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Courses and Curriculum
The school of the “Dante Alighieri Society” was founded in 1962 with a goal of teaching the Italian language and cultural aspects to children of Italian heritage. However, anyone interested in the Italian language and its cultural heritage, regardless of their enacestry, is welcome to register. This includes both adults and children.
Courses, which have an annual average duration of 80 hours for non-accredited levels and of 100 hours for the accredited ones, are offered every Saturday morning from September to May. The program is divided in four cycles, for a total of twelve levels and two special courses for adults.
| LEVELS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Schooler | Pre-school class (3/4) | ||
| Introductory Cycle | Kindergarten (5) | Introductory One (6) | |
| Beginner Cycle | Introductory Two (7) | Level One (8) | Level Two (9) |
| Intermediate Cycle | Level Three (10+) | Level Four (11+) | Level Five (12+) |
| Advanced Cycle | Italian 10-3Y | Italian 20-3Y | Italian 30-3Y |
| Adult Classes | Beginner | Intermediate | |
Note: The numbers in parentheses indicate the ideal age of the student according to his/her learning experiences in the public school system and according to his/her cognitive abilities. Placement in the various levels also acknowledges the student’s linguistic knowledge. The accredited courses adhere to the program delievered by the Ministry of Alberta Education.
The program proposes a continuous integration of language and culture. At the first levels, emphasis is placed on empirical learning through the direct use of the live language. At the highest levels, emphasis moves gradually toward a more analytical learning in order to develop, parallel to communicative competence, more advanced linguistic skills.