This blog  helps the   students as well as the teachers to enhance their abilities to learn and     teach English language.

Enter and enjoy the activities,  you will like it….        

Copyright © Mufida Ali Ghwela 2009

If you like to study while listening to music, play this romantic music and be relax…

 

  The English for Islamic Studies website is designed to introduce language learning courseware to non native speakers of English. It would encourage students to learn English language in their religious context and culture. A lot of interesting pages you will explore while you dealing with this web i.e. Tutorial, Lessons, Teacher guide and useful links. This website offers various methods of teaching and learning language, which supports the students as well as teachers with rich guide lines to make it easier for them understanding and using this web. It focuses on the introduction to Islamic value, particularly the value that is brought by the Prophet Muhammad.

The objectives of this courseware are:

• To introduce the ESL/EFL secondary school students to the grammatical aspects in language: Parts of Speech, Sentences Structure and Tenses in English Language.  
•  To enable the non native students to learn  it in easy way
• To enable Students to Experience Interactive learning by using computer technology.
• To motivate Students to learn in enjoyable way.

      Actually, integrating technology into our educational programs provides students with additional tools to enhance their learning. Thus, the production of this educational website is one of them. So don’t miss it .  .  .  .

Traditional grammar classifies words based on eight parts of speech: the verb, the noun, the pronoun, the adjective, the adverb, the preposition, the conjunction, and the interjection.

 Verb: The verb is perhaps the most important part of the sentence. A verb or compound verb asserts something about the subject of the sentence and express actions, events, or states of being. The verb or compound verb is the critical element of the predicate of a sentence. For example:

•       Dracula bites his victims on the neck.                         

The verb “bites” describes the action Dracula takes.

•      In early October, Giselle will plant twenty tulip bulbs.

Here the compound verb “will plant” describes an action that will take place in the future.

•       My first teacher was Miss Crawford, but I remember the janitor Mr. Weather bee more vividly.

In this sentence, the verb “was” (the simple past tense of “is“) identifies a particular person and the verb “remember” describes a mental action.

•      Karl Creelman bicycled around in world in 1899, but his diaries and his bicycle were destroyed.

In this sentence, the compound verb “were destroyed” describes an action which took place in the past.

Noun: is a word used to name a person, animal, place, thing, and abstract idea. Nouns are usually the first words which small children learn. For example:

•       Late last year our neighbors bought a goat.
•       Portia White was an opera singer.
•      The bus inspector looked at all the passengers’ passes.
•      According to Plutarch, the library at Alexandria was destroyed in 48 B.C.
•     Philosophy is of little comfort to the starving.

A noun can function in a sentence as a subject, a direct object, an indirect object, a subject complement, an object complement, an appositive, an adjective or an adverb.

Pronoun: can replace a noun or another pronoun. You use pronouns like “he,” “which,” “none,” and “you” to make your sentences less cumbersome and less repetitive. Grammarians classify pronouns into several types, including the personal pronoun, the demonstrative pronoun, the interrogative pronoun, the indefinite pronoun, the relative pronoun, the reflexive pronoun, and the intensive pronoun. For example:

• You are surely the strangest child I have ever met. (Personal pronoun).
• This must not continue. (Demonstrative pronoun).

Here “this” is used as the subject of the compound verb “must not continue’.

• Which wants to see the dentist first? (Interrogative pronoun).

“Which” is the subject of the sentence?

• Richard usually remembered to send a copy of his e-mail to himself. (Reflexive pronoun).
• I myself believe that aliens should abduct my sister. (Intensive pronoun).

Adjective: modifies a noun or a pronoun by describing, identifying, or quantifying words. An adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun which it modifies.

        For example: 

•     The truck-shaped balloon floated over the treetops.
•     The small boat foundered on the wine dark sea.
•    The coal mines are dark and dank. 
•    The back room was filed with large, yellow rain boots.

