Language Awareness Section Combined

Language Awareness
What is Language Awareness?
Language Awareness is ‘a person’s sensitivity to and conscious awareness

of the nature of language and its role in human life.’
John Sinclair
Language Awareness is about
 being aware of different languages and the variety of ways in which

they are spoken
 being aware of the ‘pattern’ in language
 being able to stand outside language and talk about language and
language varieties
 understanding the relationship between language and culture
 being aware of the way language usage varies in different social

contexts
 being aware of language as a nuanced and complex system of verbal

and non-verbal communication
 understanding how language is acquired
 being aware of one’s own language learning
 developing and being aware of language learning skills that are

transferable to other language learning situations.
Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 1

Why develop Language Awareness?
 It is known that insight into ‘pattern’ underlies successful learning

of a foreign language.
 Being aware of how one learns a language results in more effective
language learning.
 Being aware of the language skills involved in language acquisition
means that there can be greater transfer of learning to other
language learning experiences.
 Reflecting on one’s knowledge of languages leads to a greater and
more confident use of acquired languages.
 Developing an awareness of how languages work creates a greater
interest in languages already acquired and in learning new
languages.
 Developing an awareness of languages in general makes people more
curious about languages and more open to acquiring them.
 Developing a positive awareness of language diversity in the world
leads to a more positive attitude towards cultural diversity.
In the context of the revised Primary School Curriculum:
 Language awareness forms part of the English and Irish language

curricula.
 Developing language awareness helps children to learn how to learn,
one of the important aims of the revised curriculum.
 Standing back from language in order to compare, categorise and
conceptualise language forms and structures benefits not only the
foreign language learning but also literacy skills in the mother
tongue and Irish/English as L2.
 Developing children’s ability to engage in metalinguistic thinking i.e.
to think and talk about languages is of benefit to the development
of higher order thinking.
 Developing language awareness involves children being led to
perceive the links between languages and therefore is an approach
that embraces the integrated and cross-curricular nature of the
revised curriculum.

 Developing language awareness fosters the ability to transfer
learning.
 Developing children’s awareness of how they learn makes children
active agents in their own learning.
 Developing language awareness makes children more aware of their
knowledge of Irish and English and how it can be used with the
Modern Language as a basis for learning about how languages work.
 Developing language awareness leads children to be curious about
languages in the world and to be more open to acquiring them.
 Developing language awareness capitalises on children’s natural
curiosity about people, cultures and languages.
 Developing language awareness leads to a positive attitude towards
cultural diversity.
 Developing language awareness is a positive way of acknowledging
and capitalising on the presence of international children in the
class who are not fluent English or Irish speakers or children who
come from a bilingual or multilingual background.
In the context of the Modern Languages Draft Curriculum:
 Language awareness is one of the three strands together with

Communicative Competence and Cultural Awareness that comprise
the Modern Languages draft curriculum.
 The Modern Languages Curriculum espouses the integrated and
cross-curricular nature of the primary school curriculum.
Developing language awareness allows linkages between the
different language subject areas and the SESE and SPHE curricula.
 It is not always possible for children to continue learning the same
language at post primary level. Therefore it is important to
concentrate on the skills associated with language learning. These
skills may be drawn upon for future language learning. This is
particularly the case with Italian.

Where and when does the language teacher address the
development of Language Awareness in the curriculum?
Language awareness can be developed in a number of ways and various

general approaches can be taken.
Language Awareness activities can be

1. embedded in the Modern Language lesson
 The lesson can have as its main focus a language
awareness element.
 The lesson can have one language awareness activity
based on the vocabulary or structures being taught.
 The lesson can integrate the language awareness
component with another or other strands of the
curriculum.
2. approached in an ongoing incidental manner

 The pupils attention is focused on the patterns of the
language on an ongoing basis e.g. the rules of
pronunciation and grammar.
3. focused on specifically at the end of a unit of work

 When a bank of vocabulary is built up the teacher can
use a language awareness activity as a way of revising,
reinforcing and recycling vocabulary and working on a
grammar rule or ‘pattern’.
4. treated through a cross-curricular approach

 Similarities and differences and patterns across
languages are discussed and explored when dealing
with all areas of language in the curriculum

L1 or L2?
Both L1 and L2 should be used in developing Language Awareness. It is

possible to use L2 to draw the children’s attention to the patterns of the
language using the normal range of activities such as games, poems,
stories etc. Besides the language needed to carry out specific lessons in
L2 there are a number of typical questions that can be asked on an
ongoing basis during the language lesson that will focus children’s
attention on the patterns of the language and of the similarities and
differences between languages and make them more aware of their
knowledge of languages.
E.g. Indovinate cosa significa ‘carota’….

