Designing Curriculum for Arabic Heritage Learners (AHL) specifically tailored for them

1. Designing curriculum for Arabic Heritage Learners
( AHLs)
1

2. 2
Introduction
Shortage of Arabic
specifically designed
curriculum for Arabic Heritage Learners
-Lack of instructional material
ill-suited books cover:
- basic grammar
- Survival vocabulary
-Everyday routine

3. 3
Criteria for developing these profiles should include cultural
features such as:
a) familiarity with Arabs habits and tradition
b) A clear vision form of Arabs’ values and concepts
c) acquaintance with metalinguistic knowledge i:e
awareness of the meaning
embedded
d) Resources build on the home culture
. e) the presence of sociolinguistic context particularly in
relation to social uses and functions of the
language/dialects;
f) cultural and religious features and belief in heritage
language
development.

4. 4
Textbook description and goal
• The objectives of this book is reflected by the title:
Ana Min el Balad di (AMEBD) part I
The textbook is designed to enhance
• Arabic culture through:
• Values ; tradition; and concepts
• idiomatic expressions,
• vocabulary, and grammar

5. 5
Design of the Units: Chapter
format:
Objectives:
The presentation
Cultural introduction:
Translation
Vocabulary
Comprehension
discussion:

6. 6
‫تمرين‬7
Look at this picture and mark right or wrong on the gossip :
َ‫ال‬‫أطفا‬ ‫تنجب‬ ‫لم‬ ‫التي‬ ‫المصرية‬ ‫السينما‬ ‫أم‬ ‫محمد‬ ‫فردوس‬–‫زوجها‬ ‫تعرف‬ ‫هل‬‫الفنان‬
‫المشهور؟‬

7. 7
AHL Textbook themes are:
innovative, interesting; exploring Egyptians' culture of:
Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3 Unit 4 Unit 5
Greetings :Social
interactions: formal;
and /informal
The belief in Evil
Eye:
Meaning to: wearing
charms.
Curiosity
In the East; and West.
Sustenance and the
notion of acceptance.
The Shame
And being discreet.
Unit 6 Unit 7 Unit 8 Unit 9 Unit 10
Nubian Bride. Upper
Egyptian culture
Tolerance means
Al Hamdu Allah
Undue expectation
when and how
Bread and salt
connotation in
Egyptian culture.
e
Adherence culture in
happiness and sorrow

8. 8
"Ana Min El Balad Di" Cultural themes part I:
‫الرزق‬‫عروس‬
‫النوبة‬
‫الحسد‬‫الصبر‬‫معة‬ُ‫س‬‫ال‬
‫الستر‬‫االلتصاق‬‫الفضول‬‫العيب‬‫العيش‬
‫والملح‬

9. 9

10. 10
a) AHL assessment ..misleading Why?
• Placement ( based on written testing of foreign language students, will yield only a partial and
therefore misleading understanding of proficiency if applied to AHL students)
 identification of areas of strength, frequent error patterns and gaps to inform curricular needs
 measuring student progress within programs (evaluating programs as well as students)
 determining when (e.g., at which level, with what kind of focus) heritage students can study
independently and attain academic growth.
b) Aspects of proficiency particular to AHL students:
 AHL learners may lack literacy and still be highly proficient in listening and speaking.
 Their pronunciation and vocabulary may reflect knowledge of a non-prestige variant of the language, or they may use English
borrowings from an émigré dialect.
 HL students may be highly proficient conversants on everyday topics but lack knowledge of vocabulary used outside the home
domain, and they often are unfamiliar with a more formal register called for in many situations outside the home.

11. 11
b) Assessment instruments
In this study the author has come across with four ways for
AHLs learning assessment:
Cultural-context Learning
The Multicultural Action Project (MAP)
In- service projects
Competencies assessment

12. 12
Brief Description of AHLs program using "AMEBD“
Themes (10 topics)
C-Standards and expected outcomes: Delivering cultural Literacy
Standards Targeted Students can
1) Self-cultural knowledge:
About (about learners’ own cultural group).
Cultural patterns in AMEBD correspond to what
they have already experienced at home.
2) Intra-cultural knowledge; (about learners’ own
cultural group).
Exchange information with peers about self and
others' traditions, and interact in culturally
appropriate way
3) Intercultural knowledge (about other ethnic
groups in the United States).
Present information orally, can achieve increased
awareness and understanding of cultural diversity
through diverse curriculum content.

