Grade 02: Arabic

In this unit, 'Short words and sentences', you learn to read and write short words and sentences. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Short words and sentences' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: read and write short words and sentences, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Read three short words and write them from right to left. وَلَدٌ [a boy], بِنْتٌ [a girl], كِتَابٌ [a book]. Say the letters one by one, then blend them. Copy each word twice, joining the letters that join and lifting the pencil after ا and د.
2. Step 2, Build a sentence with هَذَا or هَذِهِ. هَذَا وَلَدٌ. [This is a boy.] هَذِهِ بِنْتٌ. [This is a girl.] هَذَا كِتَابٌ. [This is a book.] Use هَذَا for a masculine word and هَذِهِ for a feminine word.
3. Step 3, Add the word الْ [the] and a place. الْوَلَدُ فِي الْبَيْتِ. [The boy is in the house.] الْكِتَابُ عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ. [The book is on the table.] Read each sentence aloud and point to every word as you go.
4. Step 4, Say a sun-letter word. With الشَّمْسُ [the sun] the l of ال is not pronounced; we say ash-shams and the next letter has a shadda (ّ). Read: الشَّمْسُ سَاطِعَةٌ. [The sun is bright.] Compare الْقَمَرُ [the moon], where l is said.
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A child writes the words of a sentence joined together or reads الشَّمْسُ as al-shams. Correction: leave a space between words and read ash-shams. Also copy كِتَابٌ carefully: ك then ت then ا then ب, without losing the dots.
6. Step 6, Your turn: write a sentence saying the girl is in the house, and one for the sun. Model answer: الْبِنْتُ فِي الْبَيْتِ. [The girl is in the house.] الشَّمْسُ سَاطِعَةٌ. [The sun is bright.] Read both aloud.

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Read and write short words and sentences: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'At school', you learn to name school objects and give classroom commands. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'At school' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: name school objects and give classroom commands, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Name school objects. كِتَابٌ [book], قَلَمٌ [pen], دَفْتَرٌ [notebook], مِسْطَرَةٌ [ruler], حَقِيبَةٌ [bag], كُرْسِيٌّ [chair], طَاوِلَةٌ [table], سَبُّورَةٌ [board]. Touch each object and say: هَذَا قَلَمٌ، هَذِهِ مِسْطَرَةٌ. [This is a pen, this is a ruler.]
2. Step 2, Learn classroom commands to one boy. اجْلِسْ [Sit], قِفْ [Stand], افْتَحِ الْكِتَابَ [Open the book], أَغْلِقِ الْكِتَابَ [Close the book], اكْتُبْ [Write], اقْرَأْ [Read], اسْمَعْ [Listen]. Act each command as you say it.
3. Step 3, Change commands for a girl and for a group. For a girl: اجْلِسِي، قِفِي، اكْتُبِي [Sit, stand, write]. For the whole class: اجْلِسُوا، اكْتُبُوا [Sit, write]. The ending ـِي is for a girl and ـُوا for a group.
4. Step 4, Role-play a short dialogue. Student: أَيْنَ قَلَمِي؟ [Where is my pen?] Teacher: قَلَمُكَ عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ. [Your pen is on the table.] Student: شُكْرًا. [Thank you.] Teacher: عَفْوًا. [You're welcome.] Swap roles and use a ruler or bag.
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A teacher tells a girl اجْلِسْ. Correction: to a girl say اجْلِسِي. Another error is saying هَذَا مِسْطَرَةٌ; مِسْطَرَةٌ is feminine, so say هَذِهِ مِسْطَرَةٌ [This is a ruler].
6. Step 6, Your turn: give three commands to a girl: stand, open the book, write. Model answer: قِفِي. افْتَحِي الْكِتَابَ. اكْتُبِي. [Stand. Open the book. Write.] Then ask where your bag is: أَيْنَ حَقِيبَتِي؟ [Where is my bag?]

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Name school objects and give classroom commands: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'Food and fruits', you learn to name common foods and say what I like. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Food and fruits' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: name common foods and say what I like, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Learn fruit and food words. تُفَّاحٌ [apples], مَوْزٌ [bananas], بُرْتُقَالٌ [oranges], عِنَبٌ [grapes], خُبْزٌ [bread], حَلِيبٌ [milk], مَاءٌ [water], أَرُزٌّ [rice]. Show picture cards and say each word with the right shape in your mouth.
2. Step 2, Say what you like. أُحِبُّ التُّفَّاحَ. [I like apples.] أُحِبُّ الْمَوْزَ. [I like bananas.] لَا أُحِبُّ الْحَلِيبَ. [I do not like milk.] The thing liked ends with a fatha sound: التُّفَّاحَ، الْمَوْزَ، الْحَلِيبَ.
3. Step 3, Ask a friend. هَلْ تُحِبُّ الْعِنَبَ؟ [Do you like grapes?] نَعَمْ، أُحِبُّهُ. [Yes, I like it.] لَا، لَا أُحِبُّهُ. [No, I do not like it.] Ask three classmates and record their answers on a tally sheet.
4. Step 4, Ask for food politely. Child: أُرِيدُ خُبْزًا مِنْ فَضْلِكَ. [I want some bread, please.] Seller: تَفَضَّلْ. [Here you are.] Child: شُكْرًا. [Thank you.] Seller: عَفْوًا. [You're welcome.] Replace خُبْزًا with مَاءً [water] or حَلِيبًا [milk].
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A child says أُحِبُّ التُّفَّاحُ with a damma ending. Correction: after أُحِبُّ the thing liked takes fatha, so say أُحِبُّ التُّفَّاحَ. Remember to speak to a girl with مِنْ فَضْلِكِ.
6. Step 6, Your turn: say you like oranges and do not like rice, then ask for water. Model answer: أُحِبُّ الْبُرْتُقَالَ. لَا أُحِبُّ الْأَرُزَّ. أُرِيدُ مَاءً مِنْ فَضْلِكَ. [I like oranges. I do not like rice. I want water, please.]

