Teaching Italian at the Italian nursery and primary school "Maria Montessori" in Barcelona

Abstract

The article illustrates the didactic activities carried out at the Italian school in Barcelona in relation to teaching of Italian as a second language. The school is attended by students whose mother tongue is Spanish or Catalan. The first part describes, in general terms, how the teaching of a second language works through games that improve the comprehension and oral expression of Italian from kindergarten onwards (children from 3-4-5 years old). The second part explains the techniques used to introduce primary school pupils (6-7 year olds) to reading and writing. The acquisition process should lead students from a state of incomprehension to a state of zero uncertainty. The third part illustrates how primary school pupils (8-9-10 year olds) express themselves through writing. The children of the school have demonstrated a very good development of oral and written expression and written comprehension. They also enjoyed experimenting with different forms of communication through writing texts and poems.