Jusuur 1: Beginning Communicative Arabic

The Jusuur Arabic Language Program is an entry-level textbook program designed for students with no experience learning Arabic and, often, no experience with language learning in general. While existing textbooks (including Al-Kitaab) are designed for university-level courses meeting 4-5 times per week, Jusuur is for learners progressing at a more measured pace and with fewer contact hours, such as students in high school, community college, or less intense college classes. Each Jusuur textbook is designed for one academic year of use. After completing Jusuur 1, the Alphabet Workbook, and Jusuur 2 (i.e. after two years of instruction), students will be in the novice-high to intermediate-low range of proficiency.

Thematically based, developmentally appropriate, and properly paced to suit learners at the secondary and post-secondary levels, the book would be the first to teach these student groups communicatively, following sociolinguistic principles. Integrating Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and colloquial Jordanian (a form of Levantine), students learn to communicate in Arabic from the very beginning about topics important to their daily lives. Further, teachers are provided with extensive supporting resources, substantially freeing up their time so that they can focus on teaching, not material preparation.

Jusuur 1 presents a well-rounded curriculum that encourages active communication in Arabic from day one and is suitable for engaging students at a variety of levels including high school, community college, and four-year colleges.

Students learn the letters and sounds of Arabic with the accompanying Jusuur 1 Arabic Alphabet Workbook, while they simultaneously use Jusuur 1 to work through thematically organized lessons on such topics as greetings, hospitality, free time, and family. Jusuur 1 invites students to make the linguistic, social, and cultural connections key to language acquisition through carefully scaffolded vocabulary and grammar activities, cultural explanations, and frequent opportunities for reflection. A series of companion videos, filmed in Jordan, offers a unique introduction to common everyday interactions in the Arab world.

Jusuur 1 is the first of two books in the Jusuur Arabic Language Program; students who successfully finish the program will be able to communicate at novice-high or intermediate-low levels of proficiency.

The Jusuur curriculum, which draws from the pedagogical strengths of the best-selling Al-Kitaab Arabic Language Program, provides students with a wealth of written and audio-visual materials to develop skills in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Instructors will benefit from extensive complementary instructor's resources, including teacher's guides, worksheets, and audio recordings, making it easy to design an enriching and engaging experience for students.

Sarah Standish is the Deputy Director of OneWorld Now! in Seattle, Washington. She is the author of Culture Smart! Syria and has taught Arabic since 2009.

Richard Cozzens is a Preceptor in Arabic at Harvard University and is the director of the STARTALK Arabic Summer Academy for high school students in Boston. He has been teaching Arabic in different institutions since 2008.

Rana Abdul-Aziz is a Senior Lecturer and the Arabic Language Coordinator at Tufts University. With a teaching career spanning 15 years, she has also taught Arabic at Wellesley College and Middlebury College's Summer Arabic School.