GRADE 8 Arabic MY BODY- Reading – Guided Reading: Extensive Readin Notes
Guided Reading: Extensive Reading — MY BODY (قراءة جسمي)
Subject: Arabic — Target age: 13 (Kenya)
- a) Select appropriate reading materials (digital & non-digital) with a grammar checklist.
- b) Read varied, grade-appropriate Arabic texts about the body to learn grammar for lifelong use.
- c) Create and keep a reading log to monitor reading activities and grammar items noticed.
- d) Recommend suitable Arabic reading materials to peers with grammatical notes.
Below are essential grammar points with simple examples you will meet while reading texts about the body. Arabic examples are shown with translation and short notes.
1. Nouns — gender, plural, dual
أمثلة (Examples):
- رأس — head. (m) — "رأسُ الولدِ كبيرٌ" (The boy's head is big.)
- يد / يدان / أيدي — hand, two hands, hands (sing., dual, plural). "يدان" (dual), "أيدي" (broken plural).
- عين / عينان / عيون — eye, two eyes, eyes. "لدي عينان" (I have two eyes).
Note: Arabic uses a special dual form (often -ان / -ين) and many plurals are 'broken plurals' (غير قياسية).
2. Definite article and sun/moon letters
الـ (al-) makes nouns definite: "الـرأس" (the head).
When attached to some letters (sun letters), the ل is not pronounced: "الشمس" → "ash-shams". For body words like "الشَّفَة" the pronunciation follows the rules.
3. Adjective agreement (صفة)
Adjectives agree with nouns in gender, number, and definiteness:
- الولد طويل — "الولد" (m, definite) → "الولد الطويل".
- الفتاة طويلة — "الفتاة" (f, definite) → "الفتاة الطويلة".
- عينان كبيرتان — dual adjective uses ـان/ـتان to match dual noun.
4. Possessive suffixes (ضمائر الملكية)
Attach to the noun: يـ = my, كـ = your, هـ = his, ها = her.
- يدي — my hand (يدي)
- رأسه — his head
- عينها — her eye
5. Construct phrase — الإضافة (Idāfa)
Order: noun + noun (possessor). The first noun becomes definite by being in construct:
رأسُ الطفلِ — the child's head. (No ال on the first noun; the whole phrase is definite if the second noun is definite.)
6. Verbs & personal pronouns (افعال وضمائر)
Present tense pattern for (to touch: لمس):
- أنا ألمسُ — I touch
- هو يلمسُ — he touches
- هي تلمسُ — she touches
Use verbs to describe actions with body parts: "الطفل يلمس رأسه" — The child touches his head.
7. Prepositions with parts of the body
Use common prepositions:
- على — on: "القبعة على الرأس" (The hat is on the head).
- تحت — under: "الحذاء تحت القدم" (The shoe is under the foot).
- في — in: "الطعام في الفم" (Food is in the mouth).
- الطفل يلمسُ وجهَهُ. — The child touches his face. (Notice verb + pronoun + possessive suffix).
- الفتاةُ تملكُ كتفاً قوياً. — The girl has a strong shoulder. (Adjective agrees: "قويّ" → "قويّاً" in this context; attention to word order and agreement).
- لدي عينان زرقاوان. — I have two blue eyes. (Dual form: "زرقاوان" matches dual masculine).
- Simple Arabic graded readers about the body (level 1–2) — look for texts with pictures and short sentences.
- Children’s Arabic short stories or dialogues on health and body parts (paper books, school library).
- Digital: short videos/text from trustworthy sites (e.g., bilingual children’s Arabic sites) — choose ones with transcript for reading practice.
- Comics or illustrated pages about daily routines (washing hands, brushing teeth) — good for verb patterns and prepositions.
Use a grammar checklist when you pick a text: includes examples of possessives, adjectives, dual/plural, prepositions, and short verbs.
- Step 1 (Guided): Teacher gives a short illustrated Arabic text (6–10 sentences) about a child describing body parts. - Task: Read aloud; underline all possessive forms (e.g., "رأسه") and adjectives; mark dual/plural forms.
- Step 2 (Paired): Students read another short text and exchange notes: - Identify 3 verbs, 2 prepositions with body parts, and 1 idāfa phrase. - Discuss in Arabic one sentence: "ما الذي يفعله الطفل؟" (What is the child doing?)
- Step 3 (Extensive / independent): Choose a graded book or 3 short webpages about the body. - Read for enjoyment and note only grammar items you find (use the reading log below).
- Step 4 (Recommend): Each student recommends one text to a peer and writes a short note naming 1 grammar point the peer should notice (e.g., "تعرّف على صيغة المثنّى").
| Date | Title / Source | Type (book/web/comic) | Grammar items noticed | Notes / Recommend? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-01 | قصة: جسدي الصغير | Book | رأيت: يلمس، رأسه، عينان | أوصي بها — جمل قصيرة وواضحة |
| (add row) |
Tip: For each reading, write only 1–3 grammar points you noticed — this trains grammar awareness during extensive reading.
- Short sentences, clear script (good for beginner-intermediate learners).
- Contains useful target grammar: possessives, adjectives, dual/plural, verbs, prepositions.
- Has illustrations or audio (helps link words to meaning).
- Level-appropriate vocabulary; not more than 5 unknown words per page for independent reading.
- اقرأ الجملة: "الأم تُعانقُ الطفلَ ويدهُ على كتفِها." — mark: possessive, verb, preposition.
- استخرج مثنّى من النص: "عينان" — ما هي صيغة الصفة المطابقة؟ (مثال: "زرقاوان").