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Advice for teachers -
Italian

Teaching and learning activities

Unit 3

Unit 3 – Area of Study 1: Interpersonal communication

Theme: The individual
Topic: Personal identity and lifestyles
Sub topic: Health and wellbeing

Outcome 1

Participate in a spoken exchange in Italian to resolve a personal issue.

Examples of learning activities

  • Read an article outlining the importance of a healthy lifestyle for young people in Italy. Summarise your findings in a 100-word paragraph.
  • Discuss the findings with classmates.
  • Create a glossary of words and expressions to form a basis for understanding the topic.
  • Read blog posts from Italy about how young people balance co-curricular/school commitments and fitness.
  • Listen to a conversation between two young people in Italy discussing school routines and finding time for recreational activities/part time work.
  • Role -play in pairs asking each other questions about tips for the importance of a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
  • Write a 250-word informative article for the school magazine outlining the importance of a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
  • Create a PowerPoint presentation comparing healthy lifestyles/ young peoples’ involvement in part time work.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Write a 250-word personal email to a friend to convince them to adopt a more balanced lifestyle.
Example icon for advice for teachers 

Detailed example

A personal email to a friend

  1. List vocabulary related to health and wellbeing.
  2. Listen to a conversation between Year 12 students about how their studies are progressing. Take notes on what they say to each other and the Italian they use.
  3. Watch a vlog in which a teacher offers ideas to students about how to tackle Year 12 (or equivalent in Italy) in the healthiest way possible.
  4. Find and read websites that target students and their study methods. List ideas and advice provided.
  5. Read a youth magazine where students have asked questions about healthy and balanced lifestyles. Discuss the responses and decide whether they are realistic.
  6. Draft an email to be written to a friend suggesting actions they could take to have a balanced and healthy lifestyle in Year 12. In the draft, include:
    • solutions or ideas
    • Italian that would be used when addressing a friend
    • vocabulary and expressions that highlight your knowledge in this area
    • grammar that showcases your linguistic skill.

Unit 3 – Area of Study 2: Interpretative communication

Theme: The world around us
Theme: The Italian-speaking communities
Topic: The Italian cultural heritage
Sub topic: Film

Outcome 2

Interpret information from texts and write responses in Italian.

Examples of learning activities

  • Watch an Italian film, or extracts from a film, and take notes under the headings: plot, main characters, actors, soundtrack, themes or ideas.
  • Read film synopses and critiques in Italian, identifying the vocabulary used.
  • Search for statistics on Italy’s film industry.
  • Read one or two articles on the film shown in class and answer comprehension questions.
  • View a video or listen to interviews with Italian actors, directors and producers in order to answer a set of questions.
  • Identify cultural elements from your reading, viewing and listening. Consider the questions: Are there any particular elements that could only come from Italy? How can you tell? What identifies them? Compare these ideas to films produced in Australia.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Research a notable actor or director in the Italian film industry. Drawing on the material studied write a 250-word report about their life and work.
  • Read reviews of the movie you watched in class and highlight positive and negative critiques.
  • Watch scenes from the beginning and mid- part of a movie and read two reviews about it. Highlight negative feedback. Write a 200-word script in which you conclude the plot of the movie by using the pre-existing elements and by amending those aspects that have been negatively criticised.
Example icon for advice for teachers 

Detailed example

A 250-word report on the life and work of a notable actor or director in the Italian film industry.

  1. Research a notable actor or director in the Italian film industry through reading, listening or viewing. Make notes of specific vocabulary or grammar items relevant to the topic.
  2. Write a series of short paragraphs, summarising the information in the texts under the following headings:
    • personal/biographical details
    • early films/career beginnings
    • main career achievements
    • artistic influences
    • legacy in the Italian/global film industry.
  3. Swap your paragraphs with a classmate and give each other feedback on the clarity of the content and accuracy of the language.
  4. Prepare the report paying attention to the conventions of the text type and the style of writing required.

Unit 3 – Area of Study 3: Presentational communication

Theme: The world around us
Topic: The influence of science and technology
Sub topic: Sustainability and energy use

Outcome 3

Express ideas in a personal, informative or imaginative piece of writing in Italian.

Examples of learning activities

  • Create a glossary of words and expressions in Italian focusing on concepts and ideas that we have in Australia about sustainability and energy usage.
  • Read an article about sustainability and energy usage in Italy. Compare the glossary to the vocabulary in the article. Identify any particular words or expressions not already in the glossary. Consider whether this highlights other cultural concerns in Italy. Discuss the similarities and differences in pairs and write a 100-word paragraph explaining why that might be so.
  • Research widely to find information about the views held by Italians on improving sustainability and reducing energy usage.
  • Write an advertisement or advertising brochure to promote sustainable practices for an Italian community.
  • Consider how Italy and Australia rate in energy usage and sustainability in global terms. Research the major energy usage of both countries. Use the statistics to compare costs and efficiencies. List the differences and similarities. Then write comparative sentences about them.
  • Watch a television program from Italy in which participants discuss issues of energy usage and sustainability.
  • Listen to energy companies and their consumers discussing their needs in the energy market. Discuss personal responses to this topic.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Write a 250-word  article  in which you evaluate initiatives that the Italian government has implemented in order to promote sustainability and provide some suggestions on how Italy could further promote sustainability by adopting some of the strategies employed in other parts of the world.
Example icon for advice for teachers 

Detailed example

A 250-word evaluative article on sustainability and energy use in Italy, based on information from the written, spoken and viewed texts studied

  1. View a documentary on sustainability and energy use in Italy.
  2. Read an article on sustainability and energy usage and how it has changed over the last 10 years.
  3. Listen to a conversation between young people in which they discuss their views on sustainability and energy use in Italy.
  4. Discuss in pairs how best to answer questions related to the topic in Italian using full sentences.
  5. Individually, select an article and write questions on it. Also create an answer key for these questions.
  6. Circulate the sets of questions. Answer all of them. Correct as a group.
  7. Discuss optimal responses and analyse ways in which they are effective and appropriate.
  8. Write a 250-word article in which you evaluate initiatives that Italy has implemented in order to promote sustainability and provide some suggestions on how Italy could further promote sustainability by adopting some of the strategies employed in other parts of the world.