Italian at Del Monte

Celebrating Carnevale in Italian lessons

Primary students have recently explored the vibrant Italian festival of Carnevale through a rich and engaging language‑learning unit. Carnevale, a celebration held before Lent, is famous for its colourful parades, creative costumes, decorative masks and joyful community traditions. Students learned about the festival’s origins and today’s celebrations across Italy, focusing on the elegant Venetian parades and masks. They also compared these traditions to familiar celebrations in their own lives, recognising shared themes of imagination, celebration and togetherness.

A major highlight was designing and creating their own maschere di Carnevale. Using bright colours, feathers, glitter and creative flair, students produced both traditional and unique mask designs that connected them to Italian cultural heritage. Alongside the hands‑on activities, students expanded their Italian vocabulary, learning new words related to colours, costumes and emotions. Through songs, games and simple conversational activities, they practised using this vocabulary in fun and meaningful ways. Class groups concluded the unit with small ‘mini Carnevale’ parades, proudly sharing their masks and knowledge with peers.

Our Carnevale unit has been a wonderful celebration of culture, language and creativity. We are so proud of the enthusiasm and curiosity our students have shown and we look forward to continuing our journey through the rich traditions of Italy in the term ahead.

Daniela Panico
Italian Teacher