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Italian History

Twelfth graders explore key moments of Italian history (la storia) — l’antica Roma (Ancient Rome), il Rinascimento (the Renaissance), il Risorgimento (Unification, 1861), la Repubblica (1946), and Italy in the European Union — seeing how the past shaped the Italy they’ve studied.

Grade 12History50 minutes1 class periodACTFL / World LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACTFL
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Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explore key eras.
  • ✓Learn Rome to Republic.
  • ✓Connect past to present.
  • ✓Share a takeaway.
Essential Question

From Ancient Rome to the EU — what shaped modern Italy?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Italian History Explorer

Project this and tap each. Have students explore milestones of Italian history.

📜 Explore Italian history — tap eachTry it

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 — Roots of Italy

6 min

What shaped modern Italy over the centuries?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show the Colosseum.
  • Ask what era it’s from.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Look.
  • Wonder.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — History

12 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the History Explorer.
  • Present Rome → EU.
  • Note the Renaissance & Unification.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Note it.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Practice

13 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name an era.
  • Say what happened in 1861.
  • Order two eras.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name.
  • Say.
  • Order.
4

Speak — Speak

13 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Say why the Renaissance matters.
  • Share a fact you learned.
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Share.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

6 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a milestone.
  • Say why it matters.
  • 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
Cultures 2.2

Explore historical products & eras.

ACTFL
Connections 3.1

Connect to world history.

ACTFL
Cultures 2.1

Explore practices rooted in history.

ACTFL
Communication 1.3

Presentational: present a milestone.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • History cards with images & dates.
  • Simple timeline.
  • Use short clips.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with Rome & Renaissance.
  • Use pictures/timeline.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Build an Italy timeline.
  • Research the Risorgimento.
  • Compare to your country’s history.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 📜History cards
  • 💻The Italian History Explorer
  • 🗓️Timeline handout
  • 📓Notebooks
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

storiahistoryantica Romaancient RomeimperoempireRinascimentoRenaissanceRisorgimentoUnificationunitàunityRepubblicaRepublicUnione EuropeaEuropean Union
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
What era gave us Michelangelo and Leonardo?
Il Rinascimento (the Renaissance).
QUESTION 2
What did the Risorgimento do?
United Italy into one nation (1861).
QUESTION 3
When did Italy become a Republic?
1946.

Reflect: history.

Have students write one fact about Italian history they found interesting. A printable Italian history 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 HistoryFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

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

📝 Italian HistoryQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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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 HistoryPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: antica Roma, impero, Repubblica, Rinascimento, Risorgimento, storia, Unione Europea, unità
  1. Unification
  2. unity
  3. history
  4. empire
  5. Republic
  6. European Union
  7. Renaissance
  8. ancient Rome

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What era gave us Michelangelo and Leonardo?
  2. What did the Risorgimento do?
  3. When did Italy become a Republic?
Answer key — Part A: 1) Risorgimento · 2) unità · 3) storia · 4) impero · 5) Repubblica · 6) Unione Europea · 7) Rinascimento · 8) antica Roma
Part B: 1) Il Rinascimento (the Renaissance). 2) United Italy into one nation (1861). 3) 1946.