Grade 08: Arabic

In this unit, 'Fables and morals', you learn to retell a fable and its moral. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Fables and morals' 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 a fable and its moral, 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 fable I wrote. كَانَ طَاوُوسٌ يَسْخَرُ مِنْ عُصْفُورٍ بِرِيشِهِ الْبَسِيطِ. جَاءَتْ عَاصِفَةٌ، فَثَقُلَ ذَيْلُ الطَّاوُوسِ بِالْمَاءِ وَلَمْ يَسْتَطِعِ الطَّيَرَانَ. [A peacock used to mock a sparrow for its plain feathers. A storm came, and the peacock's tail grew heavy with water so he could not fly.]
2. Step 2, Read the ending. أَمَّا الْعُصْفُورُ فَطَارَ إِلَى عُشِّهِ وَنَجَا. ثُمَّ عَادَ وَأَرْشَدَ الطَّاوُوسَ إِلَى مَأْوًى. [As for the sparrow, he flew to his nest and was safe. Then he came back and guided the peacock to shelter.] Notice أَمَّا ... فَ shows contrast.
3. Step 3, State the moral. الْعِبْرَةُ: لَا نَسْخَرُ مِنَ الْآخَرِينَ، فَالْقِيمَةُ بِالْفِعْلِ لَا بِالْمَظْهَرِ. [The moral: we do not mock others, for worth is in deeds, not looks.] Link it to the story: the peacock's beauty did not help him.
4. Step 4, Retell with connectors. فِي الْبِدَايَةِ سَخِرَ الطَّاوُوسُ مِنَ الْعُصْفُورِ. ثُمَّ جَاءَتِ الْعَاصِفَةُ. لَكِنَّ الْعُصْفُورَ نَجَا وَسَاعَدَ الطَّاوُوسَ. وَفِي النِّهَايَةِ تَعَلَّمَ الطَّاوُوسُ التَّوَاضُعَ. [At first the peacock mocked. Then the storm came. But the sparrow escaped and helped. In the end the peacock learned humility.]
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A student states the moral as الطَّاوُوسُ جَمِيلٌ. Correction: that is a fact, not a moral; a moral is a lesson for readers, such as لَا نَغْتَرُّ بِمَظْهَرِنَا [we should not be proud of our looks]. Also keep the past tense when retelling.
6. Step 6, Your turn: write a three-sentence retelling with the moral. Model answer: سَخِرَ طَاوُوسٌ مِنْ عُصْفُورٍ. لَكِنَّ الْعَاصِفَةَ أَوْقَعَتِ الطَّاوُوسَ فِي مَأْزِقٍ فَسَاعَدَهُ الْعُصْفُورُ. الْعِبْرَةُ: التَّوَاضُعُ أَجْمَلُ مِنَ الْمَظْهَرِ. [A peacock mocked a sparrow. But the storm put the peacock in trouble and the sparrow helped him. Moral: humility is better than looks.]

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Retell a fable and its moral: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Grammar: pronouns and agreement', you learn to use pronouns and agreement. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Grammar: pronouns and agreement' 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: use pronouns and agreement, 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, Attached pronouns show possession: كِتَابِي [my book], كِتَابُكَ [your book, m], كِتَابُكِ [your book, f], كِتَابُهُ [his book], كِتَابُهَا [her book], كِتَابُنَا [our book], كِتَابُهُمْ [their book]. Say each with the noun كِتَابٌ.
2. Step 2, Detached pronouns stand alone: أَنَا [I], أَنْتَ [you, m], أَنْتِ [you, f], هُوَ [he], هِيَ [she], نَحْنُ [we], أَنْتُمْ [you, pl], هُمْ [they, m], هُنَّ [they, f]. Use them: هِيَ مُجْتَهِدَةٌ. [She is hardworking.]
3. Step 3, Verb and subject agreement. When the verb comes first it stays singular and matches only the gender: ذَهَبَ الطُّلَّابُ [The students went], ذَهَبَتِ الطَّالِبَاتُ [The female students went]. When the pronoun comes first, the verb agrees fully: هُمْ ذَهَبُوا [They went].
4. Step 4, Adjective agreement. طَالِبَةٌ مُجْتَهِدَةٌ [a hardworking girl student], طُلَّابٌ مُجْتَهِدُونَ [hardworking students], كُتُبٌ جَدِيدَةٌ [new books]. A plural of a non-person takes a feminine singular adjective: جَدِيدَةٌ, not جَدِيدُونَ.
5. Step 5, Fix errors. A student says ذَهَبُوا الطُّلَّابُ. Correction: ذَهَبَ الطُّلَّابُ, because the verb precedes the subject. Another says الْكُتُبُ جَدِيدُونَ. Correction: الْكُتُبُ جَدِيدَةٌ. A third says كِتَابُهُ for a girl's book; use كِتَابُهَا.
6. Step 6, Your turn: translate She is hardworking and her books are new. Model answer: هِيَ مُجْتَهِدَةٌ وَكُتُبُهَا جَدِيدَةٌ. [She is hardworking and her books are new.] Check that مُجْتَهِدَةٌ is feminine and كُتُبُهَا uses the her pronoun.

