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Ideas for IEW: Teaching Arabic

Ahmad standing next to a whiteboard teaching two students how to write in Arabic.

International Education Week (IEW) is quickly approaching! How are YES students and alumni planning to get involved? If you’re looking for ideas, perhaps you can get some inspiration from previous YES students like Ahmad Kheir (YES 2015-2016, Lebanon, hosted by AFS in Falls Village, CT).

Ahmad took time during his YES year to teach Arabic after school to some of his classmates, and even some teachers!  He explains, “I taught them how to pronounce and spell the hard Arabic letters. My students considered the Arabic that I was teaching as an art and language class. I was told that the way I wrote Arabic looks as if I were drawing.”

It wasn’t always an easy task. Ahmad continues, “Pronouncing Arabic letters was a challenge to my students, but I was really proud to notice that they showed interest in my language, so they learned really fast.”

The experience had a big impact on Ahmad. Besides contributing to his YES experience and community service hours, Ahmad says, “I gained an amazing teaching experience. I loved my students. I personally built higher self-confidence and increased my passion for teaching!”

Besides teaching Arabic, Ahmad reports that during his time on the YES program, “All diverse community service, civic minded, and government experiences had a positive impact on me….We share food, music and cultural clothing for the sake of fun, knowledge and openness.”

What are YOU planning for IEW 2016?? Get ready; it's November 14-18, 2016.

If you plan to teach a language, here are some tips from Ahmad:

  • Teach a “letter of the day.” Then give at least two vocab words per day to help your students form an idea of that letter and how it could be in different places in a word.
  • Give students mini treats for knowing how to pronounce very hard syllables.
  • Many students love learning how to write their own names in a new script. After a little assistance from the teacher, students enjoy showing off that they know how to write their names in a different language.
  • Grammar lessons are important for students to understand the logic behind the language.
  • Give students sheets to take home so they can review, check their own work, and even increase their interest in the new language.

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