November 2011
Since September 17, 2011, a group of 17 children, ranging from grades Kindergarten to 5th, are having a weekly experience in Arabic language, arts, and culture at the new Salvation Army Kroc Center in North Philadelphia. They begin the morning with teaching artist Rachel Bliss in art class, where the letters of the Arabic alphabet and Arabic script are an integral part of their art-making using a variety of media. They also listen to Arabic storybooks and create their own artwork in response to these stories. After art, Arabic teacher Issam Bougtoub leads the students in a series of activities that include writing, reading, and speaking in Arabic, along with role playing exercises. The students come from diverse backgrounds with differing abilities in Arabic, so the challenge is to keep everyone engaged and improving their language skills. Parent volunteer Dania Bawadekji, who is a graduate of literature from Damascus University, works with the students in small groups and helps in integrating Arabic in the art classes. The programs ends on an upbeat and active hour of percussion instruction taught by Hafez El Ali Kotain.
Overall the goal of this program is to foster a love of the Arabic language and reinforce the language acquisition through the arts. This first trimester ends on December 10 and continues on January 21, 2012. The program is open for new students to join starting in January, including adults interested in taking one hour of Arabic in the morning.
