Module one: Unit 1

Introductions and Greetings

TOP TEN PHRASES - Greetings

  • Buongiorno=Good morning / day
  • Ciao!=Hi!
  • Buonasera=Good evening
  • Buonanotte=Good night
  • Arrivederci=Goodbye
  • Piacere=Pleased to meet you
  • Come ti chiami?=What is your name?
  • Mi chiamo ______=My name is ______
  • Come stai?=How are you?
  • Sto bene, grazie =Fine, thanks

The above phases are important; students will hear them during the Listening Comprehension and use them as they get started in the Oral Examination worth 5 marks.

  • QUESTION OF THE WEEK / DAY
  • AIM: Understand the greeting questions. Use the appropriate response in the Leaving Certificate Applied Italian Oral examination.Using the list,students will be able to ask and respond to the question given.
  • Materials: Class list

Top ten phases - greetings

  1. Using the top ten phases – greetings- make sure the students know the pronunciation and are comfortable with their meanings.
  2. Tip:Having the top 10 phrases - greetings on an overhead projector/ data projector while students become familiar with them is a good idea.
  3. Using the class list, the teacher calls out: “Buongiorno Sam” (a name from the list) at random.
  4. When the student hears his/her name he/she responds: Buongiorno signore / signora* (as appropriate)
  5. The above steps are repeated for the rest of the phases/words on the list.
  6. Tip: Using this simple “Question of the Week” is great to start each lesson.
  7. By the end of the week students will be able to ask and respond to the question of the week with confidence. See the Oral Examination in Italian for the list of questions.
  8. Tip:Work your way down the list one question or two per week from the very startof the year.
  9. Tip: You may take the question of the week to suit your theme (for example food and drink) i.e. Cosa ti piace mangiare ……..?

Conversations using greetings and introductions

Aim: Students will be able to read and understand a basic conversation using greetings and introductions.

Materials: White/ black Board with the conversation below written clearly. Pens/Papers

  1. Write the following conversation up on the board for the students.

-Gianni:Buongiorno.Sono Gianni.

-Anna:Buongiorno.Sono Anna.

-Gianni:Come stai?

-Anna:Sto bene, grazie e tu?

-Gianni:Sto molto bene.Di dove sei?

-Anna: Sono di Napoli.Tu, di dove sei?

-GianniSono di Milano. Piacere.

  1. Ask students to write down the conversation into their copy books for Italian.
  2. Ask students to underline 3 words that they understand.
  3. Ask students to circle the phases / words that they do not understand.
  4. Ask them to think about the words circled, can they guess the meaning?
  5. Try and get the correct meaning from the class, if not explain the correct meaning.
  6. The new piece of information, for example; Di dove sei? Sono di______is then used as their new question of the week.
  7. Tip:Conversations like the one above are very useful. Collect a bank of them from textbooks or books for holiday markers. The above method can be used for every topic in every unit.

Getting to know names

Aim: Practising “Tu sei………….? Sono……………/ Non sono……………

To becomefamiliar with Italian names. Learn the words “nome and cognome.”

Materials:Cards with Italian names and surnames.

Giovanni Corva
Ugo Verdi
Sergio Chiesa
Nicola Fagiani
Luciano Barrucci
Claudio Trapattoni / Giulia Liguori
Laura Lancia
Chiara Sarpi
Monica Giorgetta
Francesca Puccino
Alessia DeFerrari
  1. Hand out paper on card with an Italian name and surname on it.
  2. Students pretend to be that Italian person.
  3. In pairs (Allow one pair speak while the others wait their turn) student A asks - “Tu sei Anna?”
  4. Student B responds - “si, sono Anna” or “No, non sono Anna, sono Monica”.
  5. This continues around the class.
  6. Tip:Write a few of the names that are on the cards on the board so students do not worry about trying to invent Italian names.

Tip: is good for getting a list of Italian names.

  1. Repeat the exercise using;

Student A: “Il tuo nome?”

