Sporting Preferences

Year Level

Year 3 (Ages 8-9)
Class size: 25 students
Duration: 60 minutes

Unit Title

Sporting Italian Adventures
Lesson Number: 2 of 8
Lesson Title: Expressing Likes and Dislikes

Victorian Curriculum Links

Content Description:

AC9LIT4C05 - Create and present informative and imaginative spoken texts using formulaic expressions, simple phrases and modelled textual conventions
AC9LIT4C02 - Participate in activities that involve planning with others, using a range of familiar phrases and modelled structures

Focus Language Structures:

Expressing likes and dislikes using Mi piace (I like) and Non mi piace (I don't like)
Simple sports vocabulary in Italian related to familiar sports

General Capabilities:

Literacy: speaking and listening skills, use of formulaic expressions
Personal and Social Capability: interacting in pairs and groups, sharing preferences

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

Understand and correctly use Mi piace and Non mi piace to express likes and dislikes about sports in Italian.
Identify and name common sports in Italian vocabulary.
Engage in simple partner conversations expressing preferences using learned phrases.
Demonstrate understanding through role-playing a real-life scenario involving discussions about sport preferences.

Lesson Overview

A 60-minute interactive lesson focusing on expressing sporting likes and dislikes in Italian through vocabulary, partner discussions, and role play.

Lesson Plan Details

1. Introduction and Warm-up (10 minutes)

Greeting and Recap: Briefly greet students in Italian and review any previously learnt vocabulary related to sports.
Engagement Activity: Teacher shows pictures or flashcards of popular sports (e.g., calcio/football, nuoto/swimming, corsa/running, basket/basketball).
Students repeat the sport names aloud together, focusing on pronunciation.
Model the sentence frames:
- Mi piace il calcio (I like football)
- Non mi piace il basket (I don’t like basketball)

2. Teacher Modelling and Explicit Language Focus (10 minutes)

Write the phrases Mi piace and Non mi piace on the board with sports vocabulary.
Demonstrate how to express preferences about sports using simple and clear pronunciation and gestures.
Use examples with visual aids: thumbs up for Mi piace and thumbs down for Non mi piace.
Introduce simple question structure: Ti piace il calcio? (Do you like football?) and response Sì, mi piace / No, non mi piace.

3. Guided Practice - Partner Activity (15 minutes)

Students pair up and receive sets of sport flashcards or photo images.
Each partner asks and answers: Ti piace...? using the cards (e.g., Ti piace il nuoto?).
Students respond using the target language: Sì, mi piace il nuoto or No, non mi piace il nuoto.
Circulate and support correct pronunciation, intonation, and phrase structure.
Encourage students to use gestures to reinforce understanding.

4. Role Play Scenario (15 minutes)

Set the scene: at a sporting event or playground chat.
Provide simple role cards with characters expressing likes and dislikes about sports.
In pairs or small groups, students role-play conversations expressing preferences using Mi piace and Non mi piace.
Encourage creativity: students may add simple extended phrases like perché è divertente (because it’s fun) or perché è difficile (because it’s difficult).
Optionally, record short video role-plays or photograph for classroom display.

5. Reflection and Formative Assessment (10 minutes)

Whole-class sharing: invite some pairs to present their favourite and least favourite sports in Italian.
Teacher asks simple yes/no questions to individuals or pairs to assess understanding (e.g., Ti piace la corsa?).
Optional: Quick written or illustrated exit ticket – students draw a sport they like and write Mi piace il/la ... beneath it.

Resources

Picture flashcards of common sports in Italian (football, swimming, running, basketball, tennis, cycling)
Whiteboard and markers
Role play scenario cards with simple sentences and pictures
Audio clips of correct pronunciation (teacher-led or pre-recorded)
(Optional) Video recording device or iPad for recording role plays

Differentiation

Support emerging learners with visuals and repetition.
Challenge confident speakers to add simple reasons for likes/dislikes.
Use paired work to mix language proficiency levels for peer support.

Cultural Connections

Highlight cultural significance of particular sports in Italy vs Australia (e.g., calcio is very popular in Italy).
Use this as a talking point during discussions and reflection.

Teacher Reflection

Post-lesson, reflect on:

How well did students use Mi piace and Non mi piace appropriately?
Were students engaged in the partner and role-play activities?
What adjustments can be made for upcoming lessons to improve student confidence and language accuracy?

This lesson plan provides a structured, communicative approach consistent with the Victorian Curriculum for Languages Year 3 students learning Italian, focusing on expressing likes and dislikes in the context of sport, using relevant vocabulary and interactive, age-appropriate activities.

Teaching Instructions