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Arabic Intermediate (Levels I, II, III) Rabat
Arabic course : Description & Objectives
Language course objectives:
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Modern Standard Arabic Intermediate Courses I, II & III are designed to further develop students' proficiency and communication in the four language skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The main objective of these courses is to enhance the students' abilities to converse on a variety of topics (e.g. the press, literature, social aspects, education, etc.). Another objective is to read, narrate and discuss authentic materials in Arabic. Students will gain a complete understanding of almost all of the basic grammar structures of Modern Standard Arabic. This knowledge will enable them to perform all of the functions listed in Chapters 5,6,7,8 till the end of Al-kitaab (part II). In addition, they will read and discuss one short story written in Modern Standard Arabic. A brief introduction to some aspects of the Arab literature and Classical writings of the Islamic world will be provided by the instructor on weekly basis.
By the end of this level, 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 sustain understanding over longer stretches of connected discourse on a number of topics pertaining to different times and places.
Speaking:
A. Able to handle successfully most uncomplicated communicative tasks and social situations.
B. Able to initiate, sustain, and close a general conversation with a number of strategies appropriate to a range of circumstances and topics
C. Able to generally be understood even by interlocutors not accustomed to dealing with speakers at this level.
Reading:
A. Able to read consistently with full understanding simple connected texts dealing with basic personal and social needs about which the reader has personal interest and/or knowledge.
B. Able to discern some main ideas and information from texts at the next higher level featuring description and narration.
Writing:
A. Able to meet most practical writing needs and limited social demands.
B. Able to take notes in some detail on familiar topics and respond in writing to personal questions.
C. Able to write simple letters, brief synopses and paraphrases, summaries of biographical data, work and school experience.
Required Instructional Materials:
1. Al-Batal, M., Al-Tonsi, A., Brustad, K. Al-Kitaab fii Taallum al-Arabiyya: Part Two, 2nd edition, Washington D. C.: Georgetown University Press.
2. Wehr, Hans. The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 1994.
3. Elgibali, Alaa. Media Arabic: A Coursebook for Reading Arabic News . The American University in Cairo Press.
Evaluation and assessment:
1. Active Class Participation 20%
Students should participate in the classroom activities, which targets understanding and language production. These activities should be done on frequent basis. This requires from the students to come prepared to participate. Active participation entails the following:
(a) Class attendance. Class attendance is more necessary for the success of the whole learning process. Students are allowed to miss only four hours of class for medical or emergency reasons. Teachers should be notified within 24 hours.
(b) Homework assignments: Students are expected to submit their assignments on time. Late assignments will be corrected but during office hours.
2. Written exam (quizzes and Tests) 30%
They will test students` mastery of vocabulary and grammar points. 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%
By the end of the course, you will meet with your instructor for an individual oral interview to assess your overall ability to speak Arabic.
The oral grade is based on 4 criteria: Pronunciation comprehensibility: refers to the clarity of the sounds and other phonetic features such as (Shadah , Tanween, etc.) Native-like speech is not expected. Vocabulary: refers to the knowledge of the words and phrases needed to carry out the conversation or situation. Structure: refers to the knowledge of forms and structure needed to carry out the conversation or situation. The structure should be correct and comprehensible. Fluency: refers to the easy and ready flow of words.
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 Intermediate level courses 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 | recommended |
| Guest Lectures | 2 hours, bi-weekly | compulsory |
|
Media club/Cinema Club |
2 hours per week | compulsory |
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