fall_semester

Fall Semester 2011 - Observations + Assignments

Classroom observations: Dec 04, 2011

  • At-Tahiyaat and its word-by-word translation was reviewed in the class.
  • We also made several references to Surah Al-Fatiha and some of its word meanings.
  • We also went through one of the stories of Prophet Sulayman in which he decided to host a feast for all creations.
  • As usual, we played the game. Students still need to review Prophet Ibrahim (alay-salam) notes attached at the end of this page.
  • There will be no Islamic Studies class on Sunday Dec 11, 2011 since students will participate in the Jeopardy contest. Please note that attendance will be counted for this session.
  • The next session (Dec 18) will be held in the main prayer hall (downstairs). We will go through various things that are important part of praying individually and in Jama'ah (congregation).

Homework for Dec 18, 2011

  1. All of Salah related material (see salah_translations.pdf at the end of this page) - Please review it even if you know it and practice it during your Salah everyday.
  2. Turn in your Salah-tracker sheet for last 2 weeks.
  3. Prepare for in-class game.
  4. Remember, we may have a surprise quiz in any of the upcoming classes (even in next semester). Salah is pretty important and all of us should work hard to keep it fresh in our memories.

Classroom observations: Nov 20, 2011

  • As expected, very few students were prepared this week with their assignments.
  • Quiz results were announced and 2 star students were identified.
  • Majority of the class failed the quiz; this, despite reviewing the material several times in the classroom.
  • We went through At-Tahiyaat.
  • Last 10 minutes, we played the game of charades. We do this now in every session as announced before (see homework for Oct 23, 2011). Please have your child prepared for this in every session. The notes about Prophet Ibrahim (alay-salam) are attached at the end of this page.
  • I must say that some students really need to brush up their basics. For example, they should know what Zakah is.

Homework for Dec 04, 2011

  1. At-tahiyaat - Same as last week. Please see #1 below (under Homework for Nov 20). Please review it even if you know it and practice it during your Salah everyday.
  2. Turn in your Salah-tracker sheet for last week. Although we didn't get the chance to distribute a fresh sheet this week, please use a simple piece of paper to complete your homework.
  3. Prepare for Junior Jeopardy competition qualification exam. This will be held during the first period. The material is available by clicking the following link: http://www.mccgpschool.org/featured-events/junior_jeopardy

Classroom observations: Nov 13, 2011

We have already discussed this many times in the class that we are only going to focus on finishing the Salah during this semester (plus some extra reading for the game-time). There was a pop-quiz this Sunday and judging by what students have done, I have to say that we as teachers, parents and students need to work harder to bring everyone in the class up to speed. There is an easy way to practice this: Pick any one Salah during a day that you pray already; while reciting in Arabic, try to think about the meanings before moving on the next ayah or word. If this is done at least once a day, I am confident that there is no need to spend extra hours trying to memorize the whole thing. Please work on this and remember that "practice makes perfect".

Homework for Nov 20, 2011

  1. At-tahiyaat - From our experience in the classroom, mashallah everyone has the habit of praying and already knows the At-Tahiyaat. The homework is to know the meaning of each and every one of words in At-Tahiyaat.
  2. Turn in your Salah-tracker sheet for last week. Although we didn't get the chance to distribute a fresh sheet this week, please use a simple piece of paper to complete your homework.

Homework for Oct 30, 2011

  1. Same as last week except #3 above.
  2. Turn in your Salah-tracker sheet for last week. This week, there was no time to go through regular material and we will focus on doing so in the coming session.
  3. We will also go over Hajj, Eid-al-Adha & significance of the first ten days of D'ul Haj as well.

Homework for Oct 23, 2011

  1. Know Surah Al'Fatiha and its word-by-word translation (same as last week & previous week). Still only about half of the students did this last week. Others who didn't, are expected to make sure that they are ready this week. They will be quizzed in the next session.
  2. Know what to recite in Ruku, Qiyaam after Ruku and Sujood (same as last week). Also memorize their meanings. Refer to the Salah_translations PDF below.
  3. Prepare for in-class presentations for "Muslim Architects, Artists, Poets and Writers" competition. Students have been instructed to prepare the presentations electronically (using MS PowerPoint or equivalent software). They can either email the presentations to me (mohsinrasheed@yahoo.com) or bring it on a USB jump drive with them. I will load the presentation on my laptop and students will present the topic in front of the whole class. The next class will start at 12:35 PM (10 minutes early). All students have been notified of this. Parents are welcome to attend presentations. The participation is voluntary but I highly recommend it.
  4. In order to prepare for Hajj and Eid-al-Adha, I have asked the students to review the material on this website (view "Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail" PDF below). We would have a fun and learn activity after the presentation which requires each student to be aware of this topic.

Homework for Oct 16, 2011

  1. Know Surah Al'Fatiha and its word-by-word translation (same as last week). Very few students did this last week. They will get extra credit for this. Others are expected to make sure that they are ready this week. They will be quizzed in the next session.
  2. Know what to recite in Ruku, Qiyaam after Ruku and Sujood. Also memorize their meanings. Refer to the Salah_translations PDF below.

Homework for Oct 9, 2011

  1. Know Surah Al'Fatiha and its word-by-word translation.

Homework for Oct 2, 2011

  1. You should know 3 Aayaat in Quran (translation and Surah/Ayaa numbers) regarding Salah (see "Salah in Quran" above).
  2. 2 sayings of Prophet Muhammad (sal-lallahu-alayhey-wassalam) about Salah. Refer to "Salah of the Prophet" handout.
  3. Times and Rakah of Salah.
  4. Mandatory articles (faraa'ed) of Wudu.