Standards – Based Instructional Unit

Subject: WORLD LANGUAGES

COURSE: ITALIAN II GRADE/LEVEL: II- second year

Topic: Communication, Culture, Connections, Communities and Comparisons
Lesson Objective(s):
¨  Communication “Communication in other languages other than English”: Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension and Writing
¨  Culture “ Gaining knowledge and understanding of other cultures”: Customs, Beliefs, Traditions, Compare and Contrast lifestyles
¨  Connections “Connection with other disciplines and acquisition of information”: Connections to other disciplines including Geography, Art, Music, English, Math and Science
¨  Communities “Participation in multilingual communities at home and around the world”: - Using the new language outside of the environs of the classroom and demonstrating skills of being life-long learners which allow for communication in modern languages for business, personal goals, employment and enjoyment
¨  Comparisons “Developing insight into the nature of language and culture:- Understanding culture and the nature of language from a culturally specific standpoint- mastering grammar through the comparison of native and studied language- appreciating culture and diversity though the comparison of cultural traditions in the US and of those studied.
Graduation Expectation(s): 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 4.4 (possible) A1, A2, A5. National Foreign Language Standards
Standards: Standards: National Foreign Language
Standards: ACTFL National Standards for Foreign Language Learning: Communication, Cultures, Comparisons, and Connections:
1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2
Standards for Foreign Language Learning
Goal 1: Communication - Students communicate in languages other than English
Standard 1.1 Interpersonal Mode: Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
Standard 1.2 Interpretive Mode: Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics.
Standard 1.3 Presentational Mode: Students present information, concepts, and ideas to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.
Goal 2: Culture - Students gain knowledge and understanding of other cultures.
Standard 2.1 Perspectives and Practices: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the perspectives and practices of the cultures studied.
Standard 2.2 Perspectives and Products: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the perspectives and products of the cultures studied.
Goal 3: Connections - Students connect with other disciplines and acquire new knowledge
Standard 3.1 Knowledge: Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the foreign language.
Standard 3.2 Point of view: Students acquire information and recognize viewpoints that are only available through the foreign language and its cultures.
Goal 4: Comparisons - Students develop insight into own language and culture
Standard 4.1 Linguistic Comparisons: Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the language studied and their own.
Standard 4.2 Cultural Comparisons: Students demonstrate understanding of the concept of culture through comparisons of the cultures studied and their own.
Goal 5: Communities - Students participate in multilingual communities at home and around the world
Standard 5.1 Use of Language: Students use the language both within and beyond the school setting.
Standard 5.2 Enjoyment and Life-Long Learning: Students show evidence of becoming life-long learners by using the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment / GSES/ Applied Learning: Performance, Creation, Technology, Math- basic computations, numbers, shapes, geometry, temperature conversions, the metric system and size differences with clothing and shoes), Music, Oral Presentations, Reading, Writing, Cinema, historical events such as the Holocaust, fascism, the Roman Empire, geography, Business-Travel and the Fine Arts.
Reading R2, R3, R4, R7 R8 R11
¨  Interpreting written language in context- various sources of text in target language including: texts, worksheets, magazines, advertisements, newspaper articles, internet sites, blogs, e-mail, brochures, lyrics, information tables, schedules, vignettes, short stories, dialogues, scenes, plays, reflection or points of view, personal opinion and personal letters.
¨  Process of reading- scanning, skimming, comparisons of languages- vocabulary, cognates, grammatical structures, tone, phrasing, punctuation and interpretation of language read individually, silently or as class designed to assess understanding and comprehension of text.
Writing W1, W2, W3 W4, W6 W9 W10, W11, W14
¨  Essays, composition, short pieces (invitations, greeting cards, descriptions, e-mails, letters, journal entries and messages) also dialogues and scripts with varying degree of difficulty depending on the level.
¨  Process of writing- free write, peer edits, revisions, conferencing, pre-writing, short answer, interview questionnaires including various genres- poetry, information, descriptive, narrative and expressive.
