Grade 09: Arabic

In this unit, 'Seasons and comparison', you learn to compare two seasons in writing. 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 'Seasons and comparison' 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: compare two seasons in writing, 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, Plan a comparison. Choose two seasons, here summer and winter, and list points to compare: temperature, rain, activities, feeling. Then write a topic sentence: الصَّيْفُ وَالشِّتَاءُ فَصْلَانِ مُخْتَلِفَانِ. [Summer and winter are two different seasons.]
2. Step 2, Use the comparative adjective أَفْعَلُ مِنْ. الصَّيْفُ أَكْثَرُ حَرَارَةً مِنَ الشِّتَاءِ. [Summer is hotter than winter.] الشِّتَاءُ أَبْرَدُ وَأَكْثَرُ مَطَرًا. [Winter is colder and rainier.] The word مِنْ introduces the thing compared.
3. Step 3, Contrast with linking words. بَيْنَمَا الشِّتَاءُ بَارِدٌ، فَإِنَّ الصَّيْفَ حَارٌّ. [While winter is cold, summer is hot.] فِي الصَّيْفِ نَسْبَحُ فِي الْبَحْرِ، أَمَّا فِي الشِّتَاءِ فَنَجْلِسُ قُرْبَ الْمِدْفَأَةِ. [In summer we swim in the sea, whereas in winter we sit by the heater.]
4. Step 4, Conclude with your preference. أُفَضِّلُ الشِّتَاءَ لِأَنَّ الْجَوَّ هَادِئٌ وَأُحِبُّ صَوْتَ الْمَطَرِ. [I prefer winter because the weather is calm and I love the sound of rain.] Read all four sentences together and check each has a clear link.
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A student writes الصَّيْفُ أَكْثَرُ حَرَارَةً الشِّتَاءِ. Correction: add مِنَ: الصَّيْفُ أَكْثَرُ حَرَارَةً مِنَ الشِّتَاءِ. Another says الصَّيْفُ حَارٌّ وَالشِّتَاءُ بَارِدٌ only; that lists, not compares. Use أَكْثَرُ and مِنْ.
6. Step 6, Your turn: write three sentences comparing spring and autumn. Model answer: الرَّبِيعُ أَجْمَلُ مِنَ الْخَرِيفِ لِأَنَّ الْأَزْهَارَ تَتَفَتَّحُ. وَالْخَرِيفُ أَهْدَأُ مِنْهُ. أُفَضِّلُ الرَّبِيعَ. [Spring is more beautiful than autumn because flowers open. Autumn is calmer than spring. I prefer spring.]

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. Compare two seasons in writing: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Neighbours and community', you learn to describe community life. 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 'Neighbours and community' 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: describe community life, 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 community words. الْجَارُ [neighbour], الْحَيُّ [neighbourhood], التَّعَاوُنُ [cooperation], الْمُسَاعَدَةُ [help], الْمَرِيضُ [the sick person], الْمُسِنُّ [the elderly]. Use them in a mind map around the word الْمُجْتَمَعُ [society].
2. Step 2, Describe your neighbourhood. يَسْكُنُ بِجَوَارِنَا جَارٌ طَيِّبٌ. [A kind neighbour lives next to us.] يَتَعَاوَنُ أَهْلُ الْحَيِّ فِي تَنْظِيفِ الشَّارِعِ. [The people of the neighbourhood cooperate in cleaning the street.] نَزُورُ الْمَرِيضَ وَنُسَاعِدُ الْمُسِنَّ. [We visit the sick and help the elderly.]
3. Step 3, Use relative clauses. الْجَارُ الَّذِي يُسَاعِدُنَا طَيِّبٌ. [The neighbour who helps us is kind.] The relative pronoun الَّذِي is used after a definite noun. After an indefinite noun leave it out: جَارٌ يُسَاعِدُنَا [a neighbour who helps us].
4. Step 4, Write a paragraph. الْحَيُّ الَّذِي أَسْكُنُ فِيهِ هَادِئٌ. يَجْتَمِعُ الْجِيرَانُ فِي الْأَعْيَادِ وَيَتَبَادَلُونَ الْحَلْوَى. لِذَلِكَ نَشْعُرُ بِالْأَمَانِ وَالْمَحَبَّةِ. [The neighbourhood I live in is quiet. Neighbours gather at festivals and exchange sweets. So we feel safe and loved.]
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A student writes جَارٌ الَّذِي يُسَاعِدُنَا. Correction: جَارٌ يُسَاعِدُنَا without الَّذِي, because جَارٌ is indefinite; or الْجَارُ الَّذِي يُسَاعِدُنَا with a definite noun. Also match the pronoun: الَّتِي for a feminine noun.
6. Step 6, Your turn: write a short paragraph about how your neighbourhood helps people. Model answer: فِي حَيِّنَا جِيرَانٌ يَتَعَاوَنُونَ. الْمَرْأَةُ الَّتِي تَسْكُنُ بِجَانِبِنَا تُسَاعِدُ الْمُسِنِّينَ. هَكَذَا يَكُونُ الْمُجْتَمَعُ قَوِيًّا. [In our neighbourhood neighbours cooperate. The woman who lives next to us helps the elderly. This is how society becomes strong.]

