Curriculum

VALS celebrated its 40 year anniversary in 2022 and has not only grown in these years with the number of enrolled students, but it has also grown in the structure we offer in the curriculum. We've provided an overview of the curriculum below, if you have any questions or require more detail about a particular level or age group please let us know.
Students aged 5 to 18 learn about Islam and the Arabic language and culture. We teach conversational Arabic in fus'ha as well as reading, writing and grammatical rules in a fun atmosphere. As part of our curriculum, all our students have the opportunity to grow in their appreciation and knowledge of the Islamic and Middle Eastern culture as well as the history of Arab countries. We focus on approximately six cultural customs during the school year, giving our students the opportunity to appreciate handicrafts, graphic arts, poetry, dance, music and foods of Arab countries.

Islam

In Islam, our goal is that students grow to appreciate their religion and to practice good morals as young Muslims. Students at VALS will be taught the basic precepts of the Islamic religion. These include: the tenants of Islam, Islamic history, Islamic values and their implementation in our modern world, as well learning basic activities such as prayer, fasting, and the dos and don’ts in our religion. While there will be some memorization of a few small Surahs of the Qur’an required to aid the students in performing their prayers, the focus shall be on understanding the meanings of the Qur’an and its teachings rather than memorizing it. Teachers will educate on good behavior such as honesty, kindness, helpfulness, modesty and truthfulness. Due to our diverse student make up, we will steer clear of any controversial and potentially divisive topics, preferring instead to focus on the common and unifying precepts of the religion. Students are therefore required to follow the curriculum that will be provided by VALS and its instructors.

Arabic

The Goal of VALS Arabic Studies is for students to develop the ability to communicate about themselves and their immediate environment using simple sentences containing basic language structures. This communication is evidenced in all four language skills - listening, speaking, reading and writing - with emphasis on the ability to communicate orally. Each class level has an end of year objective as well as a topic list that the teacher uses to guide the lessons throughout the year. VALS is using the IQRA Arabic Reader Textbooks and Workbooks to supplement the teachers’ lessons in reading, For spoken fluency in the vernacular, we rely on the parents to teach their children at home in their preferred dialects—the students will naturally not be tested on this. We strongly encourage parents to work with their children on the homework assignments provided by the VALS instructors and to help them study for the required tests. New students will all be required to take a language assessment test in order to place them into the classes that best reflect their needs (students who have left VALS and wish to return are also required to take the assessment test).

culture

Students will learn about various Arab countries, Arab culture and its commonalities, the basic history of Arabs, their civilization, and their contributions to world civilization at large.  Students will be given opportunities to make their own presentations about topics assigned in the curriculum, as well as participating in various cultural activities to familiarize them with their culture.