SHS2 Arabic · Semester 1 Week 20: Reading Comprehension

Lesson notes

Learning Objectives

Indicator: 2.3.2.LI.1 Identify the possible meanings of unknown words in the passage, and then confirm their meanings from the dictionary.

By the end of the lesson, learners can:

Identify unfamiliar Arabic words in a short nonfictional passage and state at least one possible meaning for each based on context clues.
Apply at least three reading strategies (word shape, surrounding words, repetition, and prior knowledge) to guess the meaning of unknown words before consulting a dictionary.
Confirm or correct their guessed meanings by looking up the words in an Arabic-English dictionary and noting the dictionary form.
Explain in simple Arabic or English how context clues helped them arrive at the possible meaning of a given word.
Work collaboratively in mixed-ability pairs to share and compare their guessed meanings with their partner’s before dictionary confirmation.

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Curriculum details

Strand: Reading (Strand 3)
Sub-strand: Reading Comprehension (3.2)
Content standard: 2.3.2.CS.1 - Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of straightforward nonfictional texts using reading strategies of literary writings. (B1, CEFR) 2.3.2.LO.1 Explain the content of nonfictional texts using clues that are embedded in them highlighting the purpose and the underpinning message. 2.3.2.LO.2 Identify clues that are embedded in the classical Arabic prose in order to make inferences regarding the ideas and the meanings of the texts 2.3.2.LO.3 Explain clues that are embedded in the classical Arabic poetry in order to make inferences regarding the ideas and the meanings of the texts. 2.3.2.LO.4 Explain clues that are embedded in the Modern Arabic poetry in order to make inferences regarding the ideas and the meanings of the texts.
Indicator: 2.3.2.LI.1 - Identify the possible meanings of unknown words in the passage, and then confirm their meanings from the dictionary
Suggested placement: Semester 1, Week 20 (Week 20 of the year)
Our suggestion, laid out in curriculum order across three terms of twelve weeks. NaCCA does not fix the week, so follow your school's scheme of learning.
Curriculum reference: NaCCA curriculum document, p. 197

Exemplars (from the NaCCA curriculum)

Project-Based, Research-Based Learning, Question-Answer Relationship Strategy, Think-Pair Share Activities:
- Through cooperative learning, learners are prepared to work together either as partners or in small groups on clearly defined instructions and tasks.
- The teacher takes learners through general strategies for reading comprehension.
- The teacher then explicitly instructs learners why and when they should use the comprehension strategies, what strategies to use, and how to apply them.
Coping with stress and anxiety: Learners are engaged in recitation of lines of poetry which fully engages their minds and imaginations. Poetry recitation possesses meditative qualities in which the brain is fully focused, thereby reduces stress and enhance relaxation.
Collaborative learning:
- Forming mixed-ability groups of learners gives high cognitive abilities a platform to tell their observations, while it gives low cognitive abilities a way of collaborating with and learning from their peers.
- Allocating different listening times and opportunity to each member of the group to make an input can help learners organise themselves according to their different skills and capabilities.

Assessment (2.3.2.AS.1). The document marks these depth-of-knowledge levels for this indicator: Level 1 Recall; Level 2 Skills of conceptual understanding; Level 3 Strategic reasoning.
Teaching and Learning Resources:
- Textbooks and Reading materials.
- Projector.
- Flash cards.
- Audio-visual materials.