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Name common foods and say what I like: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'Songs and short stories', you learn to retell short stories and sing short songs. Lessons are short and playful, with objects, pictures and talk. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Songs and short stories' twice. You repeat them aloud.
• Notice the pattern: find where the new sound, word form or sentence rule appears in a short text and mark it.
• Use it: retell short stories and sing short songs, first with help, then alone.
• Check and fix: read your work aloud once more; fix one thing you hear is wrong.

Step by step.

1. Step 1, Listen to a tiny story I made. كَانَتْ قِطَّةٌ صَغِيرَةٌ تَلْعَبُ بِكُرَةٍ. [A small cat was playing with a ball.] تَدَحْرَجَتِ الْكُرَةُ تَحْتَ الْبَابِ. [The ball rolled under the door.] سَاعَدَتْهَا أُخْتُهَا. [Her sister helped her.] فَرِحَتِ الْقِطَّةُ. [The cat was happy.]
2. Step 2, Answer the question words about the story. مَنْ؟ [Who?] الْقِطَّةُ. [The cat.] مَاذَا؟ [What?] كُرَةٌ. [A ball.] أَيْنَ؟ [Where?] تَحْتَ الْبَابِ. [Under the door.] مَنْ سَاعَدَهَا؟ [Who helped her?] أُخْتُهَا. [Her sister.]
3. Step 3, Retell with sequence words. أَوَّلًا، لَعِبَتِ الْقِطَّةُ. [First, the cat played.] ثُمَّ تَدَحْرَجَتِ الْكُرَةُ. [Then the ball rolled.] فِي النِّهَايَةِ، فَرِحَتِ الْقِطَّةُ. [In the end, the cat was happy.] Say the three sentences without looking.
4. Step 4, Sing a simple counting chant. وَاحِدٌ، اثْنَانِ، قِطَّةٌ تَلْعَبُ الْآنَ. [One, two, a cat is playing now.] Clap on each word and repeat. Add actions: roll your hands like a ball for تَلْعَبُ.
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A child says كَانَ قِطَّةٌ صَغِيرَةٌ with the masculine verb. Correction: the cat is feminine, so the verb takes the feminine ending: كَانَتْ قِطَّةٌ صَغِيرَةٌ. Say each feminine past verb with the ending ـَتْ.
6. Step 6, Your turn: retell the story in your own words using أَوَّلًا and فِي النِّهَايَةِ. Model answer: أَوَّلًا، لَعِبَتِ الْقِطَّةُ بِالْكُرَةِ. فِي النِّهَايَةِ، سَاعَدَتْهَا أُخْتُهَا. [First, the cat played with the ball. In the end, her sister helped her.]

Activity. About 20 to 30 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: one page in your learning book.

Standard to meet. Retell short stories: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

On the slide: L1 Basic · First sounds and greetings

Notes: Say hello, give your name and name three everyday objects in Arabic. Notes: teach مرحبا (marhaba, hello) and كتاب (kitab, book) aloud before any writing; learners greet a partner and point to a book, a pen and a door while saying each word.

This course: Grade 02 Arabic is at this level. Its units include Short words and sentences; At school; Food and fruits; Songs and short stories.

On the slide: L2 Awareness · Letters and the right-to-left page

Notes: Recognise that Arabic is written right to left and copy the shapes of the first eight letters. Notes: show that letters change form at the start, middle and end of a word; learners trace the letter for b, then find it in three printed words.

On the slide: L3 Foundation · Simple sentences and a first reading

Notes: Read and write short present-tense sentences about yourself, family and daily life with short vowels marked. Notes: use هذا كتاب (hadha kitab, this is a book) as the model; learners build five new sentences, swapping the noun each time, and read them aloud.

On the slide: L4 Practitioner · Everyday conversation and roots

Notes: Hold a two-minute conversation on school, food and travel and use the three-letter root idea to guess new words. Notes: show k-t-b giving kitab (book) and katib (writer); learners find the root in four given words, then order a meal in a role-play.

On the slide: L5 Specialist · Formal Arabic and dialect awareness

Notes: Compare Modern Standard Arabic with one spoken dialect and write a formal letter of about 150 words. Notes: take one phrase, such as how to say 'how are you', in both registers; learners list three differences and choose the right register for a news item and a chat.

On the slide: L6 Advanced · Literary analysis and linguistics

Notes: Analyse a classical or modern text for grammar, rhetoric and register, and write a reasoned essay in Arabic. Notes: choose a short poem of eight lines; learners mark case endings, name one image used, and explain in a 400-word essay how the form supports the meaning.

On the slide: L7 Super expert · Translation, research and teaching

Notes: Design and defend a translation or research project that handles dialect variation, with a documented method. Notes: pick a 500-word article and translate it for two audiences; justify every choice about register, note untranslatable terms, and have a native reader check the result.