Work samples

Languages: Italian

Foundation to Year 2


Vocabulary exercise

Summary of task

Students had learnt about forming simple sentences in Italian and using simple vocabulary. Students were asked to identify, sort and classify vocabulary from an English and Italian word list. Students were asked to draw an image to demonstrate their understanding of the words. An optional extension was to construct their own sentences using learnt vocabulary and sentences patterns.

Achievement standard

By the end of Year 2, students use Italian to communicate with their teacher and peers through action-related talk and play. They demonstrate comprehension by responding both verbally and non-verbally. They imitate simple words and phrases. They respond to familiar games and routines such as questions about self and family (for example, Come ti chiami? Dove abiti?), and choose among options, for example, in response to questions such as Vuoi il gelato o la caramella? They produce learnt sounds and formulaic expressions (for example, È bello! Non mi piace), or partial phrases, often providing only part of the required response in Italian or using a key word to convey a whole idea. They experiment with and approximate Italian pronunciation, for example, producing vowel sounds and ‘c’ and ‘ch’ pronunciation with some accuracy. They differentiate between statements and questions according to intonation. They make meaning using paralinguistic and contextual support such as pictures, gestures and props. They write descriptions, lists, labels and captions, using familiar words and phrases selected from modelled language, for example, rearranging sentence patterns such as Ho sei anni. Sono bravo. Il gelato è buono.

Students know that Italian is the national language of Italy. They identify the 21 letters of the Italian alphabet. They know that simple sentences follow a pattern, and that nouns require an article and are gendered either masculine or feminine. They demonstrate understanding of the different ways of addressing friends, family and teachers/other adults. They identify patterns in Italian words and phrases and make comparisons between Italian and English. They know that languages borrow words from each other and provide examples of Italian words and expressions that are used in various English-speaking contexts. They identify similarities and differences in the cultural practices of Italians and Australians. They understand that they have their own language(s) and culture(s), and that they are also learners of Italian language and culture.