that you enjoy:

  • Travel
  • Meet and chat with a learning buddy
  • Enjoy a treat at a special restaurant where the menu is in your target language
  • Watch a movie in your target language
  • Treat yourself to something special

 

What kind of reward works for you? Share your experience here!

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Sing, Dance, Read and Play in Italian in New Jersey

Feb 17th, 2012 by

If you live in the Northern New Jersey area, you should check out this interesting organization: D’Italia Programs, a community based not for profit organization dedicated to Italian American Culture.

Within the D’Italia programs you will find:

The Coro
d’Italia singing and dancing Ensemble established in  1932.

The Scuola
d’Italia (Italian School) offering  culture and language workshops for adults and children.

La Familgia
special events celebrating Italian American customs.

To learn more, visit their website at: http://ditaliaprograms.org/index.html

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Let’s have some fun with Italian idioms!

Jan 23rd, 2012 by

In Italian, idioms (figures of speech) are called “espressioni idiomatiche”.

They can be tricky and hard to understand, because when you translate an idiom, you don’t get its real meaning, but only the meaning of the words it is made of. That is why, for those interested in understanding the Italian language and culture, it is helpful to learn somecommon Italian idioms.

Here are some examples:

  • Di punto in bianco: improvvisamente (suddenly)
  • A quattr’occhi: a tu per tu; privatamente (just between us; in private)
  • Per filo e per segno: dettagliatamente, nei minimi particolari (with lots of details)
  • Al volo: subito, all’istante, velocemente (right now, fast, quickly)
  • Stare sulle spine: in uno stato di preoccupazione (to be worried)
  • Su per giù: all’incirca (more or less)
  • Su due piedi: improvvisamente, immediatamente (suddenly, on the spot)
  • Alla buona: semplice, senza pretese (simple, not fancy)
  • A malapena: con difficoltà, a fatica (hardly, barely)
  • Di buon’ora: molto presto (very early)

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How children play in Italy

Jan 18th, 2012 by

Young Italian children play a game that is very similar to the one known as “Ring-a-Ring-o’-Roses”. It is called Girotondo.

How to play:girotondo - Italian children's game
The children make a ring by holding hands and walking in a circle while chanting a short rhyme.
At the end of the song they throw themselves down onto the ground and then they start all over again.

 

Rhyme:
Giro girotondo
Casca il mondo
Casca la Terra
Tutti giu’ per terra!
Translation:
Turn round and round
the world falls down
the Earth falls down
everybody down on the ground!

Try it and have fun!

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