Grade 05: Arabic

In this unit, 'Reading and comprehension', you learn to answer questions on a longer text. 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 'Reading and comprehension' 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: answer questions on a longer text, 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 the passage. ذَهَبَتِ الطَّالِبَةُ مَعَ صَدِيقَتِهَا إِلَى مَكْتَبَةِ الْمَدْرَسَةِ يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ. اسْتَعَارَتِ الطَّالِبَةُ كِتَابًا عَنِ الْحَيَوَانَاتِ، وَاخْتَارَتْ صَدِيقَتُهَا قِصَّةً عَنِ الْبَحْرِ. [The student went with her friend to the school library on Thursday. The student borrowed a book about animals, and her friend chose a story about the sea.]
2. Step 2, Read the rest. جَلَسَتَا مَعًا وَقَرَأَتَا بِهُدُوءٍ. فِي الْمَسَاءِ أَخْبَرَتِ الطَّالِبَةُ أُمَّهَا بِمَا تَعَلَّمَتْ. [The two sat together and read quietly. In the evening the student told her mother what she had learned.] Underline the day, the place and the people.
3. Step 3, Answer direct questions. مَتَى ذَهَبَتِ الطَّالِبَةُ إِلَى الْمَكْتَبَةِ؟ [When did the student go to the library?] ذَهَبَتْ يَوْمَ الْخَمِيسِ. [She went on Thursday.] مَاذَا اسْتَعَارَتْ؟ [What did she borrow?] اسْتَعَارَتْ كِتَابًا عَنِ الْحَيَوَانَاتِ. [She borrowed a book about animals.]
4. Step 4, Answer a thinking question. لِمَاذَا قَرَأَتَا بِهُدُوءٍ؟ [Why did they read quietly?] لِأَنَّهُمَا فِي الْمَكْتَبَةِ. [Because they were in the library.] This reason is not written word for word, so use the clue كَانَتَا فِي مَكْتَبَةِ الْمَدْرَسَةِ [They were in the school library].
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A student writes the whole passage as an answer to مَنْ اخْتَارَ قِصَّةً؟ [Who chose a story?]. Correction: choose the key sentence only, اخْتَارَتْ صَدِيقَةُ الطَّالِبَةِ قِصَّةً. [The student's friend chose a story.] Short, exact answers score better.
6. Step 6, Your turn: give a title and answer: what did the student do in the evening? Model answer: عُنْوَانٌ: زِيَارَةُ الْمَكْتَبَةِ [Title: A visit to the library]. أَخْبَرَتِ الطَّالِبَةُ أُمَّهَا بِمَا تَعَلَّمَتْ. [The student told her mother what she learned.]

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. Answer questions on a longer text: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'Nominal and verbal sentences', you learn to identify and write both types. 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 'Nominal and verbal 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: identify and write both types, 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, Meet the two types. A nominal sentence begins with a noun: الْوَلَدُ مُجْتَهِدٌ [The boy is hard-working]. It has a subject الْوَلَدُ and a predicate مُجْتَهِدٌ. A verbal sentence begins with a verb: كَتَبَ الْوَلَدُ الدَّرْسَ [The boy wrote the lesson]. Always look at the first word.
2. Step 2, Sort by first word. السَّمَاءُ صَافِيَةٌ [The sky is clear] starts with a noun, so it is nominal. يَلْعَبُ الْأَطْفَالُ [The children play] starts with a verb, so it is verbal. أَكَلَتِ الْبِنْتُ التُّفَّاحَةَ [The girl ate the apple] starts with a verb, so it is verbal too.
3. Step 3, Name the parts of a verbal sentence. In كَتَبَ الْوَلَدُ الدَّرْسَ, the verb is كَتَبَ [wrote], the doer is الْوَلَدُ [the boy], ending in damma (ُ), and the object is الدَّرْسَ [the lesson], ending in fatha (َ). Order: verb, doer, object. Say it aloud, then point to each part.
4. Step 4, Match gender. In a nominal sentence the predicate agrees with the subject: الْوَلَدُ مُجْتَهِدٌ (boy, masculine) and الْبِنْتُ مُجْتَهِدَةٌ (girl, feminine). In a verbal sentence the verb agrees in gender too: كَتَبَ الْوَلَدُ, كَتَبَتِ الْبِنْتُ [The girl wrote]. When the verb comes first it stays singular: يَلْعَبُ الْأَوْلَادُ [The boys play].
5. Step 5, Watch the trap. الطَّالِبُ يَقْرَأُ [The student reads] begins with a noun, so it is a nominal sentence even though it contains a verb. Move the verb first and it becomes verbal: يَقْرَأُ الطَّالِبُ الْكِتَابَ [The student reads the book]. The type depends only on the first word.
6. Step 6, Your turn: label each sentence, then write one of your own. 1) الْبَابُ مَفْتُوحٌ [The door is open] 2) فَتَحَ الْوَلَدُ الْبَابَ [The boy opened the door]. Answer: 1 is nominal, it starts with the noun الْبَابُ; 2 is verbal, it starts with the verb فَتَحَ. Own sentence, for example: الْقَمَرُ جَمِيلٌ [The moon is beautiful], nominal.