 An adjective can be modified by an adverb, or by a phrase or clause functioning as an adverb. In the sentence

•    My husband knits intricately patterned mittens.

For example, the adverb “intricately” modifies the adjective “patterned.” Also, some nouns, many pronouns, and many participle phrases can also act as adjectives. In the sentence

•     Eleanor listened to the muffled sounds of the radio hidden under her pillow.

      For example, both highlighted adjectives are past participles.

Adverb: an adverb can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase, or a clause. An adverb indicates manner, time, place, cause, or degree and answers questions such as “how,” “when,” “where,” “how much”.

      While some adverbs can be identified by their characteristic “ly” suffix, most of them must be identified by untangling the grammatical relationships within the sentence or clause as a whole. Unlike an adjective, an adverb can be found in various places within the sentence. For example:

• The seamstress quickly made the mourning clothes.

In this sentence, the adverb “quickly” modifies the verb “made” and indicates in what manner (or how fast) the clothing was constructed.                                                        

•   The midwives waited patiently through a long labor.

Similarly in this sentence, the adverb “patiently” modifies the verb “waited” and describes the manner in which the midwives waited.

•    The boldly spoken words would return to haunt the rebel.

In this sentence the adverb “boldly” modifies the adjective “spoken.“

•    We urged him to dial the number more expeditiously.

Here the adverb “more” modifies the adverb “expeditiously.“

•    Unfortunately, the bank closed at three today.

In this example, the adverb “unfortunately” modifies the entire sentence.

Preposition: links nouns, pronouns and phrases to other words in a sentence. The word or phrase that the preposition introduces is called the object of the preposition.

  A preposition usually indicates the temporal, spatial or logical relationship of its object to the rest of the sentence as in the following examples:

•     The book is on the table.
•    The book is beneath the table.
•    The book is leaning against the table.
•    The book is beside the table.
•     She held the book over the table.
•    She read the book during class.

  A prepositional phrase is made up of the preposition, its object and any associated adjectives or adverbs. A prepositional phrase can function as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb. For example:

•       The children climbed the mountain without fear.

   In this sentence, the preposition “without” introduces the noun “fear.” The prepositional phrase “without fear” functions as an adverb describing how the children climbed.

•      There was rejoicing throughout the land when the government was defeated.

 Here, the preposition “throughout” introduces the noun phrase “the land.” The prepositional phrase acts as an adverb describing the location of the rejoicing.

•       The dog is hiding under the porch because it knows it will be punished for chewing up a new pair of shoes.

 Here the preposition “under” introduces the prepositional phrase “under the porch,” which acts as an adverb modifying the compound verb “is hiding.”

Conjunction: You can use a conjunction to link words, phrases, and clauses, as in the following example:

•     I ate the pizza and the pasta.
•      Call the movers when you are ready.
•      I like tea but I do not like milk.

 Interjection: an interjection is a word added to a sentence to convey emotion. It is not grammatically related to any other part of the sentence.

You usually follow an interjection with an exclamation mark. Interjections are uncommon in formal academic prose, except in direct quotations. Examples:

•      Ouch, that hurt!
•     Oh no, I forgot that the exam was today.
•      Hey! Put that down!
•      I heard one guy say to another guy, “He has a new car, eh?”
•      I don’t know about you but, good lord, I think taxes are too high!

The two fundamental parts of every English sentence are the subject and the predicate. A simple sentence can also be described as a group of words expressing a complete thought.        SUBJECT + PREDICATE = SENTENCE
A simple sentence or independent clause must have a verb. A verb shows action or state of being.    

  SUBJECT + VERB = SENTENCE

•      I like English.

      A complex sentence contains an independent clause and a subordinate clause. The independent clause can function as a complete sentence. The subordinate clause also contains a subject and a verb but cannot function as an independent sentence.

•      We surveyed the damage as the wind subsided.

   A compound sentence contains two independent clauses. Two independent clauses may be joined by a comma and a conjunction, or by a semicolon, or by a colon.

