Fox Lane Middle Schoolers Are Enthusiastic Tombola Players

For Italian Heritage Month in October, Fox Lane Middle School sixth-grade Italian students had the joy of being introduced to a fun cultural activity: tombola.

“Tombola is a traditional Italian number game similar to bingo,” said teacher Tania Abbrugiati, who students call Prof. “It helps students review numbers and listening skills while experiencing a classic Italian pastime.”

Students were thrilled to play the game, literally sitting on the edge of their seats as they waited for numbers to be called out. Like bingo, they had cards filled with numbers that they crossed out as they were called. In tombola, the numbers range from 1-90. Students competed to cross off certain winning patterns. The class played a few rounds, using the traditional patterns: ambo (two numbers in the same horizontal row), terno (three numbers in the same horizontal row), quaterna (four numbers in the same horizontal row) and cinquina (five numbers in the same horizontal row). The first person to cross off all of their numbers called out “Tombola!”

“In Italy, they go to the square on Saturday nights to play,” Abbrugiati told her students as she walked around the room with a basket filled with numbers, letting students pick and call out numbers in Italian. “They tell jokes and news in the square. I will tell you news. My favorite tennis player, Jannik Sinner, won the Vienna Open for Italy yesterday.”

Students were full of competitive spirit throughout the period.

“Prof, call 61! I’ll have cinquina!” one student yelled out.

“I need one more: 39 or 43!” said another.

“Prof, I didn’t get to pick a number yet!”

Abbrugiati reminded students to speak in Italian and provided plenty of encouragement.

“Come on, say it loud and proud!” she said to a student who called out a number softly. When the student spoke louder, she cheered her on: “Brava, brava!”

Whenever a student won a round, they ran up to the front of the room to have their cards checked by Abbrugiati. When their win was confirmed, they got to choose a caramele (candy) prize.