Delizioso!

Anne Siciliano 

Teacher - Italian

Lockdown had a surprising benefit in our Italian class this year. Due to being at home, many Language students tried their hand in the kitchen in a way that explored a different side to their language studies. Now back at face-to-face learning, and Inspired by Year  7 Italian classes (see Issue 7) our Year 9 students  thought we’d have a go as well.

We combined a Year 9 Italian class and a Year 9 Food class in a pasta making activity – pasta from scratch.  It seemed to be a good match, and the students were excited - not only by the prospect of eating home-made pasta, but for the chance to work with friends from a different class and the opportunity to use a strange looking pasta machine!

Students were taken through a PowerPoint presentation of the steps required to make the pasta dough , including how to roll out the sheets and cut them into tagliatelle strips, and then had a choice of two pasta sauces to prepare. 

This was quite exciting – and a little nerve wracking at the same time!  Making, rolling, cutting, saucing, cleaning, eating -  all in a 72 minute period? To say the atmosphere echoed that of Masterchef would not be an overstatement! We were very aware of the time constraints, but many of the students beat the clock and were able to taste the fruits of their labour.  Delizioso!

The students engaged in an attentive manner, with eyes and hands firmly locked on the evolving pasta sheets with the groups working out the best ways to help with the various stages of the action. The interactions were focused, and really demonstrated how students can work together in ways reflective of the skills needed in school life as well as work life. Very few people work in jobs without needing to collaborate with others, and this type of activity was not only fun but celebrated cooking and language in a different way. This type of collaboration is a great training for future interactions.

Sally Goss

Teacher - Food Studies

Cross-curricular activities are important for student engagement and learning, and 

the pasta making lesson was a perfect way to combine the Italian and Food studies classes. Students were kept busy making pasta and sauce from scratch, what an awesome skill for them to take home to their families and friends. Well done to all on a busy and really productive lesson!

Many thanks to the students and wonderful Food Studies Teachers and Gillian Weaver (Food Technician) for helping us set up and take over their kitchen for the period (and a little bit more).

Luca Tittl

Year 9

It was good to be learning Italian in a different way. Our group had fun and the pasta tasted good!

Lucy Varley

Year 9

Our Italian class combined with a cooking class, and in small groups with our friends we got to make homemade pasta. We all had a lot of fun [doing this], especially because some of us had never had the chance to make fresh pasta. We got to take a home a small container of the pasta we made and while I didn't cook my pasta for long enough, I tasted some of my friends and it was great - so overall it was a great experience!  

Aiden Martin

Year 9

Some great things about the pasta making class, was to just have a break from the language side of Italian and to do a bit of the culture side. It was also just a great experience to have a bit of fun cooking and especially eating the pasta.