•      The school year ends June 1st, but the sports program will continue throughout the summer.

Kinds of sentences

Declarative – A declarative sentence makes a statement. A declarative sentence ends with a period.

•        My car is out of gasoline.

  Interrogative – An interrogative sentence asks a question. An interrogative sentence ends with a question mark.

•     What time does the movie start?

 Exclamatory - An exclamatory sentence shows strong feeling. An exclamatory sentence ends with an exclamation mark.

•     What a beautiful night!

   Imperative - An imperative sentence gives a command.

•       Cheryl, try the other door.

      Sometimes the subject of an imperative sentence (you) is understood.

•        Wash the car.  (You, Wash the car.)

The following table shows the positive, negative and interrogative forms of all the basic tenses in English with a brief description of the principle usage and signal words.

One sentence is put into different tenses. You can see how the meaning changes.

Cited from: http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/tenses

Listen to this video about what is Islam?

Islam is the eternal message of Allah to all people without any exception.  It emanated from our father Adam (peace be upon him) and then was passed on to other chosen messengers reaching its completed word to mankind with the final prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Linguistically, Islam means the deliberate “submission and surrendering” to the Almighty’s commands. Practically, Islam as a religion is based on six basic concepts of faith and five fundamental pillars without which one’s belief is not accepted. The six beliefs are:

The belief in One God, Allah,
The belief in His Angels,
The belief in His Scriptures,
The belief in His Messengers,
The belief in the Day of Judgment,
The belief in the divine decree, the good and the bad of it.

      As for the five pillars of Islam, they are as follows:

•    Al-Shahadatan: ‘ašhadu ‘al-lā ilāha illā-llāhu wa ‘ašhadu ‘anna muħammadan rasūlu-llāh; I bear witness that there is no God worthy of worship except Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”  This testimony is considered as one of the most foundational pillar in Islam as it is used by Muslims in prayer, and for non- Muslims to formally convert to Islam. 
•      Performing prayer (Salat): Muslims are required to pray five times on a daily basis at specific times. It was until Allah’s revelation to Muhammad that all Muslims started to face the Kaaba in Mecca and not Jerusalem. Salat is the natural and the direct relationship between Muslims and Allah. It goes beyond the concept of a pillar to embrace the pure feeling of gratefulness and satisfaction.      
•     Giving Alms (Zakat): it is the Muslim’s personal commitment to help the poor and the needy by providing them with a fixed amount of money in order to facilitate their lives in an attempt to get rid of inequality.   
•      Fasting (Sawm): not only does fasting mean the act of abstaining from food, drink, and sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk in the month of Ramadan, but also it is meant to purify the soul from the worldly aspects and to seek an exceptional bond with the Merciful.      
•      Performing Pilgrimage (Hajj): It is a significant and a compulsory practice for Muslims who are able to perform it in the month of Dhu Al Hijja in the city of Mecca. It is the symbol of equality between mankind in that all Muslims regardless of their race, gender, status, nationality, and color are to fulfill the act of Hajj, wearing the same clothes and doing the same rituals. 

Last but not least, it goes without saying that Islam’s teachings are simple, rational, and straightforward. They link the practical side with the moral one, the body with the soul. Islam is an encompassing as well as a moderate religion; it speaks to both individuals and groups, it establishes a balance between its beliefs to work harmoniously and fluidly. Islam does not expel life; on the contrary it encourages the true fulfillment of life. It is the very religion of tolerance, freedom, equality, and fraternity. Islam is the religion of ethics par-excellence. It seeks spiritual elevation as it abhors all kinds of vices for instance, greed, envy, hatred, selfishness, arrogance, and so on.

      Islam cannot be defined in one word because it is a way of life as it deals with the spiritual, social, economic, cultural, political and international aspects. Islam is the light given by the Almighty to facilitate our life, lighten our heart, and guide us to the right path. It stems from a special call from your heart then that call touches all the parts of your body and soul and lets you feel peace and true happiness.

