Teaching languages and multiculturalism through myth and legends, opera, contes de fées, cartoons, drama…
1A . 26 students working for 6 months with their Italian, Latin and English teacher.
1G, 20 students working for 6 months with their Italian, French and English teacher

Preparatory activities: creating an interest, exploring humour, prerequisites ( functions and keywords).

Activities:
-listening to Saki’s parody of the traditional fairy tale (creating an interest, exploring humour with the teacher of Italian literature).

- introducing the morphology of the folktale by Vladimir Propp (in Italian with one group who worked with the Italian teacher, in French the bilingual group).
(Interdisciplinary Italian-English test about the most common features of the fairy tale and its most representative authors.
creative writing (optional) : produce your scheme of fairy tale (plot and characters) according to Propp’s recipe.

- Focus on keywords ( myth, fabula legend, lore, folktale, fable, fairy tale, conte de fées, story-line, plot…) Interdisciplinary approach.
- introducing myth: 1A translated “Eros and Psyche” from The Metamorphoses or The Golden Ass by Apuleius into Italian under the supervision of the Latin teacher.

EVENT
Rossini’s opera Cenerentola performed at “ Teatro Malibran” Venice. Both classes take part in the event together with 6 more classes.

Pre-viewing activities:
Lecture in the school conference room by experienced staff from the Fenice Cultural Foundation (mutimedia presentation of the opera from theatre plays, operas, ballets, etc. )
• Reading the script of the opera (libretto) and singing famous aria together
• The real thing: going to the performance at “Teatro Malibran” Venice
• Follow- up- classwork discussion and homework: producing short reviews in English

Cartoon watching: Walt Disney’s Cinderella ( Part1 and 2) Both classes.

Pre-viewing activities : focus on multiculturalism
• Eliciting local versions of the story according to the students' backgrounds (northern Italy, Southern Italy, Eastern Europe). (How many different versions of Cinderella do you know? )

• Comparing characters and situations: class discussion

Vision, Comprehension of the film (video room and multimedia lab)

While watching activities: building up lexis and grammar

four groups of students – different tasks:
• 1 - jot down the verbs related to animal sounds (chirp, bark, purr, meow, chuckle, roar, creak etc….)
• 2 - jot down the verbs describing different feelings and situations ( groan, gasp, sigh, sob,grunt,crash, scream, giggle etc..)
• 3 - jot down the tenses used to express the actions
• 4 – jot down the comparatives /superlatives
• exchanging information

After watching activities:
Lexis and grammar: ake a list of Cinderella’s housechores and write a sentence for each of them (homework)

• Role-play: miming housechores (classroom)

• Reading English version of Perrault's Cinderella (classroom)

Working on the text through gap filling, multiple-choice, turning verbs from simple present/progressive into the past ( simple/ continuous)

Re-employment of patterns:
make comparisons between Cinderella and her Stepsisters using the following adjectives: pretty, big, good, ugly, beautiful, graceful, mean, bad, short, long, small etc.

Cinderella 2
Before watching.
Class discussion
• Which of you knows Cinderella’s sequel ?
• If so: What do you think about it?
• If not: What do you expect to watch?
• What would you do if you were the Princess ? ( Introducing if-clauses)

Vision, comprehension

While watching activities: focus on civilization
• Pay attention to some slang expressions ( jot them down)
• Watch carefully: Can you see any difference in the characters' behaviour? ( social classes/ British/ American society)

After watching:
Grammar:
• Passive voice (impersonal use – Ex: This is not done)
Civilisation:
• Comparing Cinderella 's easy going “American”way with British étiquette
• Try to understand the different slang expressions (I don’t wanna hear/I wanna bring/ I wanna try it on/I wanna be human/ I gotta go etc..) guess their meaning
• Make a comparison between British and American social classes

Class discussion (beauty vs graciousness).
Moral: Beauty in a woman is a rare treasure that will always be admired. Graciousness, however, is priceless and of even greater value. This is what Cinderella's godmother gave to her when she taught her to behave like a queen. Young women, in the winning of a heart, graciousness is more important than a beautiful hairdo. It is a true gift of the fairies. Without it nothing is possible; with it, one can do anything.

Another moral: Without doubt it is a great advantage to have intelligence, courage, good breeding, and common sense. These, and similar talents come only from heaven, and it is good to have them. However, even these may fail to bring you success, without the blessing of a godfather or a godmother( link to Propp’s magical assistant).

Written production:
• Write a short tale inspired by Cinderella. (from 100 to 200 words)
Characters:a girl/a boy
Her/his mother/father/stepmother/stepfather
Her/his stepbrothers or sisters
Situation: a young girl/boy facing difficulties . Decide if he /she will succeed in overcoming them. Choose if you want to write a sad or humorous story and decide if the end will be happy or unhappy , with or without a moral.
• Write a short story inspired by Cinderella ( change one/two Propp's functions)
• Create a fairy tale ( group work)

Phonetics and pronunciation: Songs (Cinderella 1)
Students have the lyrics of the songs they listened to while watching C.1 (Language lab/classroom)
• Read the songs: Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo, So This Is Love, A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes , and practise the pronunciation (classroom)
• singing activities (classroom)
• Listening to the musical base and singing (Lab)

Recording ( Language Lab)

1st recording: Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo – All students together
2nd recording : A dream………...- group of 4 girls
After the final recording students listen to their product.

School trip to Gropparello Castle (Piacenza), 1-day outing

Visit for both classes working on the same project to a fairy tale park with English speaking guide.
Socializing activity: on the way to the castle, photocopies of the fairy tales produced by the students are being circulated among the students who are required to read and evaluate them.

At the castle.
Guided tour vith English-speaking guide
Introducing historical backgrounds
Keywords ( medieval history and architecture)
Local ghost legend of Rosania (animation
Elements of local history and civilisation

Picnic lunch

Film of the visit made on the spot by one of the students
Photos illustrating the different phases of the visit

After the visit activities:
Vocabulary – Lab session: using the visual material and searching the Net in order to elicit key-words of medieval history and architecture

Writing:
report on the outing
description of the castle dating back to the VIII century
playwriting: write a mini play about Rosania's legend

Activities in French:

Perrault’s Cendrillon
Students read and translated Perrault’s tale into Italian –
Reading comprehension (teacher-guided activity) and discussion (with native tutor)

Reading Propp's functions in French
Writing
Documents (grammar exercises, writings, recordings, video, slide show)

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