Teaching Arabo-Islamic Primary Texts in the Arabic Classroom


February 6, 2025

These unit plans were developed with support from a Title VI National Resource Center grant from the US Department of Education.


Teaching Arabo-Islamic Primary Texts in the Arabic Classroom Beginner

Learners will be able to:

  • Demonstrate familiarity with writing conventions, common proverbs, idiomatic expressions, and metaphors in the target language.
  • Describe cultural practices and their connections to the Islamic faith; deliver well-structured presentations on both familiar and unfamiliar topics; engage in spontaneous spoken, written, or signed conversations on a range of subjects.
  • Compare cultural perspectives with one’s own, analyzing how products and practices reflect underlying values and beliefs.
  • Draw connections between Islamic texts and contemporary daily life, interpersonal relationships, and patterns of speech.
  • Recognize the relationship between cultural norms and diverse religious communities, fostering cross-cultural understanding.
Language and Level / GradeArabic - University StudentsApproximate Length of Unit1 week
Performance RangeBeginner to intermediate levelApproximate Number of Minutes Weekly30 min x 5=150 min

Download Teaching Arabo-Islamic Primary Texts in the Arabic Classroom Beginner (.pdf)


Teaching Arabo-Islamic Primary Texts in the Arabic Classroom Advanced

Learners will be able to:

  • Be familiar with writing conventions, common proverbs, idiomatic phrases and metaphors in the target language
  • Describe cultural practices and their connections to the Islamic faith
  • Summarize information from authentic materials
  • Make connections between Islamic texts and modern daily life, interpersonal relationships, speech 
  • Understand connections between religion and the culture practice.
  • Recognize and identify instances of languages and cultures interacting with, influencing or changing each other over time and share with others.
  • Present information, concepts and viewpoints on a wider range of familiar topics from across disciplines.
Language and Level / GradeArabic - High School (9-12)Approximate Length of Unit2 weeks
Performance RangeAdvanced levelApproximate Number of Minutes Weekly50 min x 5 lessons

Download Teaching Arabo-Islamic Primary Texts in the Arabic Classroom Advanced (.pdf)


Teaching Arabo-Islamic Primary Texts in the Arabic Classroom Supplementary Material

Download Arabic-Islamic Primary Source Packet 1 (.pdf)

Download Arabic-Islamic Primary Source Packet 2 (.pdf)


These unit plans draw upon the February 6th, 2025 DC Arabic Teachers' Council workshop "Teaching Arabo-Islamic Primary Texts in the High School & College Classrooms", the recording of which is available below.