Italian Language & Single Subjects

Overview

Children build on learning with their homeroom teachers in single subject classes including Italian Language, Art, Music, Physical Education, Library and Personal, Social and Health Education. Each of these single-subject classes has a dedicated teacher and an appropriate space where children can explore another language, develop creativity and maintain an active, healthy lifestyle.

Italian Language

Italian language development and cultural awareness are integral in learning about our host country and developing international mindedness. Children have four hours of Italian instruction per week with an Italian teacher and are exposed to the Italian language in three different levels;

  • IAL 1 (Italian as an Additional Language – Beginning level – Grades 1-5)
  • IAL 2  (Italian as an Additional Language – Advanced level – Grades 2-5)
  • Full Program (Grades 1-5)

IAL 1 and IAL 2 focus on building conversational skills, while in the Full Program students learn content material based on the Italian National Curriculum. This program leads to the Quinta exam at the end of Grade 5. Italian Math is added in grades 3-5 for one hour a week in the Full Program.

An exam preparation stream continues in the Middle School with the culmination of the Italian State Exam (Terza Media) in Grade 8.

The Primary Art program is designed to support the individual artistic growth of students while also teaching and supporting the development of skills intrinsic to artistic studio work that apply to all facets of learning and reaching new levels of personal accomplishment (Based on finding from the Studio Thinking Project, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Project Zero). When relevant, interdisciplinary units are collaboratively designed by art and classroom educators to broaden the scope of learning outcomes.

Students are scheduled to visit the art studio as a whole class for one hour a week. Students and teachers are invited to the art studio at any time during the school day to access materials. There are after-school art classes offered by Ambrit Art Educators designed to extend learning for interested students.

The roles of the art educators and studio environment are to nurture each student as an artistic thinker, inquirer and risk taker, as they:

  • build confidence and fluency in visual expression through explorations of and interactions with a multitude of materials, artworks, challenges, collaborations, and individual endeavors.
  • develop an appreciation for the infinite diversity of artistic voice from in the classroom to around the world, and from artists past and present.
  • nurture and maintain their own sense of curiosity and invention when confronted with new materials and challenges.
  • cultivate awareness of their own unique creative and learning process, maturing toward creating their own ever more complex visual and intellectual artistic pursuits.

Each year, students are given more responsibility in the art studio, and objectives are designed to meet the unique needs of students based on their personal artistic phase of development. We embrace and teach that all voices are important and crucial to our construction of a studio of diverse artists and that all ideas and responses to challenges are to be treated with professional and peer respect.

Ambrit’s music program supports the development of the whole person through technical skills and self-expression. Students gain a working knowledge of music theory and literacy through flutophone, recorder, ukulele and singing. Students use these tools in composition, creative movement, and performance.

Active listening and participation foster an appreciation for music of all cultures which lasts a lifetime. Students are encouraged to participate in the extensive after-school music program including choirs, ensembles and private lessons at all levels.

In the Primary section, we continue from the Early Childhood physical education program by furthering the concept of body control and spatial awareness, the body’s capacity for movement and how to move around and in between objects, while nurturing individual skills.

We introduce warm up and stretching and emphasize its importance to avoid injury and improve performance. In advanced primary grades, we introduce students to the skills and tactics needed in games which include lacrosse, volleyball, hockey, baseball, basketball, American football, badminton, and handball.

Students also participate in athletic activities which combine movements to create sequences and refine gymnastic and dance skills. Adventure challenges are also provided throughout the program to help students learn to solve problems and accomplish common goals.

The Ambrit Libraries are central resources for all students, staff, and parents of the school. Primary students learn to appreciate literature as they are exposed to different genres of fiction, including works by authors from other cultures. They learn how to make good choices for their own reading material and regularly participate in author discussions and student-led book talks. In weekly classes, the overall goal is to encourage a love of reading as well as the effective use of nonfiction materials, enabling students to approach research confidently. Primary students have a scheduled library lesson once a week but are encouraged to visit the library before and after school, as well as during their breaks. Ambrit International School has a collection of over 18,000 books in two libraries.
The Junior Library has picture books, beginning chapter books and information books selected for readers in Nursery through Grade 3.  The majority of the library collection is in English but there is a growing collection of books in Italian and other languages. There is a large collection of picture books in Italian as well as in over a dozen other languages. The Atrium Library has fiction books and information books selected for readers in Grades 3 through 8. There are many fiction books in Italian as well as in several other other languages.

©2024 Ambrit International School, Rome.

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