Introduction

D’Accordo!

Intermediate Italian at The University of Iowa.

D’accordo! is an intermediate Italian open-access textbook authored by the Italian faculty of The University of Iowa (https://french-italian.uiowa.edu/). A no-cost, user-friendly e-textbook, which may be fully integrated with educational platforms, D’Accordo! will support students’ acquisition of the grammar and vocabulary necessary for meaningful communication, enhance students’ familiarity with Italian culture through a variety of cultural artifacts, and, for majors and minors, create a bridge to upper-level courses.

D’Accordo! includes an in-depth review of the grammar covered in Piacere! (https://pressbooks.uiowa.edu/piacere/), the first-year Italian open-access textbook authored by the Italian faculty of The University of Iowa. D’Accordo! also introduces more complex syntactical structures, vocabulary, and cultural materials to help students develop greater fluency and cultural competency. As the title suggests, the focus of the intermediate level grammar is on the various types of agreement that are essential features of the Italian language. Like the first-year e-book, D’Accordo! is designed to provide accessible and flexible resources for both self-instruction and classroom use. While we have similarly prioritized simplicity and consistency in the layout and navigation, we have opted for a different structure, more suitable to the learning and teaching needs of our more advanced classes.

The textbook includes the following sections and contents:

• Grammatica (Grammar). In our experience, one of the greatest challenges for students at the intermediate and advanced levels is to strengthen their grammatical skills by learning all the various rules of agreement—a crucial step toward proficiency; and for instructors, as well as textbooks, the main challenge is to cover all the fundamentals of grammar thoroughly and clearly, without overwhelming students. With this in mind, we have divided the Grammar section into four parts focusing on different types of agreement: the noun, the verb, the clause, the sentence. Each part includes pages on the essential grammar topics which provide general explanations as well as important exceptions, along with clear charts and examples for everyday conversation and use.
• Cultura (Culture). The cultural component reflects the interests and concerns of our colleagues and students, particularly those underserved by traditional textbooks. Readings and topics selected from canonical texts often disregard the complexities of today’s multicultural society, in both content and sources. Our book intends to engage students in reflecting on such complexities by proposing a rich assortment of materials (literary texts, art, news articles, videos, songs, comics, blogs, advertisement) and by addressing, in addition to simpler topics such as food and shopping, a variety of thought-provoking issues: questions of social and environmental justice, such as access to education and sustainability; migration and multiculturalism, both in historical and contemporary contexts; and gender issues, such as gender roles in the family and equity in the workplace. Each page includes a set of vocabulary cards and interactive exercises that provide opportunities for students to increase their linguistic and cultural competence, as well as engaging content around which assignments and activities may be designed by instructors.
• Vocabolario (Vocabulary). A specific section collects all the sets of vocabulary related to the topics presented in the Culture section. To help students better master essential vocabulary, D’Accordo! integrates the learning tools offered by quizlet.com. Users may choose the study mode that better suits their needs, and benefit from a variety of drill-and-practice activities.

As an Open Education Resource, D’Accordo! offers an especially useful tool for language teaching and learning. First, by replacing a commercial textbook, D’Accordo! guarantees significant cost savings for students, a cause to which the Italian program at the University of Iowa has always been committed. Secondly, by providing materials that can be accessed online, downloaded in pdf format, and integrated into the university Learning Management System, the book is a flexible resource that responds to the different needs of a language course. Lastly, D’Accordo! is an easily adaptable artifact. Its contents have been tested in the classroom for four semesters and have been improved based on student feedback. They will continue to be revised as constant updates are necessary to target the interests of 21st-century students and to ensure the book’s alignment with changes in contemporary society.