Sì, è molto simile alla parola inglese.
Ci sono altre verdure che hanno nomi simili ai nomi inglesi?
Come si dice ‘carota’ in irlandese?
Cosa preferisci…la parola italiana o la parola inglese o la parola irlandese?
Ti piace il suono della parola ‘carota’/
Fra tutte le verdure qual è la tua parola preferita?
È una parola maschile o femminile…cosa pensi? Perché?
However at the end of a lesson, in the post communicative stage or at

another suitable time the teacher can elucidate the learning that has
taken place and discuss the children’s progress in the Modern Language
using the L1.
E.g. you now know your colours in three languages. Does anyone know them
in four languages?
In which language do you find it easiest to remember the names of the
colours?
Which colours sound similar in two or more languages?
What ‘tricks’ or hints can we use to remember the names of the colours?
Which colour do you like to say the most?
Which colour do you find most difficult to pronounce?
Which colour do you find easiest to remember?
Language Awareness can also be developed in English or Irish during

SESE or SPHE or Religion time when dealing with topics such as Myself
and the Wider World, Identity, Cultural Diversity, Development
Education.

How can we develop Language Awareness in the Primary
Classroom?
The aims of Language Awareness in the Primary School are
 to develop children’s awareness of language and languages in their

own environment and in the wider world
 to develop children’s awareness of how language is learned and how
language works
Objectives:
In developing an awareness of language and languages in the environment

and in the wider world the child should be enabled to
 develop an appreciation of the variety of languages in his/her own
environment as well as in the wider world
 listen to a variety of languages, dialects and accents
 develop an awareness of language groups
 develop an interest and curiosity in languages
 understand the relationship between language, culture and identity
 understand his/her own linguistic heritage
 explore ideas and perceptions about languages as well as languages
themselves
In developing an awareness of how language is learnt and how language

works the child should be enabled to
 explore, experiment with and enjoy all the playful aspects of
language
 discover the ‘patterns’ in languages
 develop an appropriate mastery of grammar in order to
communicate simply and effectively
 be aware of how inflection, stress, accent and word order affect
the meaning of what is being said
 appreciate the significance of tone of voice, facial expression and
gesture
 develop an appreciation of the relationship between languages
through an awareness of similarities and differences

Activities to develop an awareness of language and
languages in the child’s own environment and in the wider
world
The following activities are suggestions that can be carried out either by
the Class Teacher who is also the Modern Language Teacher or by the
Visiting Language Teacher working in cooperation with the Class Teacher.
 Get the children to conduct a survey on the variety of languages

that are spoken by children in the school. Display the results on a
public notice board.
Include a simple self- presentation by each child involved.
 Get the children who can speak different languages to teach other
children to say something simple in their language e.g. Hello, My
name is…
 Celebrate European Language Day. E.g. have an assembly in which
children who speak different languages present themselves. Learn
simple songs in different languages and perform them on the day.
 Get the children to conduct a survey on the variety of languages
that can be encountered in everyday life in the local environment
e.g. on food wrappers, on television, in local restaurants, on street
signs etc. This can be done as a homework project. Display the
results.
 Invite guests into the classroom e.g. parents or older siblings or
other locals who speak different languages to talk about how they
learnt their languages, and places where they used or now use the
languages to communicate.
 Give the children opportunities for listening to and perhaps
learning songs in different languages.
 Do a research project on the languages spoken in Europe or have
the children include a ‘languages and dialects’ component in their
projects on individual countries in Europe.
 Talk to your class about your own language history and language
experiences. Include positive and negative experiences e.g. feeling
embarrassed about speaking a language, feeling proud when
speaking a language, feeling left out or lost by not being able to
speak a language in a particular situation, feeling lucky to be able
to speak a language on a particular occasion etc.
 Discuss with the children in a similar way when they speak
different languages and how they feel when speaking them. When

I speak Irish I feel….When I speak Italian I feel…..Explore also
other feelings as above relating to language experiences.
 If you are a native Italian talk to your class about the difference
between dialects and standard Italian. Explain when/if you use a
dialect and when you use standard Italian. Teach the class some
simple examples of dialect.
 Discuss the variety of accents with which English and/or Irish is
spoken by staff members. Discuss distinctive words and slang
words that are used in the locality. Present other examples from
other parts of the country.
 Discuss the variety of accents that are heard on television from
Britain and Ireland.
 Discuss the influence of television and films on the way people
speak and how we perceive that others speak. E.g. the
stereotypical accents that are sometimes presented in
advertisements for Italian products and the ‘Sopranos’ accent.

