Italian

This February, OFS students had the opportunity to wear original hand-painted masks and travel virtually to Venice during Carnevale!

Carnival in Italy is the merriest event of the year, celebrated all throughout the country through different traditions. One thing that unites these traditions is the practice of wearing face masks, especially in Venice. Celebrants in masks and costumes parade through the canals and evoke the atmosphere of the early 17th century through fine fabrics, period costumes and hand-painted masks!

Students explore the world of apples! Through interactive lessons and hands-on activities, young Italian learners in grades 1-3 uncover the fascinating secrets of this beloved fruit and learn some vocabulary to complement their newfound knowledge.

Our advanced middle school Italian students had an unforgettable day at Casa Italiana, the Italian sociocultural center in DC!

They embarked on a tour of the Italian art and historical artifacts at the center, led by a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. A delicious slice of Neapolitan pizza capped off the day. The field trip to Casa Italiana was a reminder that learning a language goes beyond words—it encompasses an entire world waiting to be explored!

Grazie mille to our Italian teacher Fiorenza for organizing this wonderful experience, and to Casa Italiana for supporting our Italian language program in so many ways!

Today students immersed themselves in a fun and engaging activity centered around the beloved Pixar movie, Luca! They combined their vocabulary and comprehension skills by watching the film and completing various exercises inspired by the animated world of the movie. Through this interactive experience, Italian students not only expanded their linguistic abilities but also fostered a deeper appreciation for Italian culture and storytelling.

Happy holidays to all! Today's Italian lesson centered around Christmas traditions in Italy. Students also learned the names of all the pieces of the outfit of "Babbo Natale," otherwise known as Santa Claus.

Today students learned to name all of the different types of Italian pasta! They also practiced counting in Italian with pasta pieces and played a game with spaghetti called "Don't Be Eaten By the Monster."

Our Lower Elementary students learned about American Thanksgiving today – in Italian, "Il giorno del Ringraziamento e il tacchino." 

The 1st-3rd grade Italian class celebrated Mother's Day today, reading poems about mothers and discussing all the way mothers show love. Buona festa della mamma!
 

In their language studies this week, students practiced their descriptive vocabulary with the Italian version of the game “Guess Who,” learned about the spring holidays celebrated in Italy, and put together sentences related to spring (“primavera”) and Easter (“Pasqua”).

To celebrate the advent of spring in Italian class, our kindergarten students assembled paper cherry blossoms (alberi di ciliegi in fiore) while our 3rd-5th grade students learned about Italian artists who celebrated springtime in their work, including Sandro Botticelli, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, and Antonio Vivaldi.

Although St. Patrick's Day is not traditionally celebrated in Italy, our Italian students still learned some festive vocabulary to celebrate!

Carnevale in Italy, known in the U.S. as Carnival or Mardi Gras, takes place in the weeks leading up to Easter. Italians celebrate Carnevale with a huge winter festival marked by parades, masquerade balls, music, and parties. Our Italian students celebrated Carnevale by exploring the different costume and mask traditions throughout Italy—and then were inspired to create their own masks!

Students enjoyed using some new winter-themed vocabulary this week, including "neve" (snow), "inverno" (winter), and "pupazzo di neve" (snowman)!

Our 1st—3rd grade Italian students celebrated Giornata Internazionale Della Pace (International Peace Day) this week, learning how to say peace (pace), dove (colomba), recite the colors of the Peace Flag (bandiera della pace), and how to wish all children around the world a peaceful future.