The department of the Italian curriculum for the primary school represents a great linking bridge between infancy and adolescence. A comprehensive and challenging route that begins with learning reading and writing skills along with calculation and ends with the development of a complete and enriched individual. The motivation on the part of our teachers in carrying out interdisciplinary between the two curricula (Anglo-Saxon and Italian) makes the route of primary school even more exciting and rewarding. At the foundation of this trip lie the most innovative educational studies of our millennium: from Dewey’s pedagogical activism to cooperative group learning, from the inclusive education to the use of "inverted –class” technologies. The teaching objectives of the Italian curriculum, comply with ministry guidelines, and are enriched with educational insights derived from the Anglo-Saxon context of learning and multidisciplinary projects with the final aim of offering students with the pleasure of learning for themselves.
Targets to be achieved at the end of Primary school in the Italian curriculum
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Italian language
The student takes part in communicative/verbal exchanges (conversation, class or group discussion) with classmates and teachers respecting his/her turn and formulating clear and meaningful messages in the register most suited to the situation.
- Listen and understands communications and news “transmitted" by medias and is able to grasp the core of the message, the main information and its purpose.
- Reads and comprehends texts of various types – both continuous and non-continuous – and through the use of reading strategies that are appropriate to the scope of the task, is able to identify the texts overall meaning and main information.
- Uses functional abilities in his/her study: identifies and extrapolates from texts information that is relevant to the “assimilation” of a given topic and is able to compare it with other data; he/she is further able to summarize this same information, also in a view of a possible presentation; lastly, he/she acquires a core set of specific terminology.
- Reads texts of various genre – which are part of children's literature – both aloud and to him/herself (silently and independently), formulating his/her own personal opinion.
- Writes texts – which are orthographically correct, clear and coherent – linked to the various experiences and writing opportunities offered by the school; he/she also reworks texts paraphrasing, completing and/or transforming them.
- Understands and uses in his/her oral and written exposition both basic and articulate vocabulary; understands and uses the most frequent, specific terms related to the discipline he/she is studying.
- Reflects on own texts and those of others to grasp morphological-syntactic regularity and other features of the lexicon; acknowledges that the different linguistic choices are related to the variety of communicative situations.
- Is aware that, in communicating, different language properties and different languages are used(multilingualism).
- Masters and applies, in different situations, fundamental knowledge regarding the logical-syntax organization of simple sentence, parts of speech (or lexical categories) and major connectives.
History
The student recognizes the significant elements of his/her past living environment.
- Recognizes and explores an increasingly thorough way the historical traces on the territory and understands the importance held by the artistic and cultural heritage.
- Uses timelines to organize information, knowledge, and eras and identify sequences, contemporary elements, durations, and periodization.
- Identifies the relationships between human groups and spatial contexts.
- Organizes information and knowledge, by schematizing and using relevant conceptualizations.
- Comprehends the historical texts assigned and is able to identify its main characteristics.
- Uses geo-historical maps, aided by digital resources and ICT tools.
- Is able to orally expose the studied facts and knows how to produce simple historical texts, using also digital resources.
- Understands events, facts and phenomena of society and civilization that have influenced mankind’s history from the Paleolithic to the end of the ancient world with a possibility of comparison with the contemporary
- Includes basic aspects of Italy’s past from the Paleolithic era to the end of the Western Roman Empire, with a possibility of comparison with the contemporary world.
Geography
The student is able to orient both in his/her surrounding space and on maps, using topological and cardinal references.
- Uses geographical language to: interpret maps and the terrestrial globe, make simple cartographic sketches and thematic maps, and plan routes and itineraries.
- Extracts geographic information from a plurality of sources (cartographic and satellite-based, digital technologies, photographs, along with artistic and literary representations).
- Recognizes and names the main physical geographic 'objects' (rivers, mountains, plains, coasts, hills, lakes, seas, oceans, etc.).
- Locates the elements that characterize various landscapes – namely, mountains, hills, valleys, volcanoes, etc. – with particular attention to Italian ones, and identifies both similarities and differences between major European and other continents’
- Appreciates, in world-history landscapes, the progressive changes brought forth by men on nature
- Is aware that the geographical space is a territorial system, made up of physical and human elements, linked together by connection relationships and/or interdependencies.
Mathematics
The student is able to confidently complete both written and mental calculations with whole numbers and knows how to identify when the use of a calculator represents an opportunity.
- Recognizes and represents various geometrical forms both in 2D and in 3D, relationships and structures found in nature or that have been created by me
- Describes, names and classifies figures based on geometric characteristics, determines its measures, and designs/manufactures concrete models of various types.
- Uses tools for geometric design (line, compass, set square) and the most common measuring instruments (meters, protractor etc.).
- Analyses data in order to get information and constructs representations (tables and graphs). Also extracts information from data presented in tables and graphs.
- Recognizes and quantifies, in simple cases, situations of uncertainty.
- Reads and understands texts that involve logical and mathematical aspects.
- Can solve simple problems regarding a wide-range of content, while maintaining control on both the solution process and on the results. Describes the procedure followed and recognizes solution strategies that are different from the one he/she adopted.
- Builds reasoning based on assumptions, supporting his/her ideas and respecting the point of view of others.
- Recognizes and uses different representations of mathematical objects (decimals, fractions, percentages, reduction stairs etc.).
- Develops a positive attitude towards mathematics, through meaningful experiences, that make him/her realize the meaning behind the mathematical tools he/she learnt and the usefulness these have when applied to real life problems.
Science
The student develops curiosity and interest, which in turn enable him/her to look at the world in an inspired way and lead him/her to seek explanations regarding what he/she sees happening.
- Explores phenomena with a scientific approach: aided by his/her teachers, comrades, but also independently, he/she observes and describes the unfolding of events, asks questions and, also on the basis of personal assumptions, proposes and carries out simple experiments.
- Identifies similarities and differences within different phenomena, makes measurements, records significant data, and identifies relationships between space and time.
- Locates quantitative and qualitative aspects in phenomena, produces graphical representations and patterns of appropriate level, and develops simple models.
- Recognizes the main features and ways of living of organisms and animals.
- Demonstrates knowledge about the structure and development of his/her own body, its various organs and systems, recognizing and describing its functions using intuitive models and takes care of his health.
- Displays care for the school’s environment that he/she shares with others; respects and appreciates the value of both the social and natural environment.
- Exposes with clearly what he has experienced, using appropriate language.
- Finds a variety of sources (books, internet, speeches by adults, etc.) of information and explanations about the issues that interest him.
