How to Teach Arabic Languages
Arabic and its varieties and dialects is an important world language. Countries in which the dominant language is Arabic are becoming more important in trade and finance. There are also religious reasons for teaching and learning Arabic. Arabic is the language of Islam and the Koran. For whatever reason you need to teach Arabic to English speakers, there are some steps you must follow and things you must be aware of in order for your students to learn the language.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Arabic alphabet chart
- Class copies of Arabic alphabet
- Blackboard or whiteboard
- Erasable markers or chalk
Instructions
-
-
1
Teach the alphabet. Arabic, like English, has an alphabet. The first thing your students need to learn is how to read, write and pronounce the Arabic alphabet. Hand out copies of the Arabic alphabet chart, complete with English pronunciations as much as possible. Go over each letter with the class and model pronunciation. Give the students plenty of time to practice the pronunciation on their own and not spend all their time listening. Separate teaching the sounds of the letters and the names of the letters with some time so that students do not confuse them.
-
2
Teach how to write the alphabet. Model the correct writing on a board and have your students copy the writing. Put short words together and have your students practice recognizing and naming the letters, as well as pronouncing the words. If the class covers several different varieties of Arabic, such as Gulf Arabic and Syrian Arabic, compare the differences among them right from the beginning.
-
-
3
Teach simple vocabulary. Colors, animals, numbers and common objects are good places to begin teaching vocabulary.
-
4
Wean your students off dependence on English as soon as possible. Begin teaching basic conversational phrases they can use in class every day, such as greetings, goodbyes and polite ways to ask for information.
-
5
Teach grammar once your students have mastered the alphabet and are practicing short phrases and learning new vocabulary. Learning verbs early makes it easier for students to put together their own sentences.
-
6
Expand learning opportunities outside the classroom. For example, ask your students to visit grocery stores that feature food with Arabic on the labels and explain what they are, or have students write down labels they do not understand and take their notes for class discussion. Ask them to track down newspapers, magazines or websites in Arabic for group activities or presentations.
-
7
Keep the level of student involvement high. As soon as possible, have your students write simple stories about their lives using Arabic. Students can take turns reading these aloud while the other students take notes on what they hear. Students also can do peer review and correction of papers, worksheets, stories and quizzes.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Review previous material at the beginning of every new class for maximum retention. Don't do all the work. Your students should spend most of the class time practicing what they've learned on their own. People learn by doing, not listening. Change the context of the material. Don't teach only words in isolation, but let your students hear Arabic is several contexts, such as songs, movies, television shows and podcasts.
Avoid putting too much emphasis on competition and test results. Don't stay with lower-level learning, but work your way up to higher levels such as evaluating, analyzing and creating.