Activities to develop an awareness of how language is
learned and how language works.
The following activities can be carried out by the Modern Language

teacher.
Listening activities
 Listen to the recorded sound of different languages including

the target language and get the children to pick out the target
language. Get them to explain their answers. e.g. what particular
sounds/words/ structures they heard that they could identify
as being Italian.
 Listen to text spoken or songs sung for sounds that are
particular to the Italian language.
Alza la mano quando senti una parola che comincia con la lettera
‘r’.
Alza la mano quando senti il suono ’gli’/ci/gn/ch.
Alza la mano quando senti una parola che comincia con una
vocale. Quale vocale hai sentito?
Alza la mano quando senti una parola che finishe con la lettera
a/o.
This exercise can lead to the realisation that most words that
end in a are feminine and that most words that end in o are
masculine. Initially they can be spoken of as ‘la’ words and ‘il’
words and later given the proper names – sostantivo/nome
maschile/femminile.
 Listen for punctuation. E.g. put up you hand at the end of each
sentence, when you hear a question, when you hear an
exclamation etc.
 Listen for parts of speech.
Alza la mano quando senti il verbo.
 Listen for rhyming words…suggest alternative rhyming words.
 Listen to discriminate between sounds that can seem quite
similar for language learners.
E.g. A and Á at the end of words e.g. Il papa…… mio papà, la
chiasa…..la città la metà….la mezza etc.

Speaking activities
 Explore the differences and similarities between the sounds of

letters of the alphabet in Italian and the sounds of the letters in
English and/ or Irish.
 Explore the differences and similarities between words of similar
meaning in Italian and English and/or Irish. e.g. the days of the
week.
 Explore the pronunciation of similar first names that are used in
different forms in different languages.
 Explore words that are spelt the same but are pronounced
differently in different languages.
 Explore words that are borrowed from different languages – from
Italian to English and vice versa….Listen if possible to how
borrowed words are pronounced by non native speakers of both
languages.
 Explore the origins of words that are encountered in English or
Irish or Italian lessons.
 Have ‘Beat the Clock’ competitions to practise certain categories of
words. E.g. how many ‘la’ words can you say before the time is up?
How many ‘il’ words can you say in ten seconds? How many verbs can
you say in a minute?
 Use a soft ball to practise grammar.
La mia palla – la tua palla (throwing the ball to a child). The child
repeats the exercise throwing it to another and so on.
Use a soft ball to practise word lists ( on set topics or as an open
activity) as above..e.g ’la’ words and ‘il’ words where each child has
to say a word before passing on the ball. Plurals can also be
practised in this way. To help the weaker children, lists of words,
colour coded according to gender, should be displayed in the
classroom/on the blackboard. The challenge will still be in reading
the words and more able children will not rely on the lists.
 Set challenges in teams. Each team picks an object from a box of
objects/a noun from a selection of noun cards. The team must
then give one/two suitable adjectives with correct agreements to
score a point. E.g. la matita….la matita è rosa (e lunga), la gomma è
piccola ( e gialla).
 Play the world has turned red/green etc. where the children must
call out all the objects of the classroom with the chosen colour
and correct agreement. E.g. La lavagna è rossa, la porta è rossa
etc. Notice patterns e.g. verde does not have to be changed…etc.

 Practise distinctive sounds using tongue twisters.
 Practise saying the same word/phrase/sentence followed by
different punctuation sign e.g. a full stop/question
mark/exclamation mark.
 Pick out words that you like in Italian…beat out everyone’s
favourite word from learnt vocabulary lists in rhythmic and choral
fashion. Make rhythmic phrases from the words.
 Using words from thematic vocabulary lists compose rhythmic
phrases and perform by clapping or using percussion instruments.
 Play ‘I spy with my little eye’ /Vedo qualcosa nell’aula che comincia
con la lettera ‘p’…
 Compose simple raps/songs and poems using words/phrases/simple
questions and answers. Borrow the tune of well-known songs.
 Discuss the possible use of formal and informal in the school
context e.g. Greeting a visitor formally, speaking to the Principal,
speaking to friends.
 Learn the greeting given for different festivals in different
languages. Compare the phrases.
Reading activities
 Learn to read the alphabet in Italian. Compare the Italian alphabet

with the alphabets of other languages as regards what letters
exist in the different alphabets and how they are pronounced.
 Do activities based on breaking words into their syllables and
rematching the syllables to form words. Make lists of word
families.
 Involve the children in spelling games and activities where they
must read the word/pronounce the word that is spelled out.
 Practise distinctive combinations of letters. Involve the children in
attempting to sound out new words based on their knowledge of the
alphabet and sounds like ‘ci’ ‘gli’ etc.
 Look at the effect of accents on different letters and compare if
possible with the effect of the fada in Irish.
 Play odd one out with groups of words where the odd one out is a
word that does not start with a vowel/consonant/specific letter or
end in a/o or has a different gender e.g. a group of ‘la’ words with
cinema as the odd one out even though it ends in an ‘a’. Speak about
exceptions to rules.

