Our Voices in Arabic: Illustrated Stories and Poems from Two Classrooms

Students meet the partner class on a live video call to introduce themselves and share a memory or object from home. Each student starts a personal writer's notebook to collect words, questions, and observations.

Students read short Arabic mentor texts, study what makes them work, and then write their own stories or poems on topics they choose. They build ideas through planning, sketching, and drafting, with teacher support.

Students read their drafts aloud in small groups and in exchange sessions with the partner class, giving specific, respectful feedback. They use that feedback to revise meaning, structure, and language, and to compare cultural choices in storytelling.

Students illustrate their final texts and work in editorial teams to design and assemble one illustrated Arabic anthology. Roles such as illustrator, proofreader, and layout editor rotate so everyone contributes.

Both classes meet on a live video call to read selected pieces, share their illustrations, and launch the anthology together. Students invite questions and reflect on what they learned from each other's writing.