 Adapted from: http://www.whatsislam.net/

After you go over lesson 1 in my blog, you can click on this link to try out interactive exercises:

http://www.maele.net/english/mufida/Mufida.htm

   Please play this video and listen to the story of our prophet Muhammad 

       Muhammad (pbuh) was born in Mecca (Makkah), Arabia, on Monday, 12 Rabi’ Al-Awal (2 August A.D. 570). His mother, Aminah, was the daughter of Wahb Ibn Abdu Manaf. His father, ‘Abdullah, was the son of Abdul Muttalib. His genealogy has been traced to the noble house of Ishmael, the son of Prophet Abraham in about the fortieth descend. Muhammad’s father died before his birth. Before he was six years old his mother died, and the doubly orphaned Muhammad was put under the charge of his grandfather Abdul Muttalib who took the tenderest care of him. But the old chief died two years afterwards. On his deathbed he confided to his son Abu Talib the charge of the little orphan. 

           When Muhammad was twelve years old, he accompanied his uncle Abu Talib on a mercantile journey to Syria, and they proceeded as far as Busra. The journey lasted for some months. Through this time Mohammad gained a great experience in commercial field. After this journey, the youth of Muhammad seems to have been passed uneventfully, but all authorities agree in ascribing to him such correctness of manners and purity of morals as were rare among the people of Mecca. The fair character and the honorable bearing of the unobtrusive youth won the approbation of the citizens of Mecca, and by common consent he received the title of “Al Ameen,” The Faithful.

     When Muhammad was twenty five years old, he traveled once more to Syria as a factor of a noble and rich Quraishi widow named Khadijah; and, having proved himself faithful in the commercial interests of that lady, he was soon rewarded with her hand in marriage. Khadijah was much the senior of her husband, but in spite of the disparity of age between them, the tenderest devotion on both sides existed. She bore Muhammad three sons and four daughters. All the males died in childhood, but in loving ‘Ali his young cousin found much consolation.

      About this time, Muhammad set a good example of kindness, which created a salutary effect upon his people. His wife Khadijah had made him a present of young slave named Zaid Ibn Haritha, who had been brought as a captive to Mecca and sold to Khadijah. When Haritha heard that Muhammad possessed Zaid, he came to Mecca and offered a large sum for his ransom. But Zaid refused to return back with Haritha and declared that he would stay with his master, who treated him as if he was his only son. Shortly Muhammad took Zaid to the black stone of Ka’ba, where he publicly adopted him as his son, to which the father acquiesced and returned home well satisfied. Henceforward Zaid was called the son of Muhammad. 

    For years after his marriage, Muhammad had been accustomed to isolate himself in a cave in Mount Hira’a, a few miles from Mecca. To this cave he used to go for prayer and meditation, sometimes alone and sometime with his family. There, he often spent the whole nights in deep thought of the Unseen yet All-Knowing Allah of the Universe. It was during one of those nights, when an angel came to him to tell him that he was the Messenger of Allah sent to reclaim a fallen people to the knowledge and service of their Lord.

       Muhammad would seclude himself in the cave of Mount Hira and worship three days and nights. Until one day the revelation came down to him and the Angel Gabriel (Jibreel) appeared to him and said: “Read!” But as Muhammad was illiterate, having never received any instruction in reading or writing, he said to the angel: “I am not a reader.” The angel took a hold of him and ” The Angel again seized the Prophet and squeezed him and said: “Read! In the Name of Your Lord”. Then the Prophet repeated the words with a trembling heart. He returned to Khadijah from Mount Hira and told her what he had seen. Khadijah said: “Rejoice, O dear husband and be cheerful, you will be the prophet to this people.” 

      At the beginning of his mission, Muhammad – hereinafter called the Prophet – opened his soul only to those who were attached to him. After Khadijah, his cousin’ Ali was the next companion. Once they were surprised by Zaid, the adapted son, then he was followed by Abu Bakr, the close friend of Muhammad who was but two years younger than the Prophet. Soon after, five notables presented themselves before the Prophet and accepted Islam. Several converts also came from lower classes of the Arabs to adopt the new religion.