 Display classroom and school signs in Italian as well as English
and/or Irish. Draw the children’s attention to the signs often and
compare spelling and pronunciation in the different languages.
 Put the date on the blackboard first thing in the morning or at the
beginning of the Italian lesson in Italian and Irish if possible and
bring the children’s attention to the word order and similarities in
words. Children in 5th/6th class can quickly learn to do this
themselves. Practise reading the date.
 Explore sentence structure with words and phrases already known
by doing matching activities.
Explore how different questions and answers can be changed
around in a typical dialogue to make a different conversation.
Look at the position of verbs and adjectives in different languages.
Look at the use of plurals e.g. Mi piace/mi piacciono…Compare with
Irish and English constructions.
Play around with substituting new words in a known phrase from a
poem/song/story.
 Explore typical names and their pronunciation in different
languages. Notice patterns e.g. girls names ending in ‘a’ and boys
in’’o’….point out exceptions.
 Explore the names of cities in Italian and English. Notice patterns
of how they change in spelling.
Writing activities
 Practise writing the letters of the alphabet by calling out the

letters and having the children write them down as they hear them
called.
 Practise writing words from letters that are called out….in the
correct order and also groups of mixed up letters that must be
sorted into words.
 Use buckets of plastic letters or letter cards to do spelling
activities.
 Do the typical handwriting practise in cursive handwriting in
Italian. The repetitive nature of the exercise and the flow of the
words aid the learning or reinforcing of spelling in Italian.
 Do writing activities that reinforce grammar rules and ‘patterns’.
E.g. activities based on gender, plurals, agreement of adjective
with noun etc.

 Do activities (including IT activities) that reinforce the
conventions of writing in Italian. E.g. activities that demonstrate
the non use of capital letters for the days of the week, months of
the year etc. Compare across languages.
 Use the letters of penpals as models for letter writing. Pick out
phrases that can be recycled. Look at typical greetings for
festivals. Examine the spelling of typical names. Notice and model
in particular the way the letter begins and ends and the non-use of
capital letters for the day and month.
As already mentioned Language Awareness can be divided into two broad

areas:
 Awareness of languages in general in the immediate environment
and in the wider world.
 Awareness of how a particular language works i.e. awareness of
the patterns in a particular language.
The second area is the area of focus for the Modern Language Teacher
although there can be overlap and collaboration between the work of the
class teacher and the language teacher in the two areas of Language
Awareness. Awareness of how a particular language works involves
elucidating and reinforcing the patterns that should become evident to
the child as he/she learns the language. It is to a large extent linked with
grammar and literacy. As such the pre-learned language skills of the child
in other languages, including the Mother Tongue, can be applied to the
learning of Italian. Literacy skills learned or reinforced in the Italian
class also reinforce the general literacy skills of the child.
Work in literacy skills in language proceeds from a focus on individual
words to sentences through to texts in the target language. What follows
is a brief summary of some literacy activities that can be carried out at
the three levels of focus – word, sentence and text. Included also are
some ideas for lessons and supplementary work sheets that serve as
examples of the kinds of activities that reinforce Language Awareness.
Language awareness activities have also been included as part of the
section on ‘Carnevale’ in this booklet and can be used when dealing with
the topic of clothes and colours.
Word Level:
 Activities on the Italian alphabet
 Activities on sounds specific to the Italian language

 Activities on syllables and beginning and final sounds of words
 Activities on rhythm and rhyme
 Word searches
 Crosswords
 Jumbled-up words
 Activities on gender
 Activities on plurals
 Activities on verbs, adjectives or other parts of speech
 Activities involving the comparison of individual words across
languages for meaning, spelling, grammar and writing conventions
 Dictionary activities
Sentence Level:
 Sorting out jumbled up sentences
 Sorting out dialogues – matching questions and answers
 Inserting the missing word/s in a sentence
 Completing sentences
 Extending sentences
 Surveys
 Substituting words in sentences
Text Level:
 Joining sentences using link words
 Reading and composing short texts using repetitive structures and
scaffolding.
 Activities that focus on the conventions of post card and letter
writing
 Activities involving punctuation.
Although work on literacy in a language proceeds from word through

sentence to text level, there is also a need to work at all three levels
on an ongoing basis. Activities at word level, for example, can always be
done as new vocabulary is introduced. The following questions can be used
to develop language awareness when learning or reinforcing word lists.
Sto pensando ad una parola che comincia con la lettera ‘r’…../comincia con
una vocale. Qual è la parola?
Sto pensando ad una parola che ha due sillabe…..
Sto pensando ad un aggettivo…..
Sto pensando ad una parola che contiene il suono ‘ci’/ch/zz/rr/gli….

