Arabic١٢٣
Year 11Summer TermAges 15-16

Lesson Plans

Reading Exam Preparation

1

Reading Strategies and Text Types

⏱ 60–65 minutes

Lesson Objectives

  • Read and understand a range of Arabic text types under timed conditions
  • Identify the purpose, audience, and tone of a text

🌅 Warm-Up (5 min)

Text type identification: read 4 short Arabic extracts — identify each as a letter, article, advert, or diary entry.

Main Activities

  1. 1Review reading strategies: skimming for gist, scanning for detail, using context clues for unknown words
  2. 2Text type features: identify how language, layout, and register differ across text types
  3. 3Timed reading practice: read 2 texts and answer comprehension questions within 15 minutes
  4. 4Writing practice: write the key features of each text type in a reference table

Resources Needed

Text type examplesReading strategies posterWriting Practice Worksheet

⭐ Extension Challenge

Find an example of each text type from Arabic websites and note 3 key features of each.

2

Comprehension at Different Levels

⏱ 60–65 minutes

Lesson Objectives

  • Answer comprehension questions at different levels of difficulty
  • Infer meaning from context when facing unfamiliar vocabulary

🌅 Warm-Up (5 min)

Inference practice: read a short Arabic passage with 3 unknown words — guess their meaning from context.

Main Activities

  1. 1Three levels of comprehension: literal (stated in text), inferential (implied), evaluative (your judgement)
  2. 2Practice: read a medium-length Arabic text and answer questions at all three levels
  3. 3Vocabulary inference strategies: root patterns, cognates, context clues, word families
  4. 4Create vocab cards for 12 high-frequency words that commonly appear in reading exams

Resources Needed

Graded comprehension textInference strategies guideVocab cards worksheet

⭐ Extension Challenge

Create your own 3-level comprehension questions for a text and test a partner.

3

Translation from Arabic to English

⏱ 60–65 minutes

Lesson Objectives

  • Translate a passage from Arabic to English accurately
  • Apply translation strategies under timed conditions

🌅 Warm-Up (5 min)

Translation warm-up: translate 5 individual Arabic sentences into English as quickly and accurately as possible.

Main Activities

  1. 1Review translation principles: read whole text first, identify tricky structures, translate meaning not words
  2. 2Timed translation practice: translate a passage of exam-appropriate difficulty within 10 minutes
  3. 3Compare with model answer: identify where your translation was strong and where it could improve
  4. 4Common error review: discuss the most frequent translation mistakes and how to avoid them

Resources Needed

Translation practice passageModel answerError analysis worksheet

⭐ Extension Challenge

Translate an additional passage at a higher difficulty level and self-mark against the model.

4

Full Reading Exam Practice

⏱ 65–70 minutes

Lesson Objectives

  • Complete a full reading exam paper under timed conditions
  • Use exam techniques to maximise reading comprehension score

🌅 Warm-Up (5 min)

Exam technique review: list your top 5 strategies for approaching a reading exam.

Main Activities

  1. 1Full mock reading exam: complete a paper with multiple text types, comprehension questions, and translation
  2. 2Self-marking against the mark scheme: identify patterns in errors
  3. 3Tracing practice for high-frequency exam vocabulary
  4. 4Action planning: set 3 specific targets for reading improvement based on mock exam performance

Resources Needed

Mock reading exam paperMark schemeTracing Worksheet

⭐ Extension Challenge

Create a personalised vocabulary revision list based on words you could not translate in the mock.

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