Sawsan Darwish Hala Issa Yehia Mohamed Hana Zabarah

1. Weddings الأفراح Sawsan DarwishHala IssaYehia MohamedHana Zabarah NHLRC July 2012

2. Student Population • 15 HLLs • Second Generation • 3 different levels: 4 low, 7 mid, 4 high • Speak Arabic with both parents at home • Strong listening and speaking skills • Have knowledge of the alphabet and some reading and writing skills

3. Rationale • Heritage Learners relate themselves to their country of origin. Traditional weddings are interesting to HL especially since they hear about them from their family and see them in the media. For this reason, any second generation heritage learner of Arab descent who was born in the United Stated would be motivated to learn about traditional Arab weddings and expressions.

4. Goals and Objectives By the end of the wedding unit the students would be able to: • Engage in a daily conversation, express their feelings and emotions and exchange their opinions using common wedding expressions in Arabic. • Understand and interpret written and spoken language on the topic of weddings and greetings. • Use wedding expressions with a culturally appropriate way. • Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between traditional Arab weddings and their cultural values.

5. Goals and Objectives • Acquire information about weddings and recognize the distinctive viewpoints that are only available through the Arabic language and its cultures. • Demonstrate understanding of the nature of the Arabic language through comparisons of wedding invitations in Arabic and their L1 using authentic text. • Demonstrate understanding of the concept of the Arab culture through comparisons of Arab weddings from the Arab world and Arab weddings in the U.S. • Use the language for personal enjoyment and enrichment.

6. Materials • 4 YouTube wedding videos from Palestine, Morocco, Sudan, and Saudi Arabia • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbZHR60QCS8 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvDzbKd8QiQ • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTsI3ZQRtBY • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgcYCTartJk • Sample wedding invitations • http://kenanaonline.com/photos/1238164/1238164363/gallery_1238164363.jpg?1314620198 • A newspaper article about Syrian weddings • http://www.aawsat.com/details.asp?issueno=11700&article=551403

7. Unit Description • Day 1: • Pre-assessment • Small group activities: • Vocabulary and expressions from sample invitations • Compare and contrast invitations with those in America • Oral group reports • Assessment: feedback • Day 2: • Videos from YouTube • Compare and contrast Arab weddings in America with those they watched in small groups • Share with the class • Assessment: Venn diagram, Exit cards

8. Unit Description • Day 3: • Reading the newspaper article • Tasks to mixed-level groups • Different tasks • One common task • Assessment: T-chart • Homework: Create wedding greeting cards • Day 4: • Share greeting cards in small groups • Review learned content • Day 5: • Summative test

9. Conclusion • The 5 Cs • Communication: 1.1, 1.2 • Cultures: 2.1, 2.2 • Connections: 3.2 • Comparisons: 4.1, 4.2 • Communities: 5.2