Intensive reading curriculum for non-Arabic speakers: An examination of the fourth-grade textbook of the (Alarabia baina yadaik) series

Abstract

The research aims to study intensive reading texts for non-Arabic speakers, which include various texts in the fourth-grade of the series (Alarabia bayna yadayk) with the aim of achieving the goals of the reading skill, which is one of the most important skills in teaching Arabic to non-native speakers. In its introduction, the research deals with the general theoretical features of extensive reading texts, the approach to studying them, their distinctive features, and their suitability to students’ abilities and inclinations, identifying the most important educational methods that influence the delivery of a reading lesson. In doing so, the study uses the descriptive approach in reviewing and analyzing texts and revealing the impact of the educational content on students, the relationship between content and reading goals, and the suitability of content to the students’ proficiency level. The texts analyzes are sixteenextensive reading texts that make up the curriculum, as well as the book’s accompanying training activities. The results suugest that extensive reading texts are useful and have a significant impact on learning Arabic. Most of the intensive reading texts in the book are long, which is a burden on both teachers and students. Besides, some of the extensive reading texts were difficult, and some were not suitable for fourth-level students. It is therefore recommended that the reading texts suit the students’ abilities and inclinations. They should be diversified and selected carefully to represent real-like content.  Modern technologies should also be employed.