Problem Solving 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4
OC1 and OC2 Interactive Listening and Oral Presentations for most projects and or portfolio assignments.
Essential Question(s):
¨  How can students further their scholastic ability and skills across the curriculum utilizing the target language
¨  How can an understanding of the target language and culture reinforce academics, personal skills, the school and the community
Content Topics: First Year- Greetings, Basic Expressions, vocabulary, directions, the city, the scholastic system, the family, pastimes and hobbies, , cuisine- eating styles and differences between meals and eating habits adjectives, nouns, articles, verbs- present tense(irregular) and past tense introduction, possessives and prepositions. Also culture, traditions, beliefs, history, practices, holidays, music, cinema, books, sports, communication, technology and art. Second year- Money time, the past tense- Passato Prossimo, the Imperfetto, The reflexive in the present and past, the reciprocal, media, cinema, the press, television, cooking, direct and indirect object pronouns, weather, the imperative, demonstrative pronouns and introduction to the future tense. Projects for second year include a past tense story about a holiday (usually Thanksgiving), a poem or postcard in the past, the daily routine, paired interviews of both past and reflexive habits, the Business Trip, a fairy tale, the childhood memory, A film review, A cooking show and a fashion show. Culturally the students learn about travel, currency, cooking, fashion, the cinema, films and fables. Fourth year incorporates all prior grammar and application of said skills including advanced readings and readers of different levels A, B, C and D. Compositions include a ghost story, the importance of the holidays and family, Intentions for others, song dedication and research, a yearbook project, a short play, my ideal time period or person from history, and my dreams of an ideal world. Cultural topics include music research and analysis, holidays and practices, traditions, health, modern Italian society, WWII, fascism, Nazism, the Holocaust, social problems and future plans, travel and goals.
Student-Centered Instructional Strategies:
¨  Text and notes, authentic materials from country studied- lyrics, menus, checks, money, magazines, newspapers, and books. Graphic organizers, games, races, group work, pairs- A/B standard exchanges, puzzles, videos, projects, dialogues, scenes, peer tutoring, charades, Game show based activities such as jeopardy, wheel of fortune, 1000 pyramid, hangman, the ladder, price is right, who wants to be a millionaire and so forth .
Student-Centered Learning Tasks and Opportunities:
¨  My business trip, a postcard home, a film review, a fairy tale, My childhood memory, Interviews about topics, Our cooking video, My daily routine, Our fashion show, My designer research paper, and lastly, an authentic recipe.
Instructional Resources and Equipment:
¨  DVDS, CDS, POWERPOINT, MovieMaker, Photostory, TPR scripts, displays, authentic representations and object, supplemental materials, music, quizzes, tests, projects, posters, charts, maps, overhead images, cards, props, clothing, pictures, puppets and games.
Assessment Task(s):
¨  Students will demonstrate mastery, fluency (depending on level), understanding and application of skills within the four scaffolded tiers of depth of knowledge: Level 1- identification, recall, memorization, recitation, quoting, reporting, matching, illustrating, restating and recognizing. Level 2 includes Compare and contrast, organize, making observations, interpreting, relating, inferring and summarizing. Level 3- Constructing, Creating, Revising, Critiquing, and Formulating. Level 4 Designing, Creating, Connecting and Applying skills and concepts.
Rubric(s) for Assessment:
¨  See attached rubrics
Reflection/Comments: From the first day of level one- students are welcomed into the new target language- literally through greeting and expressions. They build vocabulary on a number of topics and slowly are introduced to grammar which is always taught with comparison to English or the native language. Students apply these skills and start to create and personalize assignments making choices about presentations, taste and style. They also have other topics and disciplines reinforced along the way whether it is a comparison or cuisine, geography, measurement, social issues, math, the fine arts, business or technology. Students continue to become more fluent and more grammatically confident as they progress and learn new forms. They learn an appreciation and understanding of a diverse world and become stronger in necessary life skills such as public speaking, problem solving, working cooperatively (sharing, leading, directing and following directions)meeting deadlines, time management, using and applying technology, working independently, listening, creating a new product, helping others, setting goals and developing personal interests.