Welcome to the second edition of Avanti! In the new edition out priorities remain the same as those of the first edition, to provide an introductory language course that meets the needs of both instructors and learners. Three significant characteristics set Avanti! apart from other first-year Italian texts: First, Avanti! satisfies students’ desire to communicate in everyday situations right from the start and to explore Italy's rich and unique culture in meaningful ways. Second, Avanti! responds to instructors' concern that most textbooks attempt to cover too much material in the first year. We have designed an elementary course that reflects reasonable expectations for the amount of material that most beginning learners can acquire in one year of classroom instruction. Third, the methodology of Avanti! is firmly grounded in current findings of research in second language acquisition and foreign language pedagogy. The materials provide support for instructors, particularly those with limited experience, whose goals are to teach mainly, if not exclusively, in Italian, and to create the student-centered, communicative classroom environment that is promoted by this research. The title Avanti! was chosen to convey the forward-thinking approach of this exciting new program.

Informed by second-language acquisition research, the Avanti! program for introductory Italian is known for its focused approach and flexible content, its emphasis on communicative competence, its opportunities for recycling, and its exploration of culture. With Avanti!, students begin to learn and practice the language while developing an authentic appreciation for Italian culture, both inside and outside of class. Avanti! is built around the following principles: Focus and Flexibility: Whereas most Italian programs attempt to cover too much material in the first year, Avanti! reflects a reasonable expectation that most beginning learners can acquire in one year of classroom instruction. The Strutture sections focus on the core structures that are necessary for meaningful communication at the elementary level. Additional structures are either presented “for recognition only” or appear in Per saperne di più, giving instructors flexibility to teach the grammar they want to teach. The Connect platform allows instructors to fully customize course content to meet the needs of their students, whether their courses are face-to-face, hybrid, or online. Communicative Competence: From the very beginning, Avanti! satisfies student's desire to communicate in everyday situations through a guided and gradual process of acquisition. In the Strategie di comunicazione authentic videos that open each chapter, students see and hear Italians of all ages and backgrounds using high-frequency, practical expressions that students can begin using immediately. Outside of class, McGraw Hill Connect® provides easy-to-use voice tools for synchronous partnered speaking practice and asynchronous chat (Recordable Video Chat and Voice Board powered by GoReact). With Avanti! students are always well supported in their practice whether in person or online, building their communicative competence along with their confidence. Recycling: Avanti! is designed to provide maximum exposure to vocabulary and grammar structures. Every fourth chapter provides practice of four previously taught grammar points, which are then followed by a related topic. Chapter 16 contains only review grammar sections, providing students with additional practice with challenging structures. With Adaptive Learning Assignments in Connect, students can practice key vocabulary and grammar points outside of class. Cultural Competence: In addition to providing a meaningful and extensive exploration of Italy's gorgeous and unique culture, the 5th edition of Avanti! places a new emphasis on the importance of intercultural competence. Students are asked to think critically about the experience of learning a language and how it can benefit people's lives through exposure to new skills, behaviors, and attitudes. The first of four new modules features a video interview of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri, who sets the stage for new learners by describing the challenges and benefits of learning a new language. Subsequent modules feature a series of interviews with a diverse group of young Italians, and new activities related to intercultural competence have been added to each chapter (Prospettive a confronto and Cosa vedi? Cosa capisci?). The former Cultura section has also been extensively revised in this edition, with all sections renamed and re-envisioned to develop discourse-level language skills while exploring rich cultural content. Following a sensitivity analysis, users will also find more inclusive representation of the regions of Italy, historical information, race and ethnicity, gender and LGBTQ, religion, body image, mental health, and gender roles.

"For many years, the Italian-American Political Solidarity Club has held an annual poetry reading on the holiday known as Columbus Day. Our purpose? To encourage our paesans to break with the legacy of Christopher Columbus and embrace a future based in human solidarity, not conquest, domination and war. Instead of conquest, we celebrate those who have stood up for justice. As Italian Americans, we honor our immigrant experiences as teachers, laborers, union organizers, and free speech advocates. By sailing away from Columbus, we start to break down the logic of conquest, which invariably leads to wars abroad and repression at home"--Page 4 of cover.

This uniquely effective new introductory Italian language program meets the needs of instructors as well as learners. Three significant characteristics set Avanti! apart from other beginning Italian texts currently available: First, in response to instructors' concern that most textbooks attempt to cover too much material in the first year, Avanti! reflects reasonable expectations for the amount of material that most beginning learners can acquire in one year of classroom instruction. Second, Avanti! strives to satisfy students' desire to communicate in everyday situations right from the start. The activities guide students to communicate in truly meaningful contexts that encourage explorations of the rich Italian culture. Third, the methodology of Avanti! is firmly grounded in the latest findings from research in second language acquisition and foreign language pedagogy.

Tutto bene! is an entertaining and comprehensive multi-level Italian language course for beginners, uniquely designed for both the classroom and a high degree of independent learning. Based on the communicative approach, the course comprises a combination of components in a range of media. Book 1 is for beginners. In this level you will learn the survival language you need to get by in Italy. Learn to greet people and introduce yourself. Get to know someone by discussing where they’re from and exchanging contact details. Be able to describe yourself and others. Order food like an Italian and express your likes and dislikes. Arrange an outing or a dinner. Book a hotel room and make sure it has what you need at the right price. Tutto bene! Book 1 provides the perfect balance, enabling you to enjoy the language while developing an understanding of the grammar. It will give you a strong foundation and the confidence to further develop your Italian. The key components for each level of Tutto bene! are as follows: Tutto bene! book The book presents the Tutto bene! course in a format designed primarily for the classroom but accessible to the independent learner and complementary to the app. Each level of the course comprises a book with ten self-contained yet progressively linked lessons. Each lesson is carefully structured to introduce new language via an episode of the sitcom series followed by graduated conversation practise, ranging from limited to more open-ended dialogues where students apply the language they’ve acquired. Listening and responding activities are integral to each lesson, as are the simple explanations and deductive activities enabling students to understand the grammar. Writing activities are given at the end of every lesson and may be completed in class or later. Tutto bene! sitcom In the Tutto bene! sitcom series we follow an almost-normal group of friends through their quotidian ups and downs living and working in Rome and on holidays in other parts of Italy. The off-beat humour, original soundtrack and idiosyncrasies of the characters in these short episodes are both entertaining and a great stimulus for learning, while importantly also serving to make the language memorable. By viewing an episode multiple times at intervals and particularly before starting a new lesson, students will recognise their progress with the language and gain a sense of accomplishment. The sitcom series is the foundation of the course, with a short episode of under four minutes’ duration introducing the new language and themes for each lesson in the book and on the app. All episodes of the series can be easily accessed in and out of the classroom: search for Lingopont Tutto bene! on YouTube or download the Lingopont Italian app. Lingopont Italian app: Tutto bene! The app delivers the Tutto bene! course in an interactive mobile format allowing maximum learning flexibility. It is both a vibrant alternative to the classroom for wholly independent learners as well as a rich resource for classroom students to further revise, consolidate and practise. The app offers an engaging and culturally-immersive learning experience with instant feedback for students to monitor their progress. With a transparent structure and supported step-by-step learning in all the skills, students have the choice of working progressively through the course or working selectively on a particular area. Each lesson comprises an episode of the Tutto bene! sitcom series followed by vocabulary building, speaking, listening, pronunciation and writing activities and culminates in a quiz. There is also a grammar reference for each lesson. Download the Lingopont Italian app from the app store.