I received this question:
I have a 7 and 8-year old that are learning Italian. I lived in Italy for 6 years and speak, so I would like them to learn that as their first foreign language since we could practice together at home. Currently, we are doing Rosetta and Duolingo, but I don’t love the way they teach. I’d like them to learn verb conjugation rules and have masculine and feminine explained (perhaps better than I can do it). Would this class be appropriate for them? And since it’s an online class, I assume they would each need to sign up. Thanks much for your time.
Here is my reply:
Well, first of all, I’m jealous. Six years in Italy? Sigh. I’d love to do that.
Second, I’m intimidated. I’m fluent in Latin, but just starting out in Italian. I started learning Italian because I was sick of people correcting my Latin pronunciation. I figured I would learn to speak Latin with an Italian pronunciation. After all, that’s what the Italians do, or so I’m told. And no one knows exactly how Latin was pronounced.
I should tell you, this is not a class in which I teach Italian per se. This is a class in which I invite students to learn with me. That said, we will be reading through a book together. The book begins with a very simple text and ends with complicated Italian text.
I will definitely be teaching the grammar as we go. I will be relying upon DuoLingo and other sources for pronunciation. I will not be admonishing the students to imitate my pronunciation. 🙂
Since the book starts out so simply, I think it might be okay her children as young as yours. However, since I have never taught this course, it is hard for me to say.
Of course, if you jump in and realize it’s not for you, you are welcome to cancel at any time.
By the way, every Saturday, I send out a tip of the week. I also include announcements, upcoming classes, and so on. This is the main way I keep up with students and parents. If you would like to hear from me every weekend, and if you haven’t already signed up… sign up for my weekly updates here:
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