L’alfabeto
Strand: Language Awareness
Strand units: Listening, Reading and Writing
PRE-COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES
Quali sono le lettere dell’alfabeto in inglese?
A, B, C, ecc., Forse i bambini possano cantare la canzone dell’alfabeto in
inglese.
Spiega che l’alfabeto italiano è diverso….
In italiano l’alfabeto è un po’ diverso. Ci sono meno lettere nell’alfabeto
italiano …adesso ascoltate bene l’alfabeto italiano…
Scrivi tutte le lettere sulla lavagna o mostra le lettere già scritte su
carte.
Scandi tutte le lettere. I bambini repetono insieme e poi uno alla volta
ogni lettera.
Quante lettere ci sono nell’alfabeto italiano? ….Contiamo insieme….1, 2,3,
ecc.,
Dunque ci sono solo 21 letttere nell’alfabeto italiano. Mancano cinque
lettere. Quali sono le lettere che mancano?
Scandi tutte le lettere straniere. I bambini ripetono insieme e poi uno alla
volta. Spiega che queste lettere non esistono nell’alfabeto italiano.
Fai domande ai bambini su tutte le lettere nell’alfabeto.

Qual è questa lettera?…Sì è la lettera ‘c’ ecc.
Il gioco di ‘Vero o Falso’

‘L’ …..Vero o falso…. Sì, vero….No, falso…Questa lettera è ‘M’.
COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES
Dai a ogni bambino nella classe una lettera. Chiama tutte le lettere.
Quando un bambino sente la sua lettera deve alzare la lettera e dire la
lettera ad alta voce.

Il gioco delle lettere
Adesso giochiamo un po’…..ascoltate bene e indovinate qual è la parola……
Scandi le lettere di alcune parole. I bambini devono ascoltare e indovinare
quali sono le parole. L’insegnante deve usare parole conosciute ai bambini.
Per esempio….R O M A PA S T A M A R I A
Prima di scandire le lettere l’insegnsnte deve dare un’indicazione della
parola. Per esempio…è una città in Italia….R O M A . Qual è la parola?
È un nome italiano….M A R C O….Qual è la parola?
OTHER COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES:

Come si scrive la parola IRELAND / DUBLIN / CORK /ROMA/ VENEZIA
Come si scrive il tuo nome es.
Mi chiamo JOHN …Si scrive J O H N .
Quali sono le parole italiane che conoscete …es. Italia, pasta, pizza,
lasagne, ciao.
Come si scrive pizza in italiano…ecc?.
WORK SHEET:
Ascoltate bene e scrivete le lettere…..
The teacher calls out the letters of the alphabet and the children write
them down as they are called. The teacher calls out various letters and
the children write them down. The teacher spells out various words-
Italian or English- and the children write them.
Qual è la parola?
POST-COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES:
1. Il Gioco delle Lettere

The class is divided into two or more teams.
The teacher traces a letter of the alphabet on a pupil’s back and they
must say what the letter is, in Italian, to score a point. An extra point can
be given if the child / team can give an Italian word which begins with
that letter.
2. Il Gioco delle Lettere

The class is divided into two teams.
Using a bucket of plastic letters the teacher invites a player from each
team to take a letter from the bucket without looking. To score one point
the player must name the letter. To score two points the player must also
give a word that begins with that letter.

L’ alfabeto
Ascolta e scrivi le lettere:
a b c d e f
g h i j k l
m n o p q r
s t u v w x
y z
Scrivi le lettere:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Scrivi le parole:

L’alfabeto
Strand: Language Awareness
Strand units: Listening, Speaking
PRE-COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES:
The teacher revises the letters of the alphabet by questioning the
children….
Come si scrive Italia in italiano?
Come si scrive il tuo nome in italiano?
The teacher writes the alphabet on the blackboard.

