Hello and welcome to Primary Arabic Sentence Builders - Book 1, a workbook designed to support young learners as they begin to communicate in Arabic. This book is aimed at beginner learners (approximately CEFR A1 level), typically in KS2 or early KS3. Units can be followed in sequence or used more flexibly for revision and recycling.
This book builds directly on the foundations established in
Book 0, where learners are introduced to the Arabic alphabet, practise reading and writing the script, and develop confidence in decoding simple words and sounds. With these literacy foundations in place, learners are now ready to begin communicating simple ideas in Arabic.
The workbook follows the Sentence Builders framework and is designed to complement an
Extensive Processing Instruction (EPI) approach to language teaching and learning. In this approach, learners are exposed to high-frequency language through carefully structured input and repeated processing of key patterns. Particular emphasis is placed on listening and reading as modelling, before learners gradually move towards guided and independent production.
The aim of this book is to equip learners with high-frequency vocabulary and sentence patterns that can be used for simple, real-life communication.
Listening filesThese can be accessed by going to
language-gym.com/listening – access is free, and you can also share this link with students if you want to set a listening homework.
Language Gym & Sentence Builders websites All sentence builders featured in this book are also available on the Language Gym website, where teachers can download editable classroom versions via the Locker Room (members only).
The
SentenceBuilders.com website is an ideal supplement to this workbook. It recycles all lexical and structural content through self-marking vocabulary, reading and listening activities, fully aligned with the EPI methodology.
Using this BookThis workbook can be used as part of a full EPI sequence or more flexibly as a source of structured classroom activities.
Each unit focuses on a specific communicative function and includes:
- a sentence builder modelling key structures;
- Listening-as-Modelling activities to develop decoding skills, sound awareness, speech segmentation and lexical retrieval;
- reading tasks focusing on meaning and language patterns;
- translation tasks to consolidate learning through retrieval practice;
- writing tasks to develop spelling, sentence construction and communication.
Each unit gradually expands the language introduced in the sentence builder through a sequence of carefully graded tasks. These include both familiar and new language, allowing learners to repeatedly encounter and process key vocabulary and structures. Through systematic recycling and interleaving, learners revisit language from previous units, strengthening retention and building fluency over time.
Alongside the units,
No Snakes, No Ladders speaking activities provide a simple, game-based format for practising spoken interaction in small groups.
We hope that you and your students find this book both useful and enjoyable.