     After three years of constant but quiet struggle, only thirty followers were secured. An important change now occurred in the relations of the Prophet with the citizens of Mecca. His compatriots had begun to doubt his sanity, thinking him crazy or possessed by an evil spirit. At the same time, He decided to appeal publicly to the Meccans, requesting them to abandon their idolatry. He warned them of the fate that had overtaken past races who had not heeded the preaching of former prophets. But the gathering departed without listening to the warning given them by the Prophet.

      His fellow citizens refuse to listen to him; he turned his attention to the strangers arriving in the city on commerce or pilgrimage. But the Quraish made attempts to frustrate his efforts. Now the Prophet and his followers became subject to some persecution and indignity. The hostile Quraish prevented the Prophet from offering his prayers at the Sacred House of the Ka’ba; they pursued him, insulted him, they covered him and his disciples with dirt and filth when engaged in their devotions; in spite of all these trials the Prophet was full of confidence in his mission, even when on several occasions he was put in imminent danger of losing his life.

       Persecution by the Quraish grew fiercer every day and the sufferings of the Prophet’s disciples became unbearable. He had heard of the righteousness, tolerance, and hospitality of the neighboring Christian king of Abyssinia. He recommended such of his companions who were without protection to seek refuge in the kingdom of that pious king, Al Najashi (Negus). Some fifteen of the unprotected adherents of Islam promptly availed themselves of the advice and sailed to Abyssinia. Here they met with a very kind reception from the Negus. This is called the first hijrah (migration) in the history of Islam and occurred in the fifth year of the Prophet Muhammad’s mission, A.D. 615. These emigrants were soon followed by many of their fellow sufferers, until the number reached eighty-three men and eighteen women.

     The hostile Quraish, furious at the escape of their victims, sent deputes to the king of Abyssinia to request him to deliver up the refugees, but the hospitable king ordered the deputies to return to their people in safety and not to interfere with their fugitives. Thus the emigrants passed the period of exile in peace and comfort.

    While the followers of the Prophet sought safety in foreign lands against the persecution of their people, he continued his warnings to the Quraish more strenuously than ever. The Meccans, however, were more than ever anger at the Prophet’s increasing preaching against their religion. They asked his uncle Abu Talib to stop him, but he could not do anything. They warned Abu Talib that if he would not do that, he would be excluded from the communion of his people and driven to side with Muhammad; the matter would then be settled by fight until one of the two parties were exterminated.

      Abu Talib neither wished to separate himself from his people, nor forsake his nephew. He spoke to the Prophet very softly and begged him to forsake his affair. To this suggestion the Prophet firmly replied: “O my uncle, if they placed the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand to cause me to renounce my task, verily I would not desist there from until Allah made manifest His cause or I perished in the attempt.”

      During this period, Abu Talib declared his intention to protect his nephew against any menace or violence, besides ‘Umar Al-Khattab adopted Islam. To him the new faith gained an important factor in the future development and propagation of Islam. Thus the party of the Prophet had been strengthened by the conversation by his uncle Hamza, a man of great valor and merit; and of Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, both men of great energy and reputation. The Muslims now ventured to perform their devotions in public.

     “Adapted from The stories of the prophets. www.islamways.com “

After you go over  lesson 2 in my blog, you can click on this link to try out interactive
exercises:

http://www.maele.net/english/mufida/Mufida.htm

Please watch this video about how to pray, it will be useful…

There are five prayers which must be performed by the Muslims and are called “obligatory” prayers. It is a great sin to neglect performing any of these obligatory prayers. Among the merits of performing the obligatory prayers is that one’s small sins, which may be committed between prayers, are forgiven. The Prophet , may Allah raise his rank, said:

 “ من توضا فاحسن الوضوء خرجت خطاياه من جسده حتى تخرج من تحت اظافره“ رواه مسلم

  Which means: “Whoever makes a complete wudu’, his sins will depart his body, until they leave from under his nails” (Muslim).

