Butte Immersion Course Syllabus – July 17-24, 2010.
The primary objective of this course is to provide students with the foundational knowledge necessary to acquire the highest standards of fluency in written and spoken Irish. This objective is attained through the application of a scientific methodology of language instruction known as An Modh Díreach, a system of instruction specifically designed to impart a spoken knowledge of Irish to students. This approach stresses a number of key principles:
1. Mastery of the phonetics of Irish to ensure proper enunciation
2. Emphasis on developing the student’s aural faculties in attaining command of Irish
3. Instruction on the techniques and proven strategies for learning Irish as employed in the most reputable language-learning institutes in Ireland
4. As the purpose of language is communication, each student is assigned a study buddy with whom to work on the oral material and, thus, begin conversation in the language.
This introductory course will give students a command of the phonetics of Irish; will acquaint them with the proper usage of the two verbs ‘to be;’ prepositional pronouns, initial mutations, and other linguistic features peculiar to Irish. Grammatical explication is reinforced through the employment of songs and poems as well as conversational pieces that illustrate the proper usage of each particular aspect of language. The lessons and resources are thematically arranged to form an integrated program that ensures that by the end of semester each student is capable of using the past, present and future tenses of the verb to be to speak on such topics as weather, food, clothing, physical appearance, abilities, nationality, country of origin, feelings, family, residence and other pertinent personal information.
This course will be taught as part of a week-long immersion program that will be held in Butte this summer. This is the second year that such a program will be offered in Butte, and the first time that it will be offered for credit. Classes begin each day at 9am and conclude at 5pm; evening activities, beginning at 7pm, are optional and include Irish traditional dance; lectures on Irish culture and literature; historical presentations on Irish American history and tours of Butte. Each class of instruction is an hour in duration followed by a half-hour of student practice and review of the material.
Assessment is conducted on a continuous basis. After the first day of class, the students are assigned different objectives relating to each class as home work. A class quiz is held the following day to determine the progress of the student. These quizzes test aural and oral skills as well student success in learning the pertinent vocabulary.
The course material is based on the Beginning Irish I course taught at The University of Montana. All the material relevant to the course is handed out in a course packet.
LESSON PLAN
Day 1 - Sunday.
1. The Irish phonetic system: an introduction to long and short vowels.
2. Basic introductions and greetings in Irish
3. Poems: Tá Capall ag Seáinín; Bhí Capall ag Seáinín
4. Pronouns: regular and emphatic.
5. Vocabulary: greetings and introductions
Day 2 - Monday.
1. Class tests – Aural, Oral and written examination of material covered in Day 1
2. Pronunciation guide: diphthongs.
3. Introducing the two verbs ‘to be’ IS and TÁ
4. Poems in past, present and future tenses: Bhí/Tá/Beidh Capall ag Seáinín
5. Pronouns and prepositional pronouns: Agam; Orm; Liom; Dom
6. Vocabulary: weather and adjectives
Day 3 - Tuesday.
1. Class Tests
2. Pronunciation Guide: Vowel combinations and Digraphs
3. Poems in past, present and future tenses: Bhí/Tá/Beidh Capall ag Seáinín
4. Vocabulary: terms relating to family and feelings.
5. Pronouns: Using prepositional pronouns Agam and Orm to express possession and feelings.
6. Conversation: greetings; talking about the weather in past, present and future tenses; telling who you are; where you are from; family you have; and how you feel.
Day 4 - Wednesday.
1. Class Tests
2. Pronunciation Guide: Broad and slender consonants
3. Poems: Tá Gaeilge ag an Éireannach – using the verb to be tá and the preposition ‘ag’ to express ability.
4. Vocabulary: Food and languages
5. Pronouns: Using the pronoun Le to express taste and ownership
6. Conversation: Using the verb to be in past, present and future tenses to talk about the food you like, where you eat, when you eat, what you have for breakfast, dinner, and lunch; Using the verb ‘Is’ and the preposition ‘Le’ to tell what you like; using the verb ‘tá’ and the pronoun ‘ag’ to tell what languages you speak and what skills you have.
Day 5 - Thursday
1. Class Tests
2. Pronunciation Guide: Initial mutations – Aspiration
3. Poem: Bíonn Brón orm – introduction to the habitual present tense.
4. Vocabulary: Colours; clothes and pastimes
5. Verbs: using the past, present and future tense of the verb to be to talk about yourself, your feelings, your family, the weather, the food you like, the colours you like, your clothes and pastimes.
6. Pronouns: revision of the pronouns and the prepositional pronouns Ag; Ar; Le and Do.
Day 6 - Friday.
1. Class Tests.
2. Pronunciation Guide: Initial mutations – eclipses
3. Revision: Pronouns and prepositional pronouns; verb to be “tá” past, present and future tenses;
4. Verbs: using in the verb “Is’ to classify and identify.
5. Vocabulary: simple adjectives relating to physical and character traits
6. Conversation – general conversation bringing all the material covered together
Day 7 - Saturday.
1. Final examination: A class presentation in which the student will give a personal account using the language learned over the course of the week.
