UNIT OVERVIEW
Unit title:
What’re you doing
Age group: Scuola superiore
tonight?
Scuola media
Subject area(s):
English, LIS1, Italian, Technology
Time line: 10 1-hour lessons
Unit goal:
After watching the film “What’re you doing tonight?” students will go through the vocabulary,
grammar, and translation sections and complete all of the activities with at least 75%
accuracy.
Students (as a class) will prepare a script in Italian and create a film of the text in “What’re you
doing tonight?” signed in LIS. The film will be subtitled in English and Italian with 80%
accuracy.
Prerequisite skills:
Knowledge of LIS and/or Italian
Completion of Module 2 with at least 80% accuracy on all activities.
Basic knowledge of sports and hobby vocabulary.
Basic knowledge of: adverbs of frequency, present simple and progressive verbs.
Basic understanding of cultural differences in the US, England and Italy.
Basic understanding of linguistic differences between LIS, Italian and English.
Important notes:
The unit plan can be modified to fit the needs of the students or to supplement classroom
materials.
It is important to conduct a pre-test to determine what skills the students know or don’t know –
this will help the teacher modify the lessons to match the needs of the students.
Students need to be able to complete the daily activities and complete the homework
assignments. Move at a pace that is not too fast that the students cannot process the
information, but do not progress too slowly that students are bored.
Materials needed:
Technology (hardware):
(software):
 Computers for each student
 SMART Notebook
 LCD Projector connected to SMART
 MS Word / PowerPoint
Board and a teacher computer with
 SMART English DVDs
a DVD player (and optional blank
 Internet Web Browser (with flash player installed)
DVDs)
 Basic film editing software
 Printer (connected to all
computers)
 Video camera
Other:
Staff:
If the teacher is not knowledgeable in LIS, it would be
 Copies of the pre-test
especially helpful to have a fluent signer present for
 Copies of the post-test
days 4, 6, and 10.
 Any copies of print materials
Having a tech teacher or technician present on day 9
would be helpful as students work on preparing the
video in a film editing software.
Overview of lessons: (note that this is a rough guideline for teachers to modify based on their needs)
Day 1 objectives: At the end of the class period, students will be able to read the text “What’re
1
The use of LIS in class is ideal, however, should the deaf student not know LIS, the activities
may be modified, keeping in mind the visual needs of the deaf student(s).
you doing tonight?” with teacher help and answer the comprehension questions with at least
75% accuracy based on teacher observation and class discussion.
Students will be able to explain the definitions of new vocabulary with at least 50% accuracy
based on class discussion.
Procedure: Provide an introduction to the unit and ask questions to see what the students
already know about various topics introduced in this module (sports and hobbies vocabulary,
present simple and progressive verbs, past simple and future simple verbs, adverbs, auxiliary
verbs).
Give a pre-test, collect the pre-test.
View “What’re you doing tonight?”
Ask comprehension questions for video using PowerPoint presentation software.
In pairs or individually – go through the “Vocabulary Introduction” and practice the new terms.
Homework: students need to complete teacher-generated worksheets that exercise vocabulary
learned in the “Vocabulary Introduction.”
Day 2 objectives: By the end of the class period, students will be able to complete the
“Vocabulary Activities” section with at least 75% accuracy.
Students will be able to explain grammar rules in the “Grammar Introduction” with at least
60% accuracy based on teacher observation and class discussion.
Procedure: Briefly outline what will be done in class.
Collect the homework, mix up and pass them out again – review the homework using the
SMART Notebook to write the correct responses. Collect the homework.
Individually - complete the “Vocabulary Activities” and print the results for the teacher.
In pairs or individually - go through the “Grammar introduction”.
As a class - discuss the “Grammar introduction”, come up with more examples (save these
notes and print for students to take home).
Homework: students must complete a teacher-generated fill-in-the-blank activity in which the
students need to write in the correct word (this must be created with the student weaknesses
in mind)
Day 3 objectives: By the end of the class period, students will be able to explain grammar rules
with at least 75% accuracy based on class discussion and teacher observation.
Students will be able to complete the “Grammar Activities” section with at least 75% accuracy.
Procedure: Briefly outline what will be done in class.
Collect the homework, mix up and pass them out again – review the homework using the
SMART Notebook to write the correct responses. Collect the homework.
Answer any student questions about the grammar; go back to the grammar introduction if
necessary.
Individually – complete the “Grammar Activities” and print the results for the teacher.
Review grammar if necessary.
Homework: Students, in pairs or individually, must create an example dialogue in Italian and LIS
between Sara and Rita talking about the summer plans to go camping.
Day 4 objective: By the end of the class period, students will be able to repeat the concepts from
the “Translation Introduction” with 80% accuracy based on teacher observation and class
discussion.
Procedure: Briefly outline what will be done in class.
