Two introductory textbooks for the Arabic writing system—Alif Baa and Bite-Size Arabic—teach the alphabet gradually, introducing just a few letters per unit. If the teacher covers just one unit per class meeting using these books, we are left with the problem of how to teach communication skills with the remaining classroom time before students have …
Author: Leston Chandler Buell
Alif Baa: A review
In this review I will give my perspective on Alif Baa: Introduction to Arabic Letters and Sounds (ألف باء: مدخل إلى حروف العربية وأصواتها), a popular textbook by Kristen Brustad, Mahmoud Al-Batal, and Abbas Al-Tonsi. The book comes with a CD full of audio material. Access to a companion website with video material can be …
Arabic 4 syllabus, January–March 2018
The following is the overall syllabus for UvA Talen Arabic 4, January–March 2018. I will use this syllabus not only to lay out our plan, but also to document what we did and indicate the homework. A couple of useful links: Mastering Arabic official resources. Searcheable PDF of the Hans Wehr Dictionary Lesson Material Covered …
The principal moods of the Arabic verb: Indicative, subjunctive, jussive, and imperative
In this article we will take a short look at the main moods of the Standard Arabic verb: indicative, subjunctive, jussive, and imperative. We won’t go into excessive detail, just the contexts that beginning and intermediate learners of Arabic are likely to encounter. This is also the reason we won’t discuss the short and long …
Duolingo Arabic is coming: What should we expect?
Update! The Duolingo Arabic course was released out of beta in early July 2019. If you would like to use this course, check out Dr. Bulbul’s Guide to Duolingo Arabic. Duolingo is a wildly popular website and app for learning foreign foreign languages. English-speakers are currently able to learn over 25 languages on the platform, …
Arabic 3 syllabus, January–March 2018
The following is the overall syllabus for UvA Talen Arabic 3, January–March 2018. The syllabus will be updated gradually with more details as the course progresses. A couple of useful links: Audio vocabulary flashcards on Memrise. Mastering Arabic official resources. Searcheable PDF of the Hans Wehr Dictionary. Lesson Material Covered Lesson 1 22/1 During class: …
Arabic 2 syllabus, January–March 2018
The following is the overall syllabus for UvA Talen Arabic 2, January–March 2018. The syllabus is still a work in progress and may be updated gradually with more details as the the course progresses. A couple of useful links: Audio vocabulary flashcards on Memrise. Mastering Arabic official resources. Lesson Material Covered Lesson 1 24/1 During …
Mastering Arabic 1: A review
In this review I will give my perspective on Mastering Arabic 1, a popular beginning textbook by Jane Wightwick and Mahmoud Gaafar. The book is available from two different publishers (Palgrave and Hippocrene), though I imagine there are few differences between the two editions beyond the book cover and the packaging. The book can be …
What to do while waiting for Arabic 2 to begin
After completing my Arabic 1 course at UvA Talen, it can sometimes be a long wait until the Arabic 2 course begins. So, pupils occasionally ask what they can do to keep working on their Arabic while they’re waiting for the next course. I provide a few ideas in this article. Review Bite-Size. You have …
Learn colors in Arabic with a children’s song
Would you like to learn or practice some basic words for colors in Arabic? In this post I’ll guide you through a very simple children’s song that presents the basic (masculine singular) form of eight different colors, plus words for 16 different basic objects that exemplify these colors. Here is the video: The most basic …