Author Description

Oggi in Italia is a successful, market-leading introductory Italian program featuring a balanced four-skills approach to language learning and varied perspectives of Italian culture, ranging from its rich, historical legacy to current changes affecting the country and culture. Students practice the basics of the language and develop oral communication skills in a variety of contexts, while learning about contemporary Italian life and culture. New! Enhanced oral communication and cultural sections (Parliamo un po' and Conoscere l'Italia) feature a lively new design; all-new activities and readings about regions not previously covered; and such topics as Italian cafes, national parks, and agritourism. New! Authentic readings in the Conoscere l'Italia sections include a flyer, two excerpted magazine readings, and a poem, which expose students to diverse writing styles and expand their reading skills. Revised grammar sequence features earlier presentation of comparisons, superlatives, and rooms of a house. Expanded focus on pronunciation appears now in every lesson and includes review of difficult sounds as well as intonation practice. Pronunciation activities recorded on the new In-Text Audio CD enables students to practice independently. Contextualized presentation of new grammar structures and vocabulary features dialogues, monologues, TV news, and interviews followed by Domande (comprehension questions), Domande personali (personalized questions), Situazioni (guided interview questions for pair work), and Pratica (role-plays and paired conversations). Thematic vocabulary presentations in Ampliamento del vocabolario reinforce acquisition through illustrations and communicative activities for pairs or groups. Clear grammar explanations, introduced through engaging cartoons, support retention of the concept. Accompanying structured and pair and group activities