Lesson 2: A Tavola
Duration of Days: 14
Lesson Objective
Students will be able to identify and recall place setting & restaurant vocabulary.
Students will be able to describe and discuss meals, place settings, food preparation and enjoying food.
Students will be able to Identify and reflect on cultural practices and products related to family meals and eating habits.
What is mealtime like for the Italians?
What utensils are needed for what dishes?
What is the Italian restaurant experience like? What are the cultural differences between the American and the Italian dining experience?
i pasti
le bibite
colazione
’acqua (frizzante/naturale)
pranzo
la birra
cena
il latte
il succo
l’antipasto
il te`
il primo
il vino (bianco, rosso)
il secondo
tavolo/tavola
il contorno
l'insalata
la forchetta
il dolce
il cucchiaio
la bottiglia
il cucchiaino
il conto
il bicchiere
il servizio
il piatto
il cuoco/la cuoca
la tovaglia
il cameriere/ la cameriera
il tovagliolo
la mancia
la tazza/ tazzina
espressioni
la ciotola
Vorrei…
il coltello
le posate
essere a dieta
la caraffa d’acqua
il sale
il pepe
fatto in casa
il gusto
dolce
leggero/a
insipido/a
pesante
piccante
saporito/a
salato
croccante
morbido
culture/comparison
DOK1
Students recall or identify explicit information from the text.
What are the main meals of the day in Italy?
At what times do Italians normally eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner?
What are the different courses of a traditional Italian meal?
What is the purpose of the primo piatto? And of the secondo?
1. Food as a Social & Cultural Practice (Not Just Nutrition): In Italy, meals are social rituals tied to family, time, and identity—not something rushed or eaten alone.
Students will explore: the importance of pranzo vs. cena
Why meals are often long and structured (antipasto ? primo ? secondo ? contorno ? dolce)
The concept of stare a tavola as relationship-building.
Sunday lunches and multi-generational meals.
2. Regional Identity Through Food: Italian food is deeply regional—what you eat says where you’re from.
Pasta shapes and sauces by region (orecchiette in Puglia, pesto in Liguria)
Regional specialties vs. “Italian food” abroad
Pride, debate, and even rivalry over food traditions
3. Eating Out: Italian Restaurant Culture: Dining out in Italy follows different social rules than in the U.S.
No rush from servers
Coperto
Ordering courses instead of “entrees”
Limited substitutions
Water choices (naturale vs. frizzante)
4. Food Etiquette & Unspoken Rules (This provides cultural competency)
Cappuccino rules
No cheese on seafood
Bread used after pasta (La Scarpetta)
Why certain requests feel “strange” to Italians
5. Food, Family & Identity: Recipes are often inherited, not written.
La Ricetta della nonna
Food as memory and tradition
Meals as expressions of love and care
6. Globalization & “Italian Food” Abroad
Real-world connection:
Italian cuisine is one of the most globalized cuisines—but often altered.
“Italian-American” vs. Italian food
How immigration shaped cuisine
Why some dishes don’t exist in Italy
Students often think Italian food is uniform—pizza, pasta, and red sauce everywhere.
Students assume Italian-American dishes reflect daily Italian eating habits.
“Meals are just about eating”
You can order whatever you want, however you want”
"Breakfast in Italy is like breakfast in the U.S.” Students expect eggs, bacon, and big savory breakfasts.
Students believe pasta is eaten daily, in large quantities.
Differentiate by Language Proficiency: (Same theme, different output expectations)
Label foods, meals, and courses, use sentence frames:
A colazione mangio…
Mi piace / Non mi piace…
Match dishes to regions or meals
Order from a menu using rehearsed phrases
Novice High–Intermediate Low
Describe a meal using connected sentences
Compare meals (In Italia…, negli Stati Uniti…)
Explain preferences with perché
Ask follow-up questions at a restaurant or market
2. Differentiate by Content Complexity
(What students explore, not just how much Italian they use)
Tier 1 – Concrete
Meals of the day
Food categories
Menu reading
Restaurant etiquette basics
Tier 2 – Cultural Interpretation
Regional dishes and geography
Why certain food rules exist
Market culture vs. supermarkets
Tier 3 – Critical Thinking
Authenticity vs. globalization
Italian food abroad vs. in Italy
Food as identity and tradition
Differentiate by Mode of Communication (ACTFL-aligned)
Interpretive
Visual menus with glosses
Audio of someone ordering (with or without transcript)
Market photos or short clips
Interpersonal
Role-play restaurant scenarios
Market bargaining with supports
Peer interviews about food habits
Presentational
Menu design
Food vlog or slideshow
Cultural comparison paragraph or infographic
Differentiate by Scaffolding & Supports
For Students Who Need More Support
Sentence starters
Word banks
Visuals and icons
Model dialogues
Chunked instructions
For more skilled students: Open-ended prompts, Less structured rubrics, Cultural nuance expectations, Extension questions (Perché pensi che…?)
see vistaprint online
see vistaprint online