Arabic-L:PEDA:Response to Vocab Book

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Wed 06 Dec 2006
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1) Subject:Response to Vocab Book

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1)
Date: 06 Dec 2006
From: "John Joseph Colangelo" <yaacolangelo at hotmail.com>
Subject:Response to Vocab Book

> Build Your Arabic Vocabulary, by Haroon Shirwani (144 pages)

Has anybody used this book? Is it flooded with English? This is  
something I want to call to everyone's attention: The fact that some  
of these teaching materials are flooded with instruction and  
translation in English. Personally, when I start my students with  
letters I only speak to them in Arabic. I use a book by Nicol'as  
Weber but in reality I could use almost any book. The reason why I  
use this book is it gives the letter and exercises on one page. This  
means I can do about 6 letters an hour with them and they have time  
to hand me in their homework within a couple of days. I never use any  
English with them except at the end of the class where I ask them if  
they have any questions. Of course teaching the letters is  a simple  
process. Then I start the الكتاب الأساسي لجامعة  
أم القرى which my wife used when we were there and it is really  
excellent material. But what is interesting about this book is even  
though it starts with nouns I can orally use verbs with them asking  
them lots of questions and having them ask each other as well. When  
we talk to each other in Arabic the most common verbs that appear are  
ليس and يسكن and يكتب as well as prepositions and question  
words. But the fact is this: When you speak with the students for  
half an hour repeating with them questions, answers, affirmations and  
negations after when you write it on paper they understand and they  
don't forget because what they speak and practise is what sticks in  
their head and not writing it in Arabic with English translations.  
The usage of the mother tonguein the classroom is for those teachers  
who want to practice it instead of teaching Arabic.
John Colangelo
Arabic/Spanish/English Linguist & Translator

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End of Arabic-L:  6 Dec 2006