The teacher introduces the vowels:
Quali sono le vocali in inglese?….in italiano si dice….
Quali sono le vocali in questa parola…es..Roma…Italia…lasagne?
COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES:
The teacher introduces the song’ Le Vocali’
LE VOCALI
A E I O U Le vocali stan lassù
A E I O U Le vocali fan cucù
From: Teachers Book to accompany CASSETTE 2
POST-COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES:
The teacher introduces the Italian word for consonants…

Ci sono cinque vocali …come si chiamano le altre lettere…in inglese si dice
consonant…in italiano si dice consonante… le consonanti.
The teacher calls out the letters of a word which are mixed up..and the
children in pairs or groups must form a word. To make it easier for the
children the words can be from examples already used or words already
well known or written on labels in the room.
OPTION: The teacher says: le vocali di questa parola sono a, i, o,
La consonante è ‘c’…Qual è la parola?….CIAO
OTHER ACTIVITIES / SONGS WHICH CAN BE USED TO
TEACH THE ALPHABET:
 Song I sedici Suoni fromTeachers Book to accompany
Cassette 2
 The game ‘Hangman’- L’Impiccato
 La lettera C e il suono ‘gli’ Teachers Book to accompany
Cassette 2
 Make an alphabet frieze for the Italian alphabet
 Photocopy the page with the letters of the alphabet twice for
each child (or if desired the game can be played in pairs).
Cut up one of the pages so that the letters are all separate.
Call out each letter using the Italian pronunciation.
When the child (or pair) hear the letters called he/she/they
must cover that letter with the correct matching letter.
 Write a known word on the blackboard. Get the children to close
their eyes. Rub out one letter. Let the children open their eyes.
Ask…Manca quale lettera? Repeat the process. The children can
be asked to name the accumulated missing letters if
desired……Adesso quali lettere mancano? A e D ecc. This is a
good exercise for learning how to spell words in Italian.
 Get the children to compile their own alphabetical word lists or
mini-dictionaries that can serve as a personal record of language
learning and be used as a resource for language activities.
 Create various word banks / charts for distinctive or difficult
sounds made up of combinations of letters. Add new words as
they are learned. Let the children identify and decide where to
put these words as they arise if possible.

A B C D E
F G H I J
K L MN O
P Q R S T
U V WX Y
Z
Be a Language Detective
Cerchia in blu il suono CI e cerchia in rosso il suono CH
C I AO CHIAMO
CINEMA
CHIARO CITTÀ
CINQUE
CHIAMI CHIARA
CIELO
CHI CHE
CINESE
CHILO
CIABATTA
C UC I N A CIBO CIOCCOLATA
Qual è la tua parola preferita con il suono ‘CI’ ? …………………………

Qual è la tua parola preferita con il suono ‘CH’ ? …………………………

Be a Listening Language Detective
Ascolta bene e cerchia la parola giusta:
pane penna buono bello
cosa casa piccolo piccola
pizza Pisa alto alta
Papa Papà giallo gialla
dieci dodici bianco bianca
rosso rosa nero nera
piace piacciono fungo funghi
pesca pesce patata patate
bambino bambina chiamo chiami
bello bella cielo chilo
Le parole più difficili per me sono……………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Le Sillabe
Collega le sillabe per fare le parole
Pas la Pas + ta =
cin ta …………………………
Me ne …………………………..
Pe que …………………………..
Tor ta ………………………………
Pa ro ………………………………
Ne ta ……………………………..
Na ra ……………………………….
Tes ta ………………………………
Por so ……………………………….

Máire
I Nomi
Can you find out how these names are written and pronounced in English,
Irish and Italian. Be a language detective and complete the table below.
How many of these names can you find among your class mates?
INGLESE IRLANDESE ITALIANO

Michael
Seán
Anne
Máire
Sarah
Marco
Pól
Laura
Peter
Antonio
Elaine
Andrew
Stiofáin
Cáit
Frank
Matteo
Chiara
Luke
Louise
Mi chiamo……………………………………………………È un nome…………………………………………….
In italiano mi chiamo……………………………………………….
Il mio nome preferito è…………………………………È un nome…………………………………..

Maschile o Femminile?
Colora di blu i nomi maschili e colora di rosa i nomi femminili.
What pattern do you notice in the spelling of Italian names?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Are there exceptions to this pattern? …………………………………………
Give examples ……………………………………………………………………………………..

Che tipo di persona è?

Scegli un aggettivo per ogni persona.
Marco è …………………… Giulia è…………………………………..
Paola è ………………………………….. Matteo è……………………………
Laura è ………………………………… Francesco è ………………………
Mario è ………………………………… Paolo è ………………………………
Michele è ……………………………. Sara è ……………………………………
Che tipo di persona sei? Sono…………………………………………………………….