13. 13
D- Evidence of Learning and other types of assessment.
Examples Description
Cultural-Competence approach Cultural -competence approach (CCA) is formed when
using real life topics, ‫العيش‬‫والملح‬ ´ ‫الفضول‬-‫الحسد‬-‫العشم‬-‫الرزق‬-
‫الصبر‬
Cultural identity Heritage students learn to identify the linguistic
conventions of specific genres(style) and text types in the
heritage language.
Sociolinguistic appropriateness That includes : register, politeness markers, honorifics,
‫سيادتك‬ ‫حضرتك‬‫ياأستاذ‬
Discourse competence The conventions of social discourse are acquired through
interaction with one's surrounding community. Apologies,
requests, sermons, to start a conversation for e:g ‫المم‬‫س‬‫ال‬
‫عليكم‬,‫ايه‬ ‫عاملين‬ ،‫الخير‬ ‫صباح‬‫بخير‬ ‫يارب‬
Language competence knowledge of grammar rules to include use of language
within social contexts).
Communicative competence The ability to use language in appropriate social
situations ‫هلل‬ ‫البقاء‬/‫آسف‬ ‫أنا‬ in death .

14. 14
Strategies Example
a- Brain storm. Elicit
from AHLLs, build on
the resources of the
home culture.
Teacher: Use target
language for
instruction
Understand your
culture
Teacher: Supply
students with a detailed
English translation for
the main text.
E- Instructional Strategies for Teaching AHL within a
cultural framework

15. 15
Development: use and materialize curriculum content Teacher: Explaining norms and acts to prevent Evil eye.
. Students: respond .
Teacher and Students Producing Together (Joint)
Teacher: Expecting behavioral patterns in AHL culture-
Students will use content vocabulary to explain cultural for
communication.
Check awareness of the meaning embedded (metalinguistic
knowledge)
Teacher : Explains religious idioms ‫بسم‬‫هللا‬ ‫ماشاء‬ ‫هللا‬–‫الصليب‬ ‫بسم‬-‫أكبر‬ ‫هللا‬.
In situation: on seeing a baby, entering a new house; seeing a new car,
jewelry. ‫دا‬‫محسود‬–‫حسد‬ ‫فيه‬!

16. 16
Phonology, intonation teaching; through interactive discussions
(Instructional Conversation : peer interaction in class)
Teacher: When introducing Unit 1 Greetings: models greetings, with
happy tone, cultural aspect when welcoming you smile.
‫أهال‬‫وسهال‬–‫نور‬ ‫البيت‬-
Internalizing meaning & use of language; synthesize and relate use to
form.
Teacher: Using eye contact, ensures students internalized language
connotations, and implication as in e.g. ‫أكبر‬ ‫هللا‬ . More practice is given
for poor performers in class.
Group negotiation of the meaning Students: in groups negotiate meaning
Gaining self confidence in the expression of the culture. Teacher: invite students to produce language in cultural frame,
cueing them with statements, students respond accordingly.
Enjoy your culture Students start enjoying culture
Retain a sense of identity. Students start connecting learning with'their lives
(Contextualization): i: e when AHL can relate his/her personal life to
what s/ he learns in class he feels at home.

17. 17
What's next?
Present Language specific-focus textbook for AHLs
Materials developers should: :
a-Reinforce family and community ties; connectedness.
b- Clarify the impact of religion on cultural aspects of life.
c-Addressing AHLLs' needs
d- Provide heritage students with suitable instruction.
e- Finance programs that are insufficiently resourced
This SUPPORT depends on:
• programs with a strong rationale.
Clearly formulated, practicable goals Textbooks
• Programs that possess well documented evidence of
research results.
• well-supported benefits to the nation, the community and
the individual.