Home›Lesson Plans›World Languages›Italian · Grade 11

Italian Storytelling

Eleventh graders learn to tell a story in Italian (raccontare una storia) with connectors — C’era una volta (once upon a time), Un giorno (one day), Poi (then), Alla fine (in the end). They put a fairy tale in order.

Grade 11Storytelling50 minutes1 class periodACTFL / World LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
Start the Lesson
Assign or share this lesson
Share to Google Classroom Share to Microsoft Teams

Copy link works with Canvas, Schoology, Moodle and any other LMS — paste it in as a resource or assignment.

Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Use story connectors.
  • ✓Connect events.
  • ✓Order a story.
  • ✓Tell a tale.
Essential Question

C’era una volta… how do you tell a story in order in Italian?

0
Lesson Phases
0
Vocabulary Terms
0
Standards Aligned
0
Interactive Task
Put in Order · Interactive

Order the Story

Project this and have students put the story in order using the Italian connectors.

📖 Put the story in order — once upon a time to the end!Try it
Tap “C’era una volta…” first!
The Lesson · Language Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

50 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Telling a Story

6 min

How do you connect events in a story in Italian?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Start a scrambled tale.
  • Ask what comes first.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Storytelling

12 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Model C’era una volta, Poi, Alla fine.
  • Note the connectors.
  • Send students to Order the Story.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Watch.
  • Note it.
  • Order it.
3

Practice — Practice

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Order the events.
  • Say each with its connector.
  • Read the story aloud.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Order.
  • Say.
  • Read.
4

Speak — Speak

13 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Tell a mini tale (C’era una volta…).
  • Use 3 connectors.
  • Tell a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tell.
  • Use them.
  • Tell.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a connector.
  • Say a beginning or ending.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the ACTFL World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages (Intermediate-Mid).

ACTFL
Communication 1.3

Presentational: narrate a story.

ACTFL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: follow a narrative.

ACTFL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: retell events.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.2

Explore Italian fairy tales.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Connector cards (start…end).
  • Story strips to arrange.
  • Model aloud.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with C’era una volta & Alla fine.
  • Order two at a time.
  • Use pictures.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Write a 5-line fairy tale.
  • Add quindi (so).
  • Retell from memory.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 📖Connector cards
  • 💻Order the Story
  • 🗒️Story strips
  • 📓Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

storiastoryc’era una voltaonce upon a timeun giornoone daypoitheninfinefinallyalla finein the endquindiso / thereforeraccontareto tell
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How do you say “once upon a time” in Italian?
C’era una volta.
QUESTION 2
What does “Alla fine” mean?
In the end.
QUESTION 3
What does “Poi” mean?
Then.

Reflect: storytelling.

Have students tell a 3-step story in Italian using C’era una volta, Poi, Alla fine. A printable Italian storytelling sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Italian StorytellingFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Italian StorytellingQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Italian StorytellingPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: alla fine, c’era una volta, infine, poi, quindi, raccontare, storia, un giorno
  1. then
  2. finally
  3. to tell
  4. one day
  5. story
  6. so / therefore
  7. once upon a time
  8. in the end

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How do you say “once upon a time” in Italian?
  2. What does “Alla fine” mean?
  3. What does “Poi” mean?
Answer key — Part A: 1) poi · 2) infine · 3) raccontare · 4) un giorno · 5) storia · 6) quindi · 7) c’era una volta · 8) alla fine
Part B: 1) C’era una volta. 2) In the end. 3) Then.