Big Ideas
Big Ideas
Listening and viewing with intent supports our acquisition and understanding of a new language.
Stories
Stories are a narrative form of text that can be oral, written, or visual. Stories are derived from truth or fiction and may be used to seek and impart knowledge, entertain, share history, and strengthen a sense of identity.
help us to acquire language and understand the world by exploring, for example, thoughts, feelings, knowledge, culture, and identity
around us.
Expressing ourselves in a new language requires courage, risk taking, and perseverance.
Exploring diverse forms of cultural expression
representing the experience of the people from whose culture they are drawn (e.g., painting, sculpture, theatre, dance, poetry and prose, filmmaking, musical composition, architecture)
allows us to experience and appreciate cultural diversity.
Acquiring a new language provides a unique opportunity to access and interact with diverse communities.
Content
Learning Standards
Content
Italian alphabet and letter patterns
Italian phonemes
individual speech sounds (e.g., c+e, i, a, o, u, ch+e, gn, or gli)
gender and number
common, high-frequency vocabulary, sentence structures, and expressions
quantity, time, and place (e.g., due chilli di, alle otto e mezza, a scuola); idiomatic expressions (e.g., In bocca al lupo! perdere tempo, piove a catinelle)
, including:- types of questionsCome ti chiami? Quanti fratelli e sorelle hai? Cosa ti piace fare dopo scuola?
- descriptions of people, objects, and locations
- personal interests, beliefs and opinions
past, present, and future time frames
past, present, and future tenses of regular and irregular verbs in context
First Peoples perspectives connecting language and culture, including oral histories
e.g., conversations with an Elder about celebrations, traditions, and protocols
, identity Identity is influenced by, for example, celebrations, traditions, and protocols for local Aboriginal cultural celebrations and festivals.
, and place Place is any environment, locality, or context with which people interact to learn, create memory, reflect on history, connect with culture, and establish identity. The connection between people and place is foundational to First Peoples perspectives on the world. A sense of place can be influenced by territory, food, clothing, and creative works.
Italian cultural festivals and celebrations
le Sagre, il Palio, la Pasqua, il Carnevale
common elements of stories
place, characters, setting, plot, problem, resolution
contributions of Italian Canadians
e.g., early immigrants to Canada; working on the Canadian Pacific Railway
, past and present
cultural practices
For example:
in various Italian communities
- protocols, sports, food, fashion
- relating to celebrations, holidays, and events (e.g., regional celebrations such as il Palio di Siena, il Carnevale di Viareggio, the local sagre)
- daily practices such as meal times
- the idiomatic use of language (e.g., espressioni con il verbo avere: avere fame, avere sete, avere sonno, avere fretta; or expressions such as magari; che figata; conosco i miei polli)
ethics of cultural appropriation
use of a cultural motif, theme, “voice,” image, knowledge, story, song, or drama, shared without permission or without appropriate context or in a way that may misrepresent the real experience of the people from whose culture it is drawn
and plagiarism
Curricular Competency
Learning Standards
Curricular Competency
Thinking and communicating
Recognize letter sounds and common intonation patterns
differentiate between a statement and a question, or recognize expressions of mood or emotion
Recognize how choice of words affects meaning
Comprehend key information in speech and other texts
“Text” is a generic term referring to all forms of oral, written, visual and digital communication. Oral, written, and visual elements can also be combined (e.g., in dramatic presentations, graphic novels, films, webpages, advertisements).
Derive meaning
Understand key information, supporting details, time, and place.
from a variety of texts
Use intonation and tone to convey meaning
- question and statement intonation patterns
- the use of tone to express different emotions
Use language-learning strategies
e.g., interpretation of gestures, facial expressions, intonation, tone of voice, and contextual cues; use of prior knowledge, familiar words, and cognates
to increase understanding
Interpret non-verbal
e.g., gestures, facial expressions, pictures, props
and verbal cues
Comprehend and retell
identify key information in oral and written stories and retell stories orally or in writing
simple stories
Respond to questions and simple commands
Participate in conversations and interactions
- ask and respond to a variety of questions
- describe situations, day-to-day activities, and sequences of events
- express the degree to which they like or dislike objects and activities
- make simple comparisons
- use information from resources in Italian
Exchange ideas and information, both orally and in writing
Seek clarification and verify
e.g., request or provide repetition, word substitution, reformulation, or reiteration
meaning
Share information using the presentation format
e.g., digital, visual, verbal; aids such as charts, graphics, illustrations, music, photographs, videos, props, digital media
best suited to their own and others' diverse abilities
Personal and social awareness
Engage in experiences
e.g., blogs, classroom and school visits (including virtual/online visits), concerts, exchanges, festivals, films, plays, social media, and businesses where Italian is spoken
with Italian people and communities
Consider personal, shared, or others' experiences, perspectives, and worldviews through a cultural lens
e.g., values, practices, traditions, perceptions
Recognize First Peoples perspectives and knowledge, other ways of knowing
e.g., First Nations, Métis and Inuit; and/or gender-related, subject/discipline-specific, cultural, embodied, intuitive
; and local cultural knowledge