    The Fajr (or Subh) prayer is two rak^ahs. The Dhuhr Prayer is four rak^ahs. The Asr  prayer is four rak^ahs. The Maghrib prayer is three rak^ahs . The Isha’ prayer is four rak^ahs.

How to pray

1. Facing the Qiblah: It is obligatory to stand directing your chest to the honorable Qiblah. The Qiblah is the Ka ^ bah in Makkah.

 2. Intention: It is obligatory to intend in your heart performing the obligatory Dhuhr prayer. Do that while saying  الله اكبر  Allahu akbar (God is great).

  An example is to say in your heart “I intend to pray the obligatory Dhuhr prayer”.

3. The Opening Takbir: It is obligatory to say Allahu akbar at least as loud as you can hear yourself, while raising your hands next to your ears. Raising your hands is a recommended part.   

4.  Standing: It is obligatory to stand in the obligatory prayer when able. It is recommended to hold the wrist of the left hand with the right hand, placing both above the navel. 

 5.  Reciting the Fatihah: It is obligatory to recite the Fatihah (the first chapter of the Qur’an) at least as loud as you can hear yourself. It is an     obligation to recite the Fatihah properly.

6.  The Ruku^” (Bowing): It is obligatory to bend at the waist until your palms can reach your knees and stay still in this position for at least the time it takes  to say سبحان الله subhanallah. It is recommended upon bending  to raise your hands next to your ears and say Allahu akbar. Also it is recommended while in ruku^, to say three times: سُبحانَ رَبِّيَ العظيمsubhana Rabbiyal- ^Adhim (Praise be to my Great Lord).

 7.  The I^ tidal (Straightening up): It is obligatory to straighten your back and stay still in this position for at least the time it takes to say subhanallah. It is recommended while raising your trunk to raise your hands next to your ears and to say  سَمعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ  sami^ allahu liman hamidah (Allah hears who praises Him). While your back is straight up it is recommended to say رَبّنَا لَكَ الحَمدُ Rabbana lakal-hamd (0 our Lord, to You the praise is due).

8.  The Sujiud (Prostration): It is obligatory to go down to the floor  and prostrate by pressing your bare forehead, and putting your palms, knees, and pads of the toes on the floor. Both feet are kept vertical with the heels up and the toepads down touching the floor.  Stay still in this position for at least the time it takes to say subhanallah.

      9. The Sitting between the two Sujuds: It is obligatory to raise your trunk from prostration and sit, staying still in this position for at least the time it takes to say subhanallah. An alternate recommended way of sitting is to rest the buttocks on the heels of both feet which are kept as in sujud.
 It is recommended that the hands be placed on the thighs at the knees with the fingers extended and spread slightly towards the Qiblah.
It is recommended to say Allahu akbar while coming to sitting.
Also, it is recommended while sitting to say:

10.  It is obligatory to perform a second sujud from your sitting position. This sujud is similar to the first sujud.After the second sujud is fulfilled you have completed the first rak^ah (cycle) of the prayer.

  11. It is obligatory to stand up for the second rak^ah . It is recommended while doing so to say Allahu akbar. Repeat steps 5 to 10. This ends your second rak^ah.

12. It is recommended at this time to sit up from sujud, recite the Tashahhud , and say   اللهم صلى على محمد Allahumma salli ^ala Muhammad at least as loud as you can hear yourself. It is recommended to sit as An alternate way of sitting is to rest the buttocks on both crossed feet. It is also recommended to keep both hands on your thighs. The fingertips of your left hand should be spread towards your knee. In this sitting, the fingers of the right hand are lightly fisted except for the index finger which is extended slightly down.  The index finger is lifted slightly at saying إلاّ الله  illallah (in the Tashahhud) and is kept as such until the end of this sitting .

