Italian

During this semester,  Grade Prep, One and Two Italian students have spent most of their time online completing weekly assigned tasks.  Students were at school for the first two weeks of Term 3, whereby they revised greetings and their responses to common communication dialogue ie Come stai? Responding with how they are feeling.  All students also revised Quanti anni hai? How old are you?  Come ti chiami? What is your name? Mi chiamo …..   My name is. During these lessons, students revised counting to 10 and 20 as well as learning some ordinal numbers up to fifth or tenth place, depending on the year level.

Once students went into lockdown in Term 3, task topics were assigned in Italian Google Classroom to revise numbers, ordinal numbers, colours, shapes, some foods, animals and some simple verbs. The weekly assigned tasks allowed students to either complete the task on paper and then take a copy of it and insert it into the google slide or to do it directly into the slide, extrapolating their technology skills; perhaps with parental support.  Instructions were recorded and typed for students and parents to apply.  Weekly assigned tasks would then have to be TURNed IN for individual comments to be sent back with encouragement and praise.  However, weekly engagement did vary amongst students and grade levels. 

During Term 4, students continued to work in lockdown, online.  Specialists classes did not commence in our classrooms until Week 6.  Therefore it was an absolute delight to have students back in the classroom learning Italian.  It has been essential to revise basic conversational language.  Students in Preps were introduced to the days of the week and some body parts online, but knowing the participation rate would vary, we ensured they all learned these concepts in the classroom as well.  Prep and Grade 1 students did have the opportunity to make a muffin pizza, which they thoroughly enjoyed. (Yeah!!! Who doesn't  like pizza?)  Grade 1 and 2 students revised the days, months, the seasons and common body parts by completing tasks in Italian Google Classroom.  The Grade 2s, however, topics were revised in class briefly to support the students who did not engage.

On return into the classroom, Grade 2 students revised greetings and the Italian alphabet. They were introduced to the names of some articles of clothing so they could construct a simple picture text book using a simple sentence to describe clothing they like to wear.  As for the Grade Preps and Ones, students revised conversational greetings and applied some verbs.  Ie giocare to play, mangiare to eat as well as engage in songs and other cultural fun activities such as bocci.

With my deepest sincerity, I hope next year we will all stay in the classroom to learn Italian.  In my own reflections, I think students’ technology skills, as well as my own, have improved; that there are resources that I would use to support my teaching in the classroom.  Good learning curve.

Molto grazie, Signora Marson.