How Do I Teach Arab Students English Phonics?

Teaching Arabic speaking students English phonics takes time.

Teaching Arabic speaking students English phonics skills requires an understanding on the English language and how Arabic differs from English. English phonics teachers must also have patience and provide a supportive environment to help the student succeed.

Function

Teaching English phonics to Arabic speakers allows them to understand the relationship between written letters and spoken sounds in English. While both Arabic and English are alphabetic languages, they each have different symbols, or letters, to represent different phonemes, or sounds.

Significance

Arabic students must understand the relationship between English alphabet letters and their sounds as a basis for phonetic instruction, notes Reading Rockets, a website funded by the U.S. Department of Education. Understanding each letter's sound is the basis for further phonics instruction focusing on reading and understanding English words and phrases.

Potential

Teaching phonics to Arabic students often takes time. Reading Rockets also notes that some students who have not received reading or phonics instruction in Arabic may need to be taught basic concepts of print before they are ready to begin learning English phonetic principles.

References

• Reading Rockets: English Language Learners and the Five Essential Components of Reading Instruction