The nature of the learners
At this level, children are developing awareness of their social worlds and of their memberships of various groups including the Italian class. They are developing literacy capabilities in English, such as writing in the Roman alphabet, which assists to some degree in learning Italian. They benefit from varied, activity-based learning that builds on their interests and capabilities and makes connections with other areas of learning.
Italian language learning and use
The development of oral proficiency requires rich language input in different modes and from different sources. Children develop active listening skills and respond through action-related talk. They strengthen their comprehension skills, using contextual and grammatical cues as well as phonic and non-verbal cues. The language they encounter is authentic, with modification when necessary, involving familiar vocabulary and simple structures. Children are supported to use the language themselves in familiar contexts and situations, such as exchanging simple ideas and information, negotiating predictable activities and interactions, and participating in shared tasks, performance and play. They continue to build vocabulary which can be adapted for different purposes, and to control simple grammatical forms to communicate in familiar contexts.
Contexts of interaction
The contexts in which learners interact in using and learning Italian are primarily local: the classroom, school, home and community, with some access to wider communities of Italian speakers and resources through virtual and digital technologies.
Texts and resources
Children develop literacy skills and textual knowledge through supported interaction with a range of spoken, written, visual and multimodal texts. Imaginative and interactive texts (such as picture books, stories, puppet plays, songs and games) engage the expressive and cultural dimensions of language. Procedural, informational and descriptive texts (such as negotiated classroom rules, planned activities, and family and class profiles) encourage students to use language to ‘get things done’.
Features of Italian language use
Students experiment with pronunciation and intonation in Italian, noticing similarities and differences with other familiar languages. They focus on structures and grammatical rules such as those relating to the use of possessive pronouns, prepositions and negation. They extend their knowledge of definite and indefinite articles, and of gender and singular/plural forms.
As they encounter Italian language and culture they make comparisons with their own language(s) and culture(s) and consider their own ways of communicating. This leads to exploring concepts of commonality and difference, and of identity, and to thinking about what it means to speak more than one language.
Level of support
Children’s grammatical knowledge and accuracy in spoken and written Italian are developed both through form-focused activities and through opportunities to apply this knowledge in meaningful task activity, as they build their communicative skills, confidence and fluency. Teachers provide models and examples; introduce language, concepts and resources needed to manage and complete tasks; make time for experimentation and drafting; and provide support for self-monitoring and reflection.
The role of English
The use of English, when appropriate, provides support opportunities for discussion and exploration of ideas which help children to build a conceptual frame and metalanguage for talking about language and culture, and about their experiences as learners moving between languages and cultures.
By the end of Year 4, students comprehend a range of spoken, written, and multimodal texts on familiar topics, including home life, friends and classroom activities. They use Italian to communicate and to interact, for example, to exchange greetings and to address people, using appropriate language and pronunciation, and often formulaic expressions. They ask and respond to simple questions, by selecting between alternatives provided, by using short spoken responses which may consist of incomplete or partial Italian phrases and structures, or by using a key word to convey a whole idea. They talk about self, family, people, places, routine, school life and their own interests and preferences, for example, Com’è la tua casa? La mia casa è grande, Ci sono due camere da letto e due bagni. Mi piace la mia camera da letto. They use short sentences, reorganising known language to fit personal responses, for example, Giochi domani?Sì/no/Forse. Students understand short written texts, using visual cues, prediction and questioning to decipher meaning. They recall key ideas and events, recognise meanings, and respond meaningfully. Students create written texts of a few sentences using familiar language and structures.
Students demonstrate an understanding of the fact that language is used differently in different situations and contexts. They know the importance of using appropriate language when interacting in Italian, including informal/formal language, and the use of titles and gestures. They vary their responses and statements by choosing adjectives and adverbs, and by combining sentences. They demonstrate understanding of basic Italian grammatical rules, such as the fact that nouns have masculine or feminine gender and singular and plural forms, and that nouns, adjectives and articles need to agree. They identify similarities and differences in the patterns of Italian language compared to English and other familiar languages. They create texts that show understanding of how ideas are connected and how images support the meaning of texts. They make connections to personal experience when describing characters, events or cultural practices and behaviours encountered in texts. They identify cultural differences in ways of communicating and describe similarities and differences between their own and other cultures.