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Early Arabic Language Immersion Program

(Registration Deadline: August 18, 2014)

Introduction
The Arabic language, as the language of the Quran, represents the voice and language of Islam. It is the key to understanding the Quran and the majority of the classical Islamic literature. The Arabic language also represents the vast historical and cultural heritage of the Muslim world. As such, the teaching of the Arabic language aligns with the mission of Abraar School to raise students who demonstrate impeccable Islamic character along with advanced academic skills and exemplary citizenship.

Early childhood is the stage where students acquire the foundational language skills. They have the ability to acquire multiple languages without any accents until the age of 7 years old.

Defining the Problem
We want our students to read and understand enough Arabic to be able to grasp the literary meaning of the Quranic text. Currently, the JK and SK program offers Arabic language classes three times a week.  This is not sufficient to achieve the level of Arabic we would like to see our students have when they finish Grade 8.

Solution
We are proposing an Early Arabic Language Immersion Program (EALIP) in JK and SK. The program will be similar to early French Language immersion programs. It will incorporate all the features of the regular JK/SK program including all Ontario Ministry of Education requirements for JK/SK.

Such a program will not only increase the level of the Arabic language in our native Arabic speakers but also in our non-native Arabic speakers. We are hoping that this will have a domino effect where eventually this batch of students will graduate Grade 8 with a higher proficiency in the Arabic language that will enable them to literally understand the Quran in Arabic.

Details of the EALIP
  • We will offer a full Early Arabic Language Immersion Program in one section of Junior Kindergarten for the 2014-2015 school year.
  • A FULL IMMERSION means that the medium of instruction for the majority of the school day will be in the Arabic language. The English language/English Program will be taught as a single class on a daily basis. Students will also take the French Language as well as the other classes such as Quran, Islamic studies, and Physical Education (all taught in Arabic).
  • The homeroom teacher for the EALIP JK Classroom will speak with students in the Arabic language and will use the English language only on an as needed basis.
  • The English language and the English program for JK will be taught by the homeroom teacher of the other JK section.
  • This program is optional for the parents; however, once parents enrol their children in the program, they may not opt out of it. The program will start if we have a minimum of 25 students enrolled in the program.
FAQs

There was an initial parent survey conducted to determine parents' interest in the EALIP. What were the results of that survey?
A total of 28 parents responded to the survey. Out of those, 26 parents responded "Yes" they will enroll their child in the EALIP and 2 parents responded that "No" they are not interested in enrolling their child in the EALIP.

Is the teacher qualified to teach the EALIP?
Yes, we have evaluated/screened the teacher for their ability to teach in the Arabic language and are confident that she will be able to deliver quality educational programming for Junior Kindergarten.

Will my child continue in the EALIP program in SK for the following academic year?
Yes, your child will automatically be enrolled in the EALIP for SK in the following academic year.

I am really interested in enrolling my child in this program for SK. Why are you not offering this program for SK for the 2014-2015 school year?
We would have loved to offer this program in SK for the 2014-2015 school year; however, we have decided not to do so because it takes a lot of resources to develop a new program and we feel that we will not be able to develop a quality program for both the JK and SK levels at the same time.

Won't my child be behind in his/her English language skills and other areas if they are enrolled in the EALIP?
What is important at the JK/SK levels is the development of concepts such as associating symbols to meanings, number sense, language development, etc. This can be achieved with any language. There are no set specific standards mandated from the Ministry of Education for the JK/SK years. As a matter of fact, we often take students in Grade 1 with minimal English language skills and the academic performance of these students is comparable to students who have attended a JK/SK program in the English medium.

What will happen to my child after they finish this program in JK/SK?
After students finish the EALIP in JK and SK, they will be evaluated for their Arabic language skills and will be placed accordingly in the Arabic language class for either native speakers or non-native speakers regardless of their ethnicity.

Both of us parents do not speak the Arabic language but would like to enroll our child in this program. Will there be any support for such families?
The school will not be able to provide additional tutoring services to such families. However, we are hoping that we can start a parent support group for not only such parents but for all parents to help their children in this program. This parent support group could provide volunteers to help students who require additional help in completing their work in the Arabic language.