Teaching the Arabic Language
If one is and has always been speaking in English, trying to learn the Arabic language can be quite difficult. For one, the Arabic language has high guttural sounds that are not natural to the English speaker. And when it comes to writing, the words are written from right to left instead of the English way of writing words and sentences from left to right. However, there are only two verb tenses and several grammar rules to follow so if one were to master them, students can easily make sentences in Arabic. But the problem is how can one teach Arabic as a second language without losing the learner’s interest? Here are a number of ways.
To start off, you can let them know the Arabic loanwords in English. For example, words like “gazelleâ€, “admiralâ€, “alcoholâ€, “lemonâ€, “averageâ€, “magazineâ€, and other words that are originally Arabic words. This way, your students will be able to associate the words and expand their vocabulary at the same time.
A great way to learn things are to include other senses while learning, other than listening. One of the best examples for this is to show Arabic films to the class. Using this method enables you to do a few things at one go, from catching their attention, letting them learn new words or phrases, learn the appropriate facial expressions to go with them, and learn about the culture in general. If you cannot bring the film to class, you can recommend a number of Arabic films for them to watch online, or make it into a review assignment. You can also use Arabic songs as an alternative, as with tune, instructions will not be as dull.
Another sensation you can bring into class is taste. With the many dishes available from the Arab world, it is a good opportunity to expose them to part of the culture. Let them learn the names of each dish and ingredient in Arabic, and teach them about the Arab food culture. Make the class into an Arab food party, and your students will definitely be happy to participate in it.
One more idea is to use interesting topics for assignments. Do not give assignments that are too general which do not really play close to the heart. For example, if your classroom consisted of teenagers, you can ask them to write on issues like bullying, stress, love, and so on. Topics that students can easily relate tend to flow much easily from heart onto paper.
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