13. It is obligatory to stand up and do two more rak^ahs in the same way that you did from steps 5 to 11. It is recommended while rising for the third rak ^ah to raise your hands next to your ears and say Allahu akbar. However, raising the hands is not recommended while rising for the fourth rak^ah .

  14. Upon completion of the second sujud of the last rak^ah, it is obligatory to sit up, recite the Tashahhud, and say Allahumma salli ^ala Muhammad.

       It is recommended to keep the hands as in step 12. However, after the index finger is lifted slightly at saying illallah it is kept as such until the end of the prayer.

 For this sitting it is also recommended to pass the left foot past the right leg and place the buttocks on the floor, keeping the right foot as in sujuji.
Afterwards, it is recommended to say al tashahod. Then it is recommended to say a supplication such as: 

Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil- ‘akhirati hasanah, wa qina ^adhaban-nar, which means: “0 our Lord, grant us in this life and in the Hereafter good things, and protect us from the torture of the Hellfire”.

15. The Ending Salam: It is obligatory to say                                                                                                                      

as-as­salamu ^alaykum at least     as loud as you can hear yourself. It is recommended to say  

 as-  salamu ^alaykum wa Rahmatullah first to one’s right and then to one’s left .

By saying this your prayer is ended.

What is Said in the Sitting (Tashahhud)

At-Tashahhud was-Salatul-’Ibrahimiyyah

       At-Tahiyyatul-mubarakat, as-salawatut-tayyibatu lillah. As­Salamu ^alayka ayyuhan-Nabiyyu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. As-Salamu ^alayna wa ^ala ^ibadillahis-salihin Ashhadu alla ‘ilaha illallah, wa ashhadu anna Muhammadar-Rasulullah. (End of the Tashahhud)

       Allahumma salli ^ala Muhammad, (This completes the obligation) wa ^ala ‘Ali Muhammad, kama sallayta ^ala ‘Ibrahim, wa ^ala ‘Ali ‘Ibrahim. ‘Innaka Hamidum Majid. Allahumma barik ^ala Muhammad, wa ^ala ‘Ali Muhammad, kama barakta ^ala ‘Ibrahim, wa ^ala ‘Ali ‘Ibrahim. ‘Innaka Hamidum Majid.

        “Adapted from http://www.sunna.info/prayer/TheBasicsoftheMuslimsPrayer.php“

After you go over lesson 3 in my blog, you can click on this link to try out interactive
exercises:

http://www.maele.net/english/mufida/Mufida.htm

• The objectives of this courseware:

     In response to technological advancement, this courseware was designed. Blog is an electronic collection of multimedia-rich learning materials combined with Intermediate level of tutorial interactivity. In this blog students are provided with interactive tutorials designed to develop their knowledge and understanding of grammar, a database of resources, hypertext links to other sections of the courseware or to external websites and self testing exercises which provide formative feedback.  It can also be independently accessed by learners at any time and used at their own pace.

 Teachers can adopt and adapt more of this type genre to be used in their targeted lessons.

    Actually, teaching grammar plays a central role in every ESL / EFL teacher’s classroom.

• Learning style of students:

     English for Islamic Studies should be used because students learn in different ways and some find a visual learning environment more helpful than a purely textual one – courseware has the capacity to provide a visual (and audio) context for student learning, enhancing the more conventional textual format. Obviously, the more varieties of learning opportunities the better your chances are that each student will be able to learn the grammar point well.

      If you have a class of learners with similar learning styles, you can afford to use a similar approach. However, if you have a class of mixed learning styles then you need to try to provide instruction using as many different methods as possible.

• Inductive and Deductive:

      Inductive is known as a ‘bottom up’ approach. In other words, students discovering grammar rules while working through exercises.

    Deductive is known as a ‘top down’ approach. This is the standard teaching approach that has a teacher explaining rules to the students.

