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Arabic Beginner (III) Rabat

Arabic course : Description & Objectives

Language course objectives:

>  Beginners I description	>  Beginners II description
>  Beginners III description
>  Intermediate description	>  Advanced description

The Beginner-III course in Modern Standard Arabic is designed for students with at least 80 contact hours of prior study of the Arabic language. This course will further develop vocabulary, and introduce students to more complex sentence structure and higher level grammatical skills. It will continue to introduce students to many aspects of Arab culture. All class exercises and activities are either task-based or student centered. Aside from the primary textbook, students will also be exposed to other materials such as magazine articles, daily newspapers and Arabic Media broadcasts.

By the end of the course students would be able to reach the outcomes and the objectives for novice-high level speakers required by ACTFL- Proficiency Guidelines.
Listening:
A. Able to understand the general idea of short paragraphs.
B. Able to comprehend words and phrases from simple questions, statements, high-frequency commands, and courtesy formula. (May require repetition, rephrasing, slowed rate of speech for comprehension.)

Speaking:
A. Able to communicate by forming short answers.
B. Able to talk about themselves, people and places around them.

Reading:
A. Able to read short paragraphs, memos, emails, timetables, maps, and signs.

Writing:
A. Able to write some sentences and short paragraphs.

Required Instructional Materials:

1. Al-Batal, M., Al-Tonsi, A., Brustad, K. Al-Kitaab fii Taallum al-Arabiyya: Part one, 2nd edition, Washington D. C.: Georgetown University Press.

2. Wehr, Hans. The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 1994.

Evaluation and assessment:

1. Active Class Participation 20%
Students should participate in classroom activities which target comprehension and language production. This requires the students to come prepared to participate. Active participation entails the following:
(a) Class attendance. Class attendance is necessary for the success of the whole learning process. Students who miss class hours without proper documentation will have that reflected in their overall course grade.
(b) Homework assignments: Students are expected to submit their assignments on time.

2. Written exam (quizzes and Tests) 30%
Exams test students` mastery of vocabulary and grammar structures. They also include reading, writing and listening tasks to assess the effective use of language in context. A typical exam contains 4 sections: Listening Section: students will listen to an audio or video clip followed by general comprehension questions. Grammar Section: The understanding of grammar is tested through multiple choice or sentence completion tasks. Reading Section: Reading comprehension will be tested by short texts to check the general understanding of the text. Writing Section: At this level, students will be asked to write a paragraph to five about one of the topics they covered.

3. Oral exam 30%
The oral exam will evaluate the students’ ability to both correctly pronounce sounds and make their overall ideas understood. It also tests their ability to readily pronounce sentences in response to verbal prompts.

4. Project 20%
Students will research a topic of interest to them and develop a 10 minute presentation with the assistance of TA’s and under the guidance of their instructor. They will present this project to their peers at the end of the course.

In addition to these specific written assignments, students who want to excel in Arabic should do the following on a daily basis:
Review what was covered after each class, particularly new grammatical structures and/or usages, to make sure you fully understand how and when to use them.
Make flash cards—with the Arabic word on one side of the card and its equivalent in English on the other—for each new vocabulary word introduced either in the course texts or in class activities and discussions.
Review flash cards every day, sometimes starting with the Arabic side first and sometimes with the English side first.
Set aside the words you do not know and review these words two more times in the same day.
Ask questions in class whenever you need additional explanation to clarify new structures and how or when to use them.
Practice speaking Arabic as much as possible, especially when you interact with native speakers outside of class as well as with your teacher and your classmates.

Additional Content-Based Learning Activities:
In addition to classroom instruction time, students in the Beginner III course are expected to participate in both mandatory and optional content based learning activities. These activities will further students’ exposure to Modern Standard Arabic and allow for greater retention of new vocabulary. These activities are graded on a participation basis.

Activity	Frequency	Participation
Calligraphy/Handwriting	2 hours per week	recommended
Site visit excursions	4 hours per week	compulsory
Cooking club	2 hours, bi-weekly	compulsory
Guest Lectures	2 hours, bi-weekly	compulsory
Media club/Cinema Club /Islamic Studies Club	2 hours per week	recommended

By the end of the three Beginner Courses, students would be able to reach the outcomes and the objectives for novice-high level speakers required by ACTFL- Proficiency Guidelines.

Listening: A. Able to understand the general idea of short paragraphs. B. Able to comprehend words and phrases from simple questions, statements, high-frequency commands, and courtesy formula. (May require repetition, rephrasing, slowed rate of speech for comprehension.)

Speaking:      A. Able to communicate by forming short answers.           B. Able to talk about themselves, people and places around them.

Reading: A. Able to read short paragraphs, memos, emails, timetables, maps, and signs.

Writing: A. Able to write some sentences and short paragraphs.

 

Link to > Arabic Course Methodology      > Rabat Arabic School details

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