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Use pronouns and agreement: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Poetry', you learn to read and explain a short poem. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Poetry' 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 explain a short poem, 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 lines I wrote. لِلْوَطَنِ فِي الْقَلْبِ مَكَانْ، نَحْمِيهِ بِالْعِلْمِ وَالْإِيمَانْ. نَزْرَعُ الْخَيْرَ فِي كُلِّ مَكَانْ، فَتُزْهِرُ الدُّنْيَا بِلَا أَحْزَانْ. [The homeland has a place in the heart; we protect it with knowledge and faith. We plant good everywhere, so the world blooms without sorrows.]
2. Step 2, Understand the vocabulary. الْوَطَنُ [homeland], نَحْمِي [we protect], الْعِلْمُ [knowledge], الْإِيمَانُ [faith], نَزْرَعُ [we plant], تُزْهِرُ [blooms], أَحْزَانٌ [sorrows]. Write the meaning above each word.
3. Step 3, Identify rhyme and rhythm. Each line ends in ـَانْ: مَكَانْ، الْإِيمَانْ، مَكَانْ، أَحْزَانْ. This end rhyme is called قَافِيَةٌ. Read the lines aloud, keeping the same beat and lengthening the final sound.
4. Step 4, Explain the images and message. Planting good (نَزْرَعُ الْخَيْرَ) is a metaphor: kindness is a seed that grows into a better world. Write: يَدْعُو الشَّاعِرُ إِلَى حُبِّ الْوَطَنِ وَنَشْرِ الْخَيْرِ. [The poet calls for love of the homeland and spreading good.]
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A student says the poem is about farming. Correction: نَزْرَعُ is figurative; the poem is about loving the homeland and doing good. Another student reads it without the rhyme sound; keep the ـَانْ ending clear.
6. Step 6, Your turn: explain the line فَتُزْهِرُ الدُّنْيَا بِلَا أَحْزَانْ. Model answer: تَعْنِي أَنَّ الْخَيْرَ إِذَا انْتَشَرَ جَعَلَ الْعَالَمَ سَعِيدًا وَخَالِيًا مِنَ الْحُزْنِ. [It means that when good spreads, it makes the world happy and free of sorrow.]

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Read and explain a short poem: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Debate and speech', you learn to give a short speech. You work with notes, a worked line and a self-mark. You see it, say it, then do it alone.

• Listen first: your teacher or a recording says the new words or sentences from 'Debate and speech' 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: give a short speech, 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 short speech has an opening, arguments and a closing. Topic: using mobile phones in class. Open: حَضَرَاتِ الزُّمَلَاءِ وَالزَّمِيلَاتِ، السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ. مَوْضُوعُنَا الْيَوْمَ الْهَاتِفُ الْمَحْمُولُ فِي الصَّفِّ. [Dear colleagues, peace be upon you. Our topic today is the mobile phone in class.]
2. Step 2, State your position and first argument. أَنَا مَعَ مَنْعِ الْهَاتِفِ فِي الصَّفِّ لِأَنَّهُ يُشَتِّتُ الِانْتِبَاهَ. [I am for banning the phone in class because it distracts attention.] بِالْإِضَافَةِ إِلَى ذَلِكَ، يَقِلُّ الْحِوَارُ بَيْنَ الطُّلَّابِ. [In addition, discussion among students decreases.]
3. Step 3, Answer the other side. يَقُولُ الْبَعْضُ إِنَّ الْهَاتِفَ يُفِيدُ فِي الْبَحْثِ. وَلَكِنْ يُمْكِنُ اسْتِعْمَالُهُ فِي الْمَكْتَبَةِ تَحْتَ إِشْرَافِ الْمُعَلِّمِ. [Some say the phone helps with research. But it can be used in the library under teacher supervision.]
4. Step 4, Close strongly. فِي الْخِتَامِ، لِنَجْعَلِ الصَّفَّ مَكَانًا لِلتَّرْكِيزِ وَالْحِوَارِ. شُكْرًا لِحُسْنِ إِصْغَائِكُمْ. [In conclusion, let us make the class a place of focus and discussion. Thank you for your attention.] Practise with a timer: one minute.
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A speaker says only أَنَا لَا أُحِبُّ الْهَاتِفَ [I do not like the phone], which is a feeling, not an argument. Correction: give a reason with لِأَنَّ and an example, then answer the opposing view with وَلَكِنْ.
6. Step 6, Your turn: write a three-sentence argument for longer school breaks. Model answer: أَنَا مَعَ زِيَادَةِ وَقْتِ الاِسْتِرَاحَةِ لِأَنَّهَا تُنَشِّطُ الْعَقْلَ. بِالْإِضَافَةِ إِلَى ذَلِكَ، يَلْعَبُ الطُّلَّابُ مَعًا. لِذَلِكَ أَرْجُو مِنْكُمْ تَأْيِيدَ الْفِكْرَةِ. [I support longer breaks because they refresh the mind. In addition, students play together. So I ask you to support the idea.]

Activity. About 30 to 40 minutes of class work, then one short practice task for home. Keep evidence: a worked task and a corrected copy.

Standard to meet. Give a short speech: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

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.

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.

This course: Grade 08 Arabic is at this level. Its units include Fables and morals; Grammar: pronouns and agreement; Poetry; Debate and speech.

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.