Mio o Mia?
papà
…………madre …………padre .…………fratello ………….sorella
…………nonno ………...nonna ……………..cugino .…………cugina
…………zio ……………zia ………………mamma …………………..papà
Scegli un aggettivo per descrivere ogni persona:
………….padre è ……………………… …………fratello è…………………………
……….madre è ………………………. ….………..nonno è ………………………….
………….sorella è …………………… …………nonna è……………………………
………..zio è ………………………….. ….………….zia è ……………………………

Be Language Detective
………..matita ………….penna ………libro
…………quaderno ………temperino ………..gomma
…………..righello …..……pennarello ………diario
ATTENTI!
……………….zaino ……………..astuccio

……….pasta
……….pizza …………banana
……..gelato ………pollo ………torta
………..mela ……….formaggio ….…….caramella
………burro ………….cioccolata …………coca-cola
Cosa ti piace di più?
Mi……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
‘IL’ WORDS ‘LA’ WORDS

………………………………………………… …………………………………………
………………………………………………… …………………………………………
…………………………………………………
…………………………………………
…………………………………………………
…………………………………………………
…………………………………………
……………………………………………. …………………………………………
…………………………………………
…………………………………………
What pattern do you notice?………………………………………………………….

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Do all the words fit into the pattern?……………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Singolare o Plurale?
la pasta il burro i funghi le fragole le lasagne
gli spaghetti le patatine la pizza i pomodori
le banane il pesce la torta il pollo il pane
l’arancia la carne il gelato le caramelle
i biscotti l’hamburger le carote il formaggio le uova
SINGOLARE PLURALE
……………………………………………… …………………………………………………
……………………………………………… …………………………………………………
……………………………………………… …………………………………………………
……………………………………………… …………………………………………………
……………………………………………… …………………………………………………
……………………………………………… …………………………………………………
……………………………………………… …………………………………………………
……………………… ……………………………
Do you notice any pattern ………………………………………………………………..

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Do all the words fit into the pattern?……………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Mi piace o Mi piacciono?
…………………il formaggio ……………………il pollo ……………………la pasta
…………………….le patatine ……………………la torta ……………………il pane
……………………il gelato …..……………………...i funghi ……………….l’acqua
………………………………le caramelle ….…………………………….le banane
……………………………i biscotti …..…………….la frutta ……………….il latte
…………………….il caffè ………………………i panini ……………………il burro
…………………..la verdura …………….….………………..le uova
……………………………………i pomodori ……………………………….le potate
……………………………. le cipolle …..………………il pesce ………………….il tè
……………………….l’ hamburger …………………………………gli spaghetti
Cosa ti piace mangiare?………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Cosa non ti piace? ………………………………………………………………………………..

There are many words in Italian that are ‘borrowed’ from English. We also
use Italian words sometimes when speaking about food or music. Fill in
the lists below using the words in the box.
il computer lo shopping pasta pizza
il weekend lasagne il walkman allegro piano
cappuccino panini hotel il basket il tennis
ciabatta il rugby l’hobby i jeans spaghetti
Words used in Italian that Words used in English that

are ‘borrowed’ from English. are ‘borrowed’ from Italian.
………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………
………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………
………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………
………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………
……………………………………………………… …………………………………………………
……………………………………………………… …………………………………………………
………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………
………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………
…

Il Mio Piccolo Vocabolario
A

Q
Le Lettere Straniere
J
K

Find ‘Joining words’ to make your sentences longer.
Cosa ti piace mangiare?
Mi piacciono ……………………………. ………………………………………
Mi piacciono………………………. …………………………… ……………………
Mi piace …………………………… non mi piace ………………………………..
Mi piace ……………………….. non mi piace……………………………….
Mi piacciono…………… …………………
non mi piace…………………
Mi piacciano…………………….. , …………………………., ……………………….
…………………………
Be a Language detective
Find words to make your sentences longer and more interesting.
ma
di più
Cosa ti piace fare?
Mi piacciono………………………………..………. ………………………………….…………..
Mi piace ……………………………… non mi piace ……………………….
Mi piace ……………………………………………………. s……………………………..
A…………………… …………….……………….. o………… ……………………

…
Mi piace ………………………………….. non mi piace………………………
. .
a………………
.
Mi piace …………………………………………..
d… …………………...

Songs and Language Awareness
Songs are a useful and enjoyable way to draw children’s awareness to the
syllabic elements of words and the rhythms of the language. What follows
are a few suggestions for using songs to develop language awareness.
 Using songs to reinforce vocabulary:

Use well-known tunes to compose songs using target vocabulary. The
children can suggest their own versions
E.g the tune of ‘Are you Sleeping’ can be adapted to fit any vocabulary
list.
I Colori
Giallo rosa, Giallo rosa,
Viola, Viola,
Verde rosso nero
Verde rosso nero
Marrone, Marrone.
I Vestiti
Gonna giacca, Gonna giacca
maglietta, maglietta
Pantaloni verdi, pantaloni verdi,
Maglione, Maglione
Gli aggettivi
Basso grasso, Basso grasso
Piccolo, Piccolo
Alto grande magro
Felice, Felice
 Using songs to teach grammar

