GRAMMAR AND TEACHING OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE FOR PRIMARY AND CHILDHOOD SCHOOL WITH LABORATORY 3
Module GRAMMAR AND TEACHING WORKSHOP OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE FOR PRIMARY AND CHILDHOOD SCHOOL
Academic Year 2026/2027 - Teacher:
MILENA ELISA DANIELA ROMANO
Expected Learning Outcomes
In line with the National Guidelines for the Curriculum of Pre-school and the First Cycle of Education (Ministerial Decree No. 221/2025), the workshop aims to turn theoretical linguistic knowledge into active teaching practices for pre-school and primary school. Through grammar experiments, phonological games, the manipulation of words and sentences, narrative frameworks and short simulations, students will learn to guide children from implicit grammar to conscious reflection on language. Particular attention will be paid to pre-literacy skills and to written language, with a close look at valency syntax as well.
In accordance with the Dublin Descriptors, by the end of the workshop students will have achieved the following learning outcomes:
Knowledge and understanding: understand the cognitive, educational and inclusive value of reflection on language; know the principles and techniques of game-based and inductive teaching as applied to phonological awareness, morphology, vocabulary, syntax and textuality.
Applying knowledge and understanding: turn a linguistic phenomenon into an observable problem; design graded grammar experiments; plan and create game-based and hands-on materials; use theoretical models for activities on the simple sentence and on reading comprehension.
Making judgements: critically evaluate task instructions, workbooks and grammar-teaching practices; distinguish errors from variants, and select strategies suited to the age, learning objectives and linguistic needs of the class.
Communication skills: use linguistic terminology accurately; describe and explain grammatical phenomena clearly; lead metalinguistic reflection activities; design and present workshop activities, justifying their objectives, methods and assessment criteria.
Learning skills: independently find, select and use grammars, dictionaries, corpora and digital resources; keep their knowledge of linguistics and language teaching up to date and apply it to the design of new workshop activities.
Course Structure
The 12-hour workshop is held in person and uses active, participatory teaching methods: students are directly involved in building the learning pathways to be used in class, through group work, simulations, dramatisations and grammar experiments. Learning is based on hands-on experimentation, co-design and peer exchange.
Required Prerequisites
A basic knowledge of Italian grammar, of the main morphological and syntactic categories, and of the core language skills. Students are expected to be willing to take an active part, experiment, work cooperatively and reflect together on teaching practices.
Attendance of Lessons
In-person workshop. Active participation is required to carry out the planned cooperative activities, simulations and dramatisations.
Detailed Course Content
The workshop's guiding thread is the construction of rules through play, observation and hypothesis testing. Activities will be organised into the following core areas:
- From implicit grammar to metalinguistic awareness: observing data, formulating hypotheses, putting rules into words and testing them;
- Phonological awareness and pre-literacy skills: syllable and phoneme segmentation and blending, rhymes, sound chains, phoneme-grapheme correspondence and early spelling difficulties;
- Morphology and vocabulary in action: breaking words down and putting them back together, word families, derivation, reasoned classifications and the use of errors as a teaching tool;
- A pathway through valency syntax: identifying the verb as the syntactic centre, recognising valencies and arguments, building the sentence nucleus, distinguishing between circumstantial elements and expansions; manipulating, graphically representing and dramatising sentence structures;
- From sentence to text: cohesion, connectives, information order, rewriting and guided writing;
- Inclusive design: gradual progression, task instructions, accessible materials, cooperation, multilingualism, observation and formative feedback.
Textbook Information
M.G. Lo Duca,
Esperimenti grammaticali. Riflessioni e proposte sull’insegnamento della
grammatica dell’italiano, Roma, Carocci, 2025 (1a ed.
2004).
R. Sardo, Il
gioco delle regole: proposte di didattica ludica dell’italiano, in V.
Campisi, R. Sardo (a cura di), Sulle barricate delle competenze,
Siracusa, Libreria Editrice Urso, 2008, pp. 132-175.
V. Lucarelli, C.
Scala, Attività didattiche tratte e ispirate dal libro “Poesia, lingua e
ascolto” a cura di Franca Bosc, «Italiano a Scuola», 4, 2022, pp. 189-200. https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2704-8128/14874
Course Planning
| | Subjects | Text References |
|---|
| 1 | Grammar as play: from prescriptive grammar to grammar as a tool for thinking and creativity; The game of rules, the rules of the game: an inductive-deductive approach and early phoneme-grapheme discovery activities through nursery rhymes and wordplay. | |
| 2 | Grammar experiments: a step-by-step process of collectively building morphosyntactic and lexical rules through literary passages, theatrical frameworks and simulations. | |
| 3 | From practice to design: building micro-lessons; group work to create materials and game-based and drama activities for language education in pre-school and primary school, with simulation (micro-teaching) and peer feedback. Concluding discussion and links to the National Guidelines and the GISCEL Ten Theses for Democratic Language Education. | |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
Assessment aims to verify students' mastery of the subject content and their ability to put it into practice in a teaching context. It consists of an oral examination, supplemented by a discussion of the materials and learning pathways designed during the workshop. The exam is intended to assess whether the expected learning outcomes have been achieved, as well as students' ability to combine theoretical knowledge with the methodological and design skills specific to the teaching of Italian.
Assessment criteria
The exam is graded on a scale of 30 and will take particular account of the following criteria:
- the ability to present, discuss and summarise the topics covered using clear, appropriate language and with reference to specific theoretical frameworks;
- the thoroughness of the theoretical knowledge acquired;
- commitment to independent further study.
The aim of the exam is to assess the extent to which the learning outcomes set out above have been achieved:
18–23: sufficient – Understanding and knowledge of the exam topics, command of language, clarity of exposition and critical ability are acceptable;
24–26: fair – Understanding and knowledge of the exam topics, command of language, clarity of exposition and critical ability are more than sufficient;
27–28: good – Understanding and knowledge of the exam topics, command of language, clarity of exposition and critical ability are satisfactory;
29–30: very good – Understanding and knowledge of the exam topics, command of language, clarity of exposition and critical ability are fully satisfactory;
30 cum laude – Understanding and knowledge of the exam topics, command of language, clarity of exposition and critical ability are excellent.
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
- How does a “grammar experiment” differ from a traditional grammar explanation? Give an example that could be carried out in class.
- Describe a possible dramatisation activity to help children discover a morphosyntactic structure.
- Design a game-based activity (a nursery rhyme, a phonological game or a story) aimed at reflection on language for pre-school or primary school.
