AP Italian Language and Culture Unit 3 - Vita Contemporanea

Unit 3-Vita contemporanea Contemporary life Essential questions ● Che attività e aspetti della vita quotidiana sono presenti grazie alla cultura italiana? Gli sport, la cucina e la lunga pausa di pranzo a scuola siccome nelle regioni italiane i pasti sono davvero importanti per le famiglie. ● In che modo gli aspetti della vita quotidiana influenzano e sono in relazione con la qualità della vita? Gli aspetti della vita quotidiana per esempio gli sport, l’arte e il lavoro migliorano tutti la qualità della vita dando alle persone una distrazione e un divertimento. La scuola da ai bambini un modo di conoscere altre persone e di divertirsi migliorando la loro qualità di vita. ● Quale è l’influenza della cultura e lingua italiana sulla vita di tutti i giorni? La cultura italiana ha parecchio influenzato l'identità della popolazione con l’esempio dei dialetti delle diverse regioni. La cultura cambia la scuola e le attività al di fuori della scuola (Esempio sport) Unit 3 sub themes and keywords: Feste, sagre e tradizioni: ● Italian speaking countries cherish celebrations dearly as it gives families a place and time to reunite. These celebrations, however small, are always subject to big family reunions and kids have days off from school ● Italy celebrates the Epiphany very much having advertisements all over for candy and baskets as gifts on that day. This holiday is Italian folklore and is a great representation of how their culture is present in technology and contemporary life. The tale of the holiday is that a witch delivers candy and toys to the good children on January 6th. This holiday marks the end of Christmas celebrations and the return to school for children. Important vocabulary for holidays and celebrations: ● La befana --witch who delivers candy, also can be used to refer to the Epiphany ● L’epifania -- the Epiphany, an italian tale and holiday which is significant to all the kids ● La sagra -- another word referring to a big celebration or party with some cultural significance to the community ● La vacanza -- used as vacation but also for being off from work or school (i'm on a holiday) Istruzione, formazione e lavoro ● To understand italian culture it is important to understand the school system, rules and customs that are involved and the path to working. The customs around schooling and education and what is the most common path that leads to working and what does society praise the most ○ Kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school/other institutions that are specific to a work field, sometimes university but not always ○ After middle school, transitioning into high school people must take an exam and write a thesis on a topic that somehow involves all school subjects and must pass it to be admitted to high school. ○ The grades go to 10 (10 being the best A/A+ range) and there is something called 10 e lode which translate to extra credit in the U.S. system as it exceeds the grading scale Important vocabulary for education and careers: ● La scuola -- school ● La nota -- grade ● Il diario -- planner, given by the school most times, to help students plan homework and test dates but also write their grades and schedule down Sport e benessere: ● Soccer is the biggest sport among boys and also men, both for playing but also for entertainment. Sometimes there are even promotions in supermarkets where people can collect pictures of famous soccer players and trading these stickers at school is very popular especially in elementary and middle school. ● All sports are club sports and are completely independent from the school system resulting in less school spirit and less spectators at games and competition. Most girls compete in some kind of gymnastics or volleyball but no sports is as prevalent and popular like soccer is, however, it is not as socially acceptable for girls to play soccer as it is considered a men’s sport Important vocabulary for sports and well-being: ● Lo sport -- sports, any physical activity ● L'attività extrascolastica -- extracurricular activities, also meaning sports as they are independent from school system ● La ginnastica -- gymnastics but also used to talk about PE Mezzi di trasporto: ● In contrast to the United States where everything is privately owned and most families have at least one car, Italian culture is strongly based on public transportation making it the common way of commutation. Many families in italian communities do not even own a car as they use busses and trains to get around. The public transportations system is much more developed and elaborate than the American one, making it more popular and used. ● Busses and trains are the most common public transportation but in big cities there are also underground metros. Important vocabulary for transportation: ● Il mezzo di trasporto -- means of transportation ● I mezzi pubblici -- public transportation ● La macchina/ l’automobile -- car ● Il taxi -- cab or taxi, only present in very big urban areas to commute from train or bus station to home or hotel, very expensive and not popular in italian communities Viaggi e tempo libero: ● A major center of tourism for Italians is Sicily and Sardinia, being close and affordable, but also extremely beautiful and affordable. Italians also like to visit northern Europe particularly Germany, the Netherlands, and often Switzerland although it is much more expensive. ● Many holidays and trips are also to visit family members which is an important feature of Italian culture. Important vocabulary for holidays and leisure: ● La vacanza -- holiday and vacation ● Il mare -- the sea ● La montagna -- the hills/ periphery/mountainside, usually where grandparents live and referred to as if it were a city