Have students act out their dialogues using the SMART Board (to show Italian) and LIS. Discuss
which dialogues worked best, which ones were translated well, and any challenges the
students had in completing the homework assignment.
In pairs - go through the “Translation Introduction”.
As a class - discuss the “Translation Introduction” and come up with further examples of
phrases for each “purpose” of past simple and future simple – in English, Italian, and LIS.
Homework: Students need to revise their dialogues (between Sara and Rita), and translate the
text into English. This can be done in pairs or individually.
Day 5 objective: By the end of the class period, students will be able to complete the “Translation
Activities” with at least 75% accuracy.
Procedure: Briefly outline what will be done in class.
Have students show their translations of the LIS/Italian text using the SMART Board. As a class,
discuss how to revise the text.
Review any student questions about the “Translation Introduction”.
Individually – complete the “Translation Activities” and print the results for the teacher.
Review the “Translation Introduction” if necessary.
Homework: Students need to go through the first part of “What’re you doing tonight?” and write
a draft of how to translate the text into Italian and LIS. This can be done individually or in pairs.
Day 6 objectives: By the end of the class period, students will be able to explain the differences
between aspects of Italian, LIS and English with at least 75% accuracy based on teacher
observation and class discussion.
Students (as a class) will produce a script translated into Italian and LIS with at least 85%
accuracy.
Procedure: Briefly outline what will be done in class.
As a class – project the text from “What’re you doing tonight?” and have the students sign the
text in LIS.
In groups of 3 or 4 – Students will discuss how to translate the text into Italian (using their
notes from homework).
As a class – create a class translation (in Italian) using the SMART Board and SMART Notebook
software.
Discuss translation difficulties, review parts of the “Translation Introduction” if necessary
(even from Modules 1 and 2).
Students will create a film of the text signed into LIS and subtitled in Italian and English on day
8. During this class period, the text will be transformed into a script with only minimal help
from the teacher.
Before class is finished, announce that the following roles are needed: a director, a LIS sign
coach, 2 subtitle writers, a cameraman, a set designer, and actors (and so on until there’s a
role for all students). Students need to assign the roles.
Homework: Actors need to practice their lines; the set designer needs to work with the director
and cameraman to discuss the set up of the camera and scene.
Day 7 objective: By the end of the class, students will have done most of the preparations needed
for the filming on day 8.
Procedure: Briefly outline what will be done in class – remind them that at the end of the class
will be a rehearsal with the actors, cameraman, et.
As a class – students decide what needs to be done that day and work on preparing for the
filming on day 8. All students must be busy helping each other. Subtitle writers can start typing
the subtitles in English and Italian into the movie editor software.
Other students can start preparing a review for the post-test (see day 9 for notes)
Homework: Any final preparations as decided by the class.
Day 8 objective: By the end of the class, students will have finished the filming of the translated
text from “What’re you doing tonight?”
Procedure: Briefly outline what will be done in class.
Give students 15 minutes to do the final preparations.
Filming.
Cleanup, and any discussions about the filming.
Homework: Review the whole module in preparation for the post-test.
Day 9 objectives: By the end of the class, students will have prepared the film for publication
(either onto a class DVD or class website).
Students will have prepared a review of the entire module to be completed the following day.
Procedure: Briefly outline what will be done in class. (outline – students need to finish the film
and prepare a review for the post-test tomorrow)
As a class – students will decide what needs to be done – preparation of the video and
preparing a review. The review can be in the form of a game or whatever the students decide,
using the SMART Board and various software (including SMART Notebook and MS PowerPoint,
for example).
Homework: Students need to review the module in preparation for the post-test. (Teacher or
Technician: the film should be “published” onto a class DVD or on a class website.)
Day 10 objective: Students will have completed a film that translates the English text in “What’re
you doing tonight?” with at least 80% accuracy.
Students will complete the post-test with at least 75% accuracy.
Procedure: Briefly outline what will be done in class. (the film will be viewed after the test)
As a class – play the review game (should cover vocabulary, grammar, translation)
Give a post-test, collect the post-test.
View the film
Closing discussion – make a connection to the student-generated film – did it help them with
the comprehension of all of the information in the module? What was still difficult for the
students at the end of the module?
Homework: none.
Internet resources:
Search engine such as Google
Resources for grammar:
http://www.englishpage.com/
http://www.eflnet.com/
For a more comprehensive list of websites, please see the resource section of the Teacher’s
Manual.
Classroom management for access to computers:
It is important to monitor students while working on computers, set up and enforce rules about
the use of the internet and talk with the technician about setting up blocks for email and social
networking sites during class time. Encourage students to do their work without relying on
internet dictionaries and translators unless otherwise indicated.
If available, a program such as SMART Synch is an excellent tool for helping teachers “to keep an
eye””on all student activities.