     Based on constructivism, learner-cenerd approach to learning, Yasmine L. Howard (2003) argues that to encourage knowledge construction, a constructivist learning environment (CLE) provides multiple perspectives and realities, a ‘real-world’ environment that emphasizes ‘real-world’ complexity and multiple solution paths, social collaboration between peers and the teacher to ‘ develop and shape’ knowledge structures, and emphasizes that the role of teacher should move to that of facilitator and mentor rather than dictator.

Useful Links:

Worksheets for TeachersReading Comprehension, Math, Spelling, Vocabulary, Science.edHelper.com

http://www.ets.org/Media/Campaign/51448/edoors12.html

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The lesson plan below is to help you (teacher) to guide students in the classroom in using this blog.
You might want to do your own lesson plan to fit the activities with the interest of your students.

 Lesson Plan

Topic: English for Islamic Studies
Target Learners: ESL/EFL secondary school students.

Age: 17 years old.
Proficiency Level: Intermediate
Duration: 2 hour and 40 minutes
Venue: Computer laboratory
Skills: Listening, reading and writing.

Objectives:

• To learn about the prophet, the Islamic pray, the themes of Islam and the miracles on Qura’an etc
• To introduce the ESL/EFL secondary school students to the grammatical aspects in language: Parts of Speech, Sentences Structure and Tenses in English Language.
• To enable the non native students to learn it in easy way.
• To enable Students to Experience Interactive learning.
• To enable Students to Advance their knowledge with happiness.  
• To motivate Students to learn in enjoyable way.

Pre-activities: (5 minutes)
Read through the Welcoming Page.
Read through the introduction.

Tutorials: (30 minutes)                           

Read through the tutorials by explaining the basic grammatical aspects in language:                      

Tutorial 1: Parts of Speech.

Tutorial 2: Sentences Structure.

 Tutorial 3: Tenses in English Language.

Lessons: (1 hour and 30 minutes) 

Start with the lessons about Islam. It is better to follow the sequence of the lessons and exercises.                  

 Lesson 1: What is Islam?

Ask the students to watch the video on what is Islam and to read the passage.
Ask them for the difficult words and explain the meanings of the words to them.
After that, enter the exercise page, and ask students to answer the two quizzes:

Quiz 1:  ( Comprehensive Q ) &  Quiz 2:  (T/F) and then check their answers.

Lesson 2: Prophet Muhammad “pbuh”

Ask the students to watch the video on the story of the prophet Mohammad and to read the passage on the life of our prophet Mohammad.
Ask them for the difficult words and explain the meanings of the words to them.
After that, enter the exercise page, and ask students to answer the six quizzes:

Quiz 1:  (Mcq), Quiz 2:  (T/F), Quiz 3:  (Rearrange Sentences), Quiz 4: (Match ), Quiz 5:  (Fill the gaps ), & Quiz 6 (Cross-puzzle ) and then check their answers.

 Lesson 3: The pray in Islam           

Ask the students to watch the video on how to pray in Islam and to read the passage on.
After that, enter the exercise page, and ask students to answer the three quizzes:

Quiz 1: 5 (T/F), Quiz 2: 5 (Fill the gaps ), & Quiz 3 (Cross-puzzle ) and then check their answers.

Links, Photographic and Multimedia elements. (25 minutes). 

Students are asked to go through the useful links provided in order to find out more about Islamic world and values.

Then they go to photographic section where there are pictures of Makah, mosques and more and more pictures which related to the Islamic theme.

Whereas, Multimedia section contains of recordings of The Holly Qura’n and videos of Islamic songs as a gift to those who entered this web and interested in Islam.

Closure: (5 minutes)

Ask the students to click on “AUTHOR” and “ACKNOWLEDGEMENT” in order to know the creator of the blog, and ask them to email their comments or ideas on  the contents and the design of the blog.

Here you can explore these wonderful Islamic pictures. Be the first who explores these photos  about Islam. 

I hope you will like these Islamic pictures…