The programme of study

Course Overview

This course helps learners move from reading Arabic letters and vowelled words to understanding and using the language. Through guided study of al-Tilāwah al-Ifrīqiyyah, students develop vocabulary, improve their reading, practise meaningful expressions, and gradually learn to organise their ideas in speech and writing.

Lessons connect words with objects, actions, pictures, and situations. Students learn to identify what they see, ask and answer questions, describe people and activities, and read short passages with understanding. As their vocabulary grows, they progress from individual sentences to short dialogues and connected compositions.

The course also provides a foundation for further Arabic study and for engaging more closely with Islamic texts.

About the Facilitator

The course is facilitated by Albany Buipe, a teacher and writer whose work includes Arabic grammar, Islamic studies, and the preparation of teaching materials.

His ongoing projects include explanatory writing on classical Arabic grammar texts and the development of practical Arabic lessons for Isnād Institute. For this course, he prepares supporting notes, expressions, dialogues, worksheets, and writing activities that connect the textbook’s material with the needs of the learners.

His teaching priorities are clarity, gradual progression, and practical application: helping students understand an expression, use it accurately, and build upon it in subsequent lessons.

The Book and Its Educational Background

Known in our programme as al-Tilāwah al-Ifrīqiyyah, the text is catalogued under the fuller title al-Tilāwah al-ʿArabiyyah lil-Madāris al-Ifrīqiyyah—“Arabic Reading for African Schools”—and attributed to a group of teachers.

Its regional relevance is supported by evidence of use in West Africa: a report published by the King Salman Global Academy for Arabic Language identifies the series among the textbooks used in Arabic education in Mali. This establishes its regional use, rather than its country of origin.

The first volume’s introduction describes an approach linking pictures, spoken names, letters, and reading. It emphasises gradual introduction of unfamiliar letters, revision, conversation examples, and exercises that reinforce understanding and expression.

How Isnād Adapts the Text

Our students enter the programme with basic Arabic reading skills. Teaching therefore gives priority to understanding and using the language, while revisiting pronunciation and reading difficulties where necessary.

The book provides the starting point for each lesson. Its vocabulary and illustrations are developed into useful expressions, questions, short exchanges, reading passages, and writing tasks. Additional vocabulary is introduced selectively so that students have enough language to communicate without being overwhelmed by long lists of unfamiliar words.

Materials and activities are presented in a manner suitable for teenagers and adults. The pace follows students’ demonstrated understanding, with regular opportunities to revisit and apply earlier learning.

Teaching Method and Pedagogy

Meaning before memorisation

New vocabulary is introduced through pictures, objects, actions, and clear examples. Students connect the Arabic expression with its meaning before practising it in different contexts.

Complete expressions from the beginning

Learners practise using words in complete sentences. A word such as “book” becomes the basis for identifying an object, asking where it is, requesting it politely, or describing who wrote it.

Modelling followed by guided practice

The facilitator demonstrates pronunciation and sentence patterns. Students then practise together, work in pairs, and gradually respond with less assistance. Repetition supports accurate use and understanding.

Reading, listening, speaking, and writing together

Each lesson connects several language skills. Students listen to an expression, say it, recognise it in writing, and use it in a short written response. This helps learning in one skill reinforce the others.

Grammar through examples

Basic grammatical patterns are explained as they arise in the lesson. Students notice distinctions such as singular and plural, masculine and feminine, and the arrangement of words in a sentence, then practise those patterns in meaningful examples.

Regular review and constructive correction

Previously learned language returns in new lessons. Questions, short activities, and homework help students recall earlier material and use it again. Feedback addresses meaning, pronunciation, and sentence structure, with corrections suited to the learner’s stage.

What Students Will Study

The course develops:

• Vocabulary for people, objects, places, and common actions.
• Pronunciation and accurate reading of vowelled words and short passages.
• Questions and answers for identifying, locating, and describing.
• Simple sentence patterns and useful grammatical distinctions.
• Listening comprehension through instructions and short exchanges.
• Guided dialogues and oral descriptions.
• Sentence construction and short connected writing.

The Arabic Language course works alongside Ghana Speaks Arabic, the programme’s separate Conversational Drills course. The textbook lessons develop reading, vocabulary, and expression, while the drills provide further practice in everyday communication.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students should be better able to:

• Read studied words and short vowelled passages with understanding.
• Recognise and use the core vocabulary covered in class.
• Follow familiar classroom instructions in Arabic.
• Ask and answer simple questions in complete sentences.
• Describe familiar objects, people, pictures, and actions.
• Adapt a learned sentence pattern to express a new meaning.
• Participate in short guided exchanges.
• Write a short connected paragraph using familiar vocabulary and structures.

These outcomes develop progressively through attendance, practice, and revision.

Practice and Assessment

Progress is assessed through classroom participation, oral questions, picture descriptions, reading activities, written exercises, and short review tasks.

Early writing activities may involve three or four connected sentences. Later tasks become longer and more independent as students develop the vocabulary and sentence patterns needed.

Assessment considers both recognition and use: whether students can understand the language and apply it meaningfully. Homework reinforces classroom learning through reading aloud, revising expressions, completing exercises, and preparing short written responses.

Entry Requirements

The course is intended for learners aged 15 and above who have completed an introductory Arabic reading course, such as al-Qāʿidah al-Nūrāniyyah or its equivalent.

Students should recognise Arabic letters in their isolated and joined forms and read simple vowelled words with basic accuracy. Prior knowledge of Arabic grammar or fluency in spoken Arabic is not required.

Student Commitment

Students are expected to attend regularly, participate in oral activities, complete assigned exercises, and practise between lessons. Consistent revision is essential: each lesson builds on vocabulary and expressions introduced earlier.