Standards – Based Instructional Unit
Subject: WORLD LANGUAGES
COURSE: ITALIAN IV
GRADE/LEVEL: IV- final
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:
GSES/ Applied Learning:
Performance, Creation, Technology,
Math- basic computations, numbers,
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
shapes, geometry, temperature
conversions, the metric system and
size differences with clothing and
shoes), geography, historical events
and people, Poetry, science nutrition,
fitness health and social issues,
Literature Oral Presentations,
Reading, Writing, Business-Travel,
Technology, authentic life skills,
music and the Fine Arts.
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
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
and personal letters. For example traditional Italian Literature would include writers such as
Collodi- le avventure di Pinocchio or Dante Alighieri- la Commedia (Inferno, Purgatorio e
Paradiso). Modern Literature could include Antonio Tabucchi, Natalia Ginzburg, Moravia,
Tamaro’, Buzzatti, Campanile and so forth. Specific styles of literature are also studied and
analyzed for example Commedia dell’Arte, Poetry, Narratives and Informational writing from
newpapers, magazines, and articles from the interrnet. Italian IV with the inntroduction of such
writers as Moravia allows a look a neorealism and Italian Cinema. La Ciociara and La Vita e’
Bella deal specifically with Fascism, WWII and the Holocaust. Primo Levi as a survior of the
Holocaust is studied as a primary source and interviews in Italian are viewed in class. Italian
cinema topics include the nearealism styles of Fellini, De Sica, and Visconti. Poetry includes a
comparison of styles and samples include: Dylan Thomas, Walt Whitman, Christina Rosetti,
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Yeats, Robert Frost, Tennyson, Emerson, Shakespeare and
Shelly. Italian poets from the origins of Italian Literature to contemporary poets including San
Francesco, Guinizelli, Buonarotti, Petrarca, Boccaccio, Calvalcanti, D’Annunzio, Merini,
Leopardi, Pasolini, and Primo Levi.
 Process of reading- scanning, skimming, comparisons of languages- vocabulary, cognates,
grammatical structures, tone, phrasing, punctuation and interpretation of language
read individually, silently, in groups, in pairs 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 level. Level III and IV includes advanced reading specifically excerpts from
Italian Literature across various genres and time periods. Advanced readings give rise to
longer essays, reports, research projects, PowerPoint projects, written commentaries,
journaling, response papers/ quizzes and persuasive compositions.
 Process of writing- free write, peer edits, revisions, conferencing, prewriting, 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, 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:
 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:
 Culture Compare and Contrast a time period, Narrative about special moments in my life,
Descriptive Ghost Story, Our Yearbook- a look back, Persuasive- the importance of holidays
and family, My song dedication, and My favorite moment in history/ My favorite historical
person.
 What Thanksgiving Means To Me, My Summer Vacation, Social Issues- My dreams for our
world, My opinions, Our Play project.
Instructional Resources and Equipment:
 DVDS, CDS, POWERPOINT, MovieMaker, Photostory, TPR scripts, displays, authentic
representations and objects, 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 across
other disciplines and within other fields. An example of this would be a reading about a
subject/topic i.e. biology written in the target language. The productive discussion would also be
in the target language depending on the level and how technical the information learned could be.
If biology for example students could learn and read through all of the processes in Italian.
Questions and Responses would also be written in Italian.
Rubric(s) for Assessment:
 See attached rubrics
Reflection/Comments: From the first day of language study- 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 or get first- hand experience with
being part of a team with each student having responsibility for a particular task, they also hone
listening skills, learn about creating a new product, helping others, setting goals and develop personal
interests.