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. Describe community life: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Grammar: sentence types', you learn to use nominal and verbal sentences correctly. 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: sentence types' 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 nominal and verbal sentences correctly, 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 nominal sentence (جُمْلَةٌ اسْمِيَّةٌ) begins with a noun: الْوَلَدُ مُجْتَهِدٌ. [The boy is hardworking.] It has a subject (مُبْتَدَأٌ) الْوَلَدُ and a predicate (خَبَرٌ) مُجْتَهِدٌ, both in the nominative.
2. Step 2, A verbal sentence (جُمْلَةٌ فِعْلِيَّةٌ) begins with a verb: يَكْتُبُ الطَّالِبُ الدَّرْسَ. [The student writes the lesson.] Parts: verb يَكْتُبُ, doer (فَاعِلٌ) الطَّالِبُ in the nominative, object (مَفْعُولٌ بِهِ) الدَّرْسَ in the accusative.
3. Step 3, Compare the order. الطَّالِبُ يَكْتُبُ الدَّرْسَ is a nominal sentence, because it begins with a noun; its predicate is the verbal phrase يَكْتُبُ الدَّرْسَ. Both mean the same, but the grammar name depends on the first word.
4. Step 4, After إِنَّ the subject becomes accusative. إِنَّ الطَّالِبَ مُجْتَهِدٌ. [Indeed the student is hardworking.] Contrast with the plain sentence الطَّالِبُ مُجْتَهِدٌ. Now analyse: كَتَبَ الْوَلَدُ رِسَالَةً. [The boy wrote a letter.] Verb كَتَبَ, doer الْوَلَدُ, object رِسَالَةً.
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A student calls الطَّالِبُ يَكْتُبُ a verbal sentence. Correction: it begins with a noun, so it is nominal. Another writes كَتَبَ الْوَلَدَ رِسَالَةً with a fatha on الْوَلَدَ; the doer takes damma: كَتَبَ الْوَلَدُ رِسَالَةً.
6. Step 6, Your turn: analyse يَقْرَأُ الْوَلَدُ الْكِتَابَ and write one nominal sentence. Model answer: verbal; verb يَقْرَأُ, doer الْوَلَدُ, object الْكِتَابَ. Nominal: الْكِتَابُ مُفِيدٌ. [The book is useful.] Subject and predicate are both nominative.

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 nominal and verbal sentences correctly: at least 8 of 10 marks on a short task, with one line of reasoning for each answer.

In this unit, 'Essay writing', you learn to write a short essay. 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 'Essay writing' 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 short essay, 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, An essay has three parts: introduction (مُقَدِّمَةٌ), body (عَرْضٌ), conclusion (خَاتِمَةٌ). Topic: the importance of reading. Open with a general claim: الْقِرَاءَةُ غِذَاءُ الْعَقْلِ، وَهِيَ مِفْتَاحُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ. [Reading is food for the mind and the key to knowledge.]
2. Step 2, Write the first body paragraph. أَوَّلًا، تُوَسِّعُ الْقِرَاءَةُ مَعْلُومَاتِنَا. فَالْكِتَابُ يَأْخُذُنَا إِلَى بِلَادٍ لَمْ نَزُرْهَا. [First, reading widens our knowledge. A book takes us to countries we have not visited.] Give a claim, then an explanation.
3. Step 3, Write the second paragraph. ثَانِيًا، تُحَسِّنُ الْقِرَاءَةُ لُغَتَنَا وَتُنَمِّي خَيَالَنَا. فَمَنْ يَقْرَأُ كَثِيرًا يَكْتُبُ بِأُسْلُوبٍ أَجْمَلَ. [Second, reading improves our language and develops our imagination. Whoever reads a lot writes in a nicer style.]
4. Step 4, Conclude. لِذَلِكَ عَلَيْنَا أَنْ نَجْعَلَ الْقِرَاءَةَ عَادَةً يَوْمِيَّةً. [Therefore we must make reading a daily habit.] A conclusion restates the claim in different words and ends with advice. Never introduce a new argument here.
5. Step 5, Fix an error. A student writes one block with no introduction and repeats the same point three times. Correction: divide into introduction, two body paragraphs with different arguments, and a conclusion, and link them with أَوَّلًا، ثَانِيًا، لِذَلِكَ.
6. Step 6, Your turn: outline and write an introduction for the essay The value of time. Model answer: الْوَقْتُ أَثْمَنُ مَا نَمْلِكُ، وَمَنْ أَحْسَنَ اسْتِعْمَالَهُ نَجَحَ. [Time is the most precious thing we own, and whoever uses it well succeeds.] Outline: 1 planning, 2 avoiding waste, 3 result.

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. Write a short essay: 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.

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.

This course: Grade 09 Arabic is at this level. Its units include Seasons and comparison; Neighbours and community; Grammar: sentence types; Essay writing.

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.