A story
Finn, Sultan and Zaatar's First Day at School
Finn's family had just moved to Abu Dhabi, and today was his first day at his new school. His tummy went flutter-flutter.
At the classroom window — flap-flap! — sat a green parrot. "Squawk! I'm Zaatar! First days are scary-exciting. Let's turn them into word-collecting days!"
A boy with a gap-toothed grin waved. "Marhaba! I'm Sultan. Sit next to me!"
Sultan tapped the table. Knock-knock. "طاولة, tawila, table. And you're sitting on a كرسي, kursi, chair."
"Tawila, kursi," whispered Finn. Can you say it too? Tawila! Kursi!
Zaatar sat on a pencil. "And I'm sitting on a... tiny kursi!"
"Our teacher is أستاذة, ustadha," said Sultan. "A man teacher is أستاذ, ustadh."
Ustadha Shamma smiled and handed out books. Swish-swish. "كتاب, kitab, book."
Then pencils. Click-click. "قلم, qalam, pencil or pen."
Finn opened his kitab and drew a little boat with his qalam.
"Now, please take out your دفتر, daftar, notebook," said Ustadha Shamma.
Finn looked in his bag. Rummage, rummage. No daftar! He had left it on the kitchen table. His face went hot, and his eyes went wet.
Sultan noticed. Without a word, he tore two clean pages from the middle of his own daftar, rrrip, and slid them across the tawila.
"Use these," he whispered. "Tomorrow you'll bring yours."
"Shukran, Sultan," said Finn.
"Afwan," said Sultan.
"Squawk! Friendship word collected!" said Zaatar.
At break time, Zaatar taught them his school song. Point to each thing!
Kitab to read and qalam to write,
Daftar pages clean and white,
Kursi, tawila, sit with me,
Madrasa's where I love to be!
Sultan pointed at the big building. "That's the مدرسة, madrasa, the school. And now it's your madrasa too."
At home, Finn told his mum, "I learned eight Arabic words, and I made a friend."
Then he put an extra qalam in his bag. "Just in case someone else forgets theirs tomorrow."
Words we learned:
مدرسة — madrasa — school
أستاذ / أستاذة — ustadh / ustadha — teacher (man / woman)
طاولة — tawila — table
كرسي — kursi — chair
كتاب — kitab — book
قلم — qalam — pencil / pen
دفتر — daftar — notebook
Let's practice:
1. Match the word to its meaning: كتاب / قلم / كرسي → chair / book / pencil
2. Fill in the missing word: Finn forgot his _____ (daftar).
3. Say it aloud and point: kitab, qalam, kursi, tawila!
4. Find and circle the word مدرسة: دفتر — مدرسة — كتاب — مدرسة
Answers: 1) كتاب = book, قلم = pencil, كرسي = chair. 2) دفتر (notebook). 4) The 2nd and 4th words.
At the classroom window — flap-flap! — sat a green parrot. "Squawk! I'm Zaatar! First days are scary-exciting. Let's turn them into word-collecting days!"
A boy with a gap-toothed grin waved. "Marhaba! I'm Sultan. Sit next to me!"
Sultan tapped the table. Knock-knock. "طاولة, tawila, table. And you're sitting on a كرسي, kursi, chair."
"Tawila, kursi," whispered Finn. Can you say it too? Tawila! Kursi!
Zaatar sat on a pencil. "And I'm sitting on a... tiny kursi!"
"Our teacher is أستاذة, ustadha," said Sultan. "A man teacher is أستاذ, ustadh."
Ustadha Shamma smiled and handed out books. Swish-swish. "كتاب, kitab, book."
Then pencils. Click-click. "قلم, qalam, pencil or pen."
Finn opened his kitab and drew a little boat with his qalam.
"Now, please take out your دفتر, daftar, notebook," said Ustadha Shamma.
Finn looked in his bag. Rummage, rummage. No daftar! He had left it on the kitchen table. His face went hot, and his eyes went wet.
Sultan noticed. Without a word, he tore two clean pages from the middle of his own daftar, rrrip, and slid them across the tawila.
"Use these," he whispered. "Tomorrow you'll bring yours."
"Shukran, Sultan," said Finn.
"Afwan," said Sultan.
"Squawk! Friendship word collected!" said Zaatar.
At break time, Zaatar taught them his school song. Point to each thing!
Kitab to read and qalam to write,
Daftar pages clean and white,
Kursi, tawila, sit with me,
Madrasa's where I love to be!
Sultan pointed at the big building. "That's the مدرسة, madrasa, the school. And now it's your madrasa too."
At home, Finn told his mum, "I learned eight Arabic words, and I made a friend."
Then he put an extra qalam in his bag. "Just in case someone else forgets theirs tomorrow."
Words we learned:
مدرسة — madrasa — school
أستاذ / أستاذة — ustadh / ustadha — teacher (man / woman)
طاولة — tawila — table
كرسي — kursi — chair
كتاب — kitab — book
قلم — qalam — pencil / pen
دفتر — daftar — notebook
Let's practice:
1. Match the word to its meaning: كتاب / قلم / كرسي → chair / book / pencil
2. Fill in the missing word: Finn forgot his _____ (daftar).
3. Say it aloud and point: kitab, qalam, kursi, tawila!
4. Find and circle the word مدرسة: دفتر — مدرسة — كتاب — مدرسة
Answers: 1) كتاب = book, قلم = pencil, كرسي = chair. 2) دفتر (notebook). 4) The 2nd and 4th words.
