Islamic ESL Roadmap – Speak with Adab

Islamic ESL Roadmap – Speak with Adab

Week 1: Saying Salam and Introducing Yourself

  • Practice saying: “Assalamu Alaikum, my name is ___”
  • Pair role-play: Greet and introduce each other
  • Use smile and adab (manners) when greeting

Week 2: Talking about Family

  • Introduce: “I have a brother/sister. My father's name is ___”
  • Draw a family tree and speak about each member
  • Say: “Alhamdulillah for my family”

Week 3: Asking for Things Politely

  • Practice: “Can I have a pencil, please?” “JazakAllah!”
  • Role-play school scenes: Borrowing, sharing, thanking
  • Include “Bismillah” and “Alhamdulillah” in speech

Week 4: My Favorite Animal (Mini Speech)

  • Say: “My favorite animal is a ___ because…”
  • Include one sentence from the Quran about animals (e.g. the bee, the camel)
  • Practice speaking with a loud, clear voice

Vocabulary Focus

  • Week 1: Greetings – Hello, Salam, How are you?, Alhamdulillah
  • Week 2: Family Words – mother, father, brother, sister, grandma
  • Week 3: Islamic Manners – please, thank you, sorry, JazakAllah, Bismillah
  • Week 4: Nature Words – sun, moon, sky, river, camel, bee

Activities

  • Flashcard games with audio pronunciation
  • Guess the Word with charades
  • Label classroom or home items with Arabic/English words

Week-by-Week Practice

  • Week 1: “S” vs “Sh” – Salam vs Sheikh
  • Week 2: “B” and “P” distinction – Bismillah, Pen
  • Week 3: “Th” as in Thank you (not “Tank you”)
  • Week 4: Quranic Words – Say Alhamdulillah, SubhanAllah clearly

Activities

  • Mirror practice: watching lip/mouth shape
  • Listen and Repeat drills with teacher
  • Echo Game: Say after your partner

Weekly Interactive Games

  • Week 1: Salam Circle – Greet each other and pass a ball
  • Week 2: Who Am I? – Guess based on family member clues
  • Week 3: Islamic Charades – Act out “praying”, “fasting”, “helping”
  • Week 4: Animal Debate – Choose animal and explain its value

Week 1: Prophet Nuh's Ark

  • 2-Role Script: "I believe in Allah!" / "Why are you building a boat?"
  • Emotion practice: Excited, Scared, Confident
  • Story Retelling: Use 5 pictures, tell it in own words

Week 2: Prophet Ibrahim Breaks the Idols

  • Act: "Who broke our idols?" – "Ask the big one!"
  • Use props (paper idols, toy hammer)
  • Focus on boldness in speech for truth

Week 3: Sunnah Manners at Home

  • Situations: Helping mom, speaking gently
  • Roleplay: "Can I help you?" / "Yes, JazakAllah!"
  • Learn tone and politeness

Theme Vocabulary

  • Prophet, Du'a, Masjid, Prayer, Qur’an, Wudu
  • Flashcard Challenge: Match picture to word
  • Make mini-dictionaries with 5 Islamic terms

Adab in Language

  • Always say: Alhamdulillah, In Shaa Allah, Astaghfirullah
  • Pairwork: "What do you say when you sneeze?"
  • Poster creation: Good Words from a Muslim Tongue

Sound Focus

  • /th/ vs /s/: Think vs Sink, Thank vs Sank
  • Practice with word sets: Prophet, Mosque, Noble, Forgive
  • Choral reading of short Nasheed lines

Qur’anic Sound Practice

  • Words