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. Identify and write both types: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'Sports and health', you learn to talk about sport and healthy living. 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 'Sports and health' 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: talk about sport and healthy living, 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 sports. كُرَةُ الْقَدَمِ [football], كُرَةُ السَّلَّةِ [basketball], السِّبَاحَةُ [swimming], الْجَرْيُ [running], رُكُوبُ الدَّرَّاجَةِ [cycling]. Ask a partner: مَا رِيَاضَتُكَ الْمُفَضَّلَةُ؟ [What is your favourite sport?]
2. Step 2, Say what you do. أُمَارِسُ الرِّيَاضَةَ ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ فِي الْأُسْبُوعِ. [I do sport three times a week.] أُحِبُّ السِّبَاحَةَ. [I like swimming.] أَجْرِي فِي الْحَدِيقَةِ كُلَّ صَبَاحٍ. [I run in the park every morning.]
3. Step 3, Talk about healthy living. أَشْرَبُ الْمَاءَ كَثِيرًا. [I drink a lot of water.] الْفَوَاكِهُ وَالْخُضَارُ مُفِيدَةٌ لِلْجِسْمِ. [Fruit and vegetables are good for the body.] كَثْرَةُ الْحَلْوَى مُضِرَّةٌ. [Too many sweets are harmful.] Say each sentence slowly.
4. Step 4, Give advice with يَجِبُ أَنْ. يَجِبُ أَنْ أَنَامَ مُبَكِّرًا. [I must sleep early.] يَجِبُ أَنْ نَأْكُلَ طَعَامًا صِحِّيًّا. [We must eat healthy food.] After أَنْ the present verb ends with a fatha sound: أَنَامَ، نَأْكُلَ.
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A child says يَجِبُ أَنْ أَنَامُ مُبَكِّرًا. Correction: يَجِبُ أَنْ أَنَامَ مُبَكِّرًا, because the verb after أَنْ takes fatha. Another says أُحِبُّ السِّبَاحَةُ; use أُحِبُّ السِّبَاحَةَ.
6. Step 6, Your turn: write three sentences about your sport and a healthy habit. Model answer: أَلْعَبُ كُرَةَ الْقَدَمِ يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ. أَشْرَبُ الْمَاءَ كَثِيرًا. يَجِبُ أَنْ أَنَامَ مُبَكِّرًا. [I play football on Saturday. I drink a lot of water. I must sleep early.]

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. Talk about sport and healthy living: at least 4 of 5 attempts correct, said or written, with one real example from home or school.

In this unit, 'Writing a paragraph', you learn to write a paragraph with a topic. 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 'Writing a paragraph' 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: write a paragraph with a topic, 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, A paragraph has a topic sentence, two or three details, and a closing sentence. Choose a topic: my school. First write the topic sentence: مَدْرَسَتِي مَكَانٌ جَمِيلٌ لِلتَّعَلُّمِ. [My school is a lovely place to learn.]
2. Step 2, Add details that support the topic. فِيهَا صُفُوفٌ وَاسِعَةٌ وَمَلْعَبٌ كَبِيرٌ. [It has spacious classrooms and a big playground.] أُحِبُّ الْمُعَلِّمِينَ لِأَنَّهُمْ يَشْرَحُونَ بِصَبْرٍ. [I like the teachers because they explain patiently.]
3. Step 3, Use linking words. وَ [and], لِأَنَّ [because], ثُمَّ [then], لِذَلِكَ [therefore]. Example: أَدْرُسُ بِجِدٍّ لِأَنِّي أُحِبُّ الْعِلْمَ. [I study hard because I love knowledge.] Add one linking word to each detail.
4. Step 4, Close the paragraph. لِذَلِكَ أَنَا سَعِيدٌ فِي مَدْرَسَتِي. [Therefore I am happy in my school.] Now read the paragraph from the topic sentence to the end and check that every sentence talks about school.
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A student writes a paragraph about school and then adds أَنَا أُحِبُّ الْبَحْرَ [I love the sea], which is off topic. Correction: delete it, or replace it with a school detail like فِي مَدْرَسَتِي مَكْتَبَةٌ كَبِيرَةٌ [My school has a big library].
6. Step 6, Your turn: write a four-sentence paragraph on my family. Model answer: أُسْرَتِي صَغِيرَةٌ وَسَعِيدَةٌ. فِيهَا أَبِي وَأُمِّي وَأَخِي. نَأْكُلُ مَعًا كُلَّ مَسَاءٍ. لِذَلِكَ أُحِبُّ أُسْرَتِي. [My family is small and happy. It has my father, mother and brother. We eat together every evening. Therefore I love my family.]

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. Write a paragraph with a topic: 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.

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.

This course: Grade 05 Arabic is at this level. Its units include Reading and comprehension; Nominal and verbal sentences; Sports and health; Writing a paragraph.

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.