Student B: “Il mio nome è ______”

Student A: “Il tuo cognome?”

Student B: “Il mio cognome è ______”

  1. Tip:Set the scene by telling them that the individual name on the card is their own name and that they are in a hotel / reception in Italy. You may modify this by writing details such as age etc.
  2. Tip: The above exercise helps the students for getting started in their oral exam and one question in the Listening Comprehension requires students to write down a surname. See question 7 “Booking a room” 2008.
  3. Tip: Call out names in Italian, letter by letter and get students to write them down.

Identity Cards

Aim: Practising question 5 (the identity card) of the reading comprehension and written exercise of the Leaving Certificate Applied Italian examination. This is a good opportunity for practising months ofthe year if you ask them to fill in the month in Italian.

Materials: - Coloured Cards, Pens/Pencils, Photocopies examples from past papers of question 5 of the written exercise.

  1. Write up the following on the board:

Nome:______
Cognome:______
Indirizzo: Via______Numero______
Cittá ______
Data di Nascita` ______
Cittá di Nascita` ______
Numero di telefono______
E-mail ______
  1. Ask students to take down the words into their notebooks.
  2. Ask students to underline words they do understand.
  3. Ask students to guess the meaning of the new words.
  4. Then explain the correct meanings.
  5. Ask students to write down the correct English meanings next to the Italian words.
  6. Ask students to draw/write out their own identity card using coloured sheets and coloured pens. They may use their own names/surnames if they wish. They may also make up their telephone numbers.
  7. Tip: This can be used as a Key Assignment so I ask my students to keep them in a folder.
  8. The above exercise may be repeated using fictional or true life people.
  9. Check that the students understand the new words using -

Teacher: “Cosa vuol dire “nome?”

Student: “Vuol dire “name”. Ask students to ask each other.

  1. Tip: Have the months of the year written up on the board while students are doing this exercise.
  1. Tip: Using the identity card words I invite students to come to the board to fill out an identity card using information I give them. I simply rub out the old information (keeping the identity card words) before the next student comes up to write in the next task. I use two different coloured white board markers. One for the identity card words and the other for the information to be filled in. I found students liked using the white board. I used the same method to teach question 6 (“fill in the blanks”) of the reading comprehension and written exercise.
  2. Tip: Question 6 of the written exercise is a passage where students must fill in 5 words given. I found students liked to come to the white board to fill in the words. You may start off with lets say 3 words in abox for students to fill in. This is a nice end of class ‘filler’ again linking it to the theme or topic you are covering. Here is an example:

chiamo dove nome

Mi ______Anna. Di ______sei Paola? Sono di Napoli ma il mio ______non è Paola. Il mio nome e` Francesca.

Map of Italy

It is a good idea that students become familiar with the basic geography of Italy. You may use the Rough Guide to Italy to help explain each region and what each is famous for. Perhaps take “a region of the week” to concentrate on one region per week. Pictures of famous places and people from the internet / books are also helpful.

A map of Italy placed up on the wall of your room if this is possible is a good idea. You may have a basic map however if you don’t with the help of students, create one. See Activity 4.

Activity 1

This helps them become aware of places in Italy. Hand out the map of Italy. A photocopy of one will be found in most textbooks of Italian.

Activity 2

Write each Italian region on card (you may ask the students to write the regions with markets etc. as a separate activity before doing the following) turn upside down, each student takes one or two of each. Using their maps from activity no.1 to help them, ask students to tell you a city in that region. Cards may be collected and used again.

Activity 3

Write DOVE? = WHERE?On the board

Write Dov’è Napoli? Ask students to use the words Dov’è …….?

Ask each other where the cities are on the map. Students use their maps to help them.

For example students……

Dov’è Palermo?

In Sicilia

Sì.

Activity 4

You may use the cards from activity 2. Hand out a region each. Ask students to draw that region and as carefully as they can on a size A3 sheet.

Repeat until all regions are done. Glue them as best you can together. The results will not be accurate but it will be fun!