Lesson 1: In Centro
Duration of Days: 14
Lesson Objective
Students will be able to:
Identify and use vocabulary related to city locations, landmarks, stores, and directions.
Ask for and give directions in Italian using appropriate prepositions and phrases.
Describe locations of shops, cultural sites, and points of interest in a city center.
Compare Italian city centers with U.S. urban areas.
Apply Italian vocabulary and phrases to real-life situations like navigating, shopping, or sightseeing.
Understand cultural norms and behaviors in Italian urban settings.
What types of stores, landmarks, and public spaces are commonly found in Italian city centers?
How do Italians ask for and give directions in a city?
What prepositions and phrases are used to describe locations (a, in, vicino a, tra/fra, di fronte a)?
How does a typical Italian city center differ from a U.S. downtown or shopping district?
What cultural behaviors are important when visiting shops, plazas, or landmarks in Italy?
How can you plan a walking route through a city center using Italian directions?
In Centro
costruire
dare un passaggio
le indicazioni
attraversare
l’angolo
l’isolato
il marciapiede
la rotonda
la strada
le strisce pedonali
in centro
il centro commerciale
la chiesa
il chiosco
il grande magazzino
il locale (notturno)
il negozio
il paese
la piscina
la gente
l’operatore
ecologico
il pedone
il/la polizziotto/a
il/la sindaco/a
girare
proseguire
di fronte a
dritto
fino a
lontano da
qui vicino
verso
vicino a
il ponte
salire le scale
scendere le scale
la statua
la fontana
perdersi
orientarsi
il semaforo
l’incrocio
la via
la panchina
Communication (1.1–1.3)- Interpersonal: Ask and answer questions about locations, stores, and landmarks.
- Interpretive: Understand signs, maps, announcements, or directions.
- Presentational: Describe routes, locations, or a walking tour of a city center.
Cultures (2.1): Explore Italian city planning, landmarks, and urban cultural practices.
Comparisons (4.1, 4.2): Compare Italian and U.S. city layouts, landmarks, and urban behaviors.
Communities (5.1): Apply knowledge to real-life contexts, such as navigating a city or planning visits to landmarks in Italian.
DOK 1: Recall vocabulary for city locations, landmarks, and stores.
DOK 2: Ask and answer questions about locations; give directions; read simple city maps or signs.
DOK 3: Compare Italian and U.S. city centers; justify walking routes or transportation choices.
DOK 4: Plan and present a detailed walking tour of an Italian city center, including landmarks, shopping stops, and cultural notes.
- Vocabulary and expressions prepare students for traveling, shopping, and sightseeing in Italy.
- Reading maps and navigating urban spaces fosters practical life skills.
- Comparing Italian and U.S. city centers develops cross-cultural awareness.
- Role-plays (e.g., asking for directions, buying items, visiting landmarks) mirror authentic real-life experiences.
Students may assume all Italian city centers are small or pedestrian-only; size and structure vary by city.
Students may assume all stores open and close like in the U.S.; Italian hours can differ (e.g., siesta closures).
Students may overgeneralize Italian urban behaviors based on tourist areas only.
Novice Learners: Use visual city maps, labeled landmarks, and store icons, sentence starters (Dov’è…?, È vicino a…), and guided dialogues.
Intermediate Learners: Role-play asking for and giving directions, plan short city walking tours, read authentic maps or signs.
Advanced Learners: Design a detailed city center itinerary, compare urban layouts and landmarks across Italian cities, create a presentation of a “cultural walking tour.”
Supports: Partner practice, chunked maps or directions, audio/visual supports (street signs, announcements, short videos).
Extensions: Analyze differences between historic vs. modern city centers, compare transportation options within urban areas, or create a digital city guide in Italian.
vistaprint online text resource
vistaprint online text resource