Songs that have been explored in previous booklets and are on the
accompanying tapes can be used to teach grammar structures.
E.g. ‘Tocca a me’……(pronouns) ‘Se sei felice e lo sai batti le mani’.
(imperative tense). Words/lines can be substituted as appropriate.
Songs can be used to teach gender or plurals or parts of speech. The
above examples using ‘Are you Sleeping?’ can be sung using masculine or
feminine forms or plurals. The children can play around with composing

and singing them in different ways. E.g. the boys could sing the masculine
version and the girls the feminine version as a round.
Gli aggettivi (feminine version)

Bassa Grassa, Bassa Grassa
Piccola, Piccola
Alta grande magra, alta grande magra
Felice, Felice
I Vestiti (plural version)

Gonne giacche, Gonne giacche
Magliette, magliette
Pantaloni verdi Pantaloni verdi
Maglioni, Maglioni
 Call and Response chants can be used to explore the rhythms of

the language. These can be taken from known songs or composed in
collaboration with the children.
E.g. Tocca a me
Teacher chants: Pupils respond
Tocca a me Tocca a te
Tocca a lui Tocca a lei
A chi tocca? A chi tocca?
A chi tocca? Tocca a me

A chi tocca? Tocca a te
A chi tocca? Tocca a lui
A chi tocca ? Tocca a lei
Tocca a me Tocca a te
Tocca a lui Tocca a lei
A chi tocca? A chi tocca?
Ancora una volta ma più forte………………………………………Children repeat

Ancora una volta ma più veloce…ecc.

 Compose rhythmic tunes using words of different syllables.
Using four beats in a bar and four words in various combinations compose
a rhythmic tune and clap or beat it out using percussion instruments.
e.g. Using numbers:

Sei, quattro, cinque, sei
Quattro, quattro, cinque, cinque
Sei, sei, cinque cinque
Sei quindici, Sei quindici
Language Awareness and TongueTwisters
Tongue twisters are a very enjoyable way of exploring the particular

sounds of the Italian language and of practising difficult sounds. Many of
the most pooular tongue twisters have been given in earlier booklets. A
list of Italian internet sites where it is also possible to source tongue
twisters is given as part of the resource list – available on the Italian
pinboard: http://bscw.gmd.de
Username: italianpinboard
Password: kec
Useful Italian websites for sourcing tongue twisters, poems and other
material for developing language awareness:
http://www.latataweb.it
http://www.ceraunavolta.it
http://www.mondobimbo.it
http://www.infanziaweb.it
http://www.filastrocche.it

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Language Awareness

What is Language Awareness?

Language Awareness is ‘a person’s sensitivity to and conscious awareness

Language Awareness is about

 being aware of different languages and the variety of ways in which

 being aware of the ‘pattern’ in language

 understanding the relationship between language and culture

 being aware of the way language usage varies in different social

 being aware of language as a nuanced and complex system of verbal

 understanding how language is acquired

 being aware of one’s own language learning

 developing and being aware of language learning skills that are

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 1

 It is known that insight into ‘pattern’ underlies successful learning

In the context of the revised Primary School Curriculum:

 Language awareness forms part of the English and Irish language

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 2

In the context of the Modern Languages Draft Curriculum:

 Language awareness is one of the three strands together with

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 3

Language awareness can be developed in a number of ways and various

Language Awareness activities can be

2. approached in an ongoing incidental manner

3. focused on specifically at the end of a unit of work

4. treated through a cross-curricular approach

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 4

Both L1 and L2 should be used in developing Language Awareness. It is

E.g. Indovinate cosa significa ‘carota’….

However at the end of a lesson, in the post communicative stage or at

Language Awareness can also be developed in English or Irish during

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 5

The aims of Language Awareness in the Primary School are

 to develop children’s awareness of language and languages in their

In developing an awareness of language and languages in the environment

In developing an awareness of how language is learnt and how language

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 6

 Get the children to conduct a survey on the variety of languages

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 7

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 8

The following activities can be carried out by the Modern Language

 Listen to the recorded sound of different languages including

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 9

 Explore the differences and similarities between the sounds of

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 10

 Learn to read the alphabet in Italian. Compare the Italian alphabet

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 11

 Practise writing the letters of the alphabet by calling out the

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 12

As already mentioned Language Awareness can be divided into two broad

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 13

Although work on literacy in a language proceeds from word through

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 14

Strand: Language Awareness

Strand units: Listening, Reading and Writing

Fai domande ai bambini su tutte le lettere nell’alfabeto.

Il gioco di ‘Vero o Falso’

Pascaline Horan - MLPSI Incareer Booklet 13 2005 15

OTHER COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITIES:

1. Il Gioco delle Lettere