This week it’s been all business.  Aside from classes one of the major developments to the semester is that this week elementary school and kindergarten teaching started.  I am in charge of a project for the city of Siena that sends native English speakers into local elementary schools and kindergartens to help the teachers out with English class.  This is the 6^th year that I’ve been in charge of the project and we’ve come a long way.  This year students will be singing songs, playing in English, and many will be involved in a very dynamic activity where the children will be learning and ultimately performing skits in English.  The skits are actually performed and produced by our students and then taken into the classes where the children can imitate language and movement as well as interact with each other in English.  Most of our students are nervous before heading into the classes of excited Italian children but once there, it’s pretty fun.  Everyone who has gone so far has had good things to say about the experience.

One more initiative that blossomed this week came about after Lavinia noticed that there was too much English being spoken around school.  She decided that every now and then there would be days here at SIS where NO ONE can speak English.  Italian only!  Friday, Oct. 15^th was that day this week.  That said… I’ve said too much in English myself!

Allora, vi lascio per ora.  Alla prossima!

Mike

Un giorno senza inglese

Film student and resident cinema expert here at SIS, Carlo Tozzi explains some of the intricacies of the film "Nuovomondo" during Italian class.