Lisan
Lisan means language, and tongue.
An after-school program where children in grades 3 to 8 learn to speak, read and write Arabic, and explore the cultures that speak it. Small groups, trained teachers, and a clear report for families every week.
- Grades 3 to 8two age bands, three placement tracks
- 2 days a week90 minutes each, after school
- About 10 childrenin every group
- 30 weeksfrom fall to the spring showcase
What children do in Lisan
Every session mixes four things, and nothing is memorized without being used.
Speak
Conversation in Arabic every session. Children greet, ask, order, and tell short stories, with the teacher using Arabic for most of the class.
Read and write
The alphabet is taught as letters and as calligraphy, connected form by connected form. Reading and writing grow a little each unit.
Explore
Food and markets, music, poems and proverbs, Juha stories, sports, and the inventions of the Arab world, from algebra to optics. We visit Cairo and compare it with New York.
Show
Each term ends with something real: a role play, a menu, a poster talk. The year ends with an Arabic showcase for families, with food, music and calligraphy.
How Lisan runs
Three terms of ten weeks. Each term has one theme and one project, so children can see what they can now do.
Foundations
For children with no Arabic yet. Sounds, letters, greetings, family, food.
Heritage Bridge
For children who understand or speak Arabic at home but read and write little. A faster pace with more reading and writing.
Continuing
For second-year children and above. Longer texts, interviews, and presentations.
| Term | Theme | Children can |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1 to 10 | Hello Arabic | Say hello, introduce themselves, and read and write their first letters. |
| Weeks 11 to 20 | Me, family, home | Count to 20, name colors, and describe their family and home in short sentences. |
| Weeks 21 to 30 | Food and the market | Order food, ask prices, and run a market role play. |
Lisan teaches Modern Standard Arabic for reading and writing, and Egyptian Arabic for everyday speech. A weekly Dialect Corner compares how words sound in different homes, so no child's own Arabic is treated as wrong.
For families
Open to every child
Lisan is a cultural language program, like a Spanish, Hebrew or Chinese program. It is open to any child, and it is not religious instruction.
A clear report each week
Parents see what their child practiced, what is going well, and one thing to try at home. Teachers and coordinators see the same information.
Outside school hours
Sessions run after school, in a school, library or community space, so they fit around the school day.
Placement that fits
A short, friendly conversation places each child in the right group, whether Arabic is new or already part of the home.
Who teaches
Local, background-checked teachers who speak Arabic and know how to run a room of children. Abraham Education trains and coaches them throughout the year, and Fajr Institute supports the curriculum and the model recordings.
For schools and community groups
Lisan is run by a community nonprofit, in a space you already have. Hira Learning helps you set it up: the curriculum, teacher training, placement, the weekly family report, and the paperwork a public program needs.
Lisan is in design now, with schools and community groups in New York City. If you would like to shape the first programs, tell us what your children need.
Bring Lisan to your neighborhood.
Tell us about your school or group, the grades you serve, and the days that could work. We reply personally.
Email us