As the fifth most spoken language in the world, Arabic language and cultures play a key role on the international stage. The Arab world has had an indelible influence on areas of civilisation such as language and literature, mathematics and numbers, food, art and architecture. Opening the door to the world of Arabic allows children and young people to understand these connections and influences more clearly and see how interconnected we are.
Since the launch of Discovering the World of Arabic in 2020-21, in partnership with QFI, our courses have adapted and grown, becoming a regular feature of the curriculum in several Scottish primary and secondary schools. Our team of Arabic teachers has grown, too, and we are now well-placed to offer online Arabic classes to schools at bespoke times. For primary classes, this allows classes to learn one-to-one with their teacher and the work that they have been producing shows how engaged they have been in their Arabic learning. For secondary schools, holding lessons within dedicated slots in each school’s timetable has obvious practical advantages which makes this opportunity more easily viable for more schools.
Lessons at beginner level cover topics such as greetings and introductions, family, home town, food and daily routine, all with a core focus on communicative competence. Woven into these topics is a flavour of the rich diversity of Arab countries, cultures and traditions that make this language such a fascinating one to learn.
Aimed at beginner-level, non-heritage learners, our selection of Arabic courses includes:
- Arabic as L3 for primary schools (10 weeks)
- Short courses for secondary learners in S1-S3 and S4-S6 (8 weeks)
- Long courses for secondary learners in S1-S3 and S4-S6 (September to March)
Class teachers who register their learners for our courses are also invited to have a “Taste of Arabic”. This short series of lessons is designed for classroom practitioners so that they have first-hand experience of how the online classes run – and so that they can astonish their class with their Arabic knowledge from the word ‘go’!
Interested state schools can sign up for free by the end of April each year. Find out more and register your interest for Discovering the World of Arabic: Primary or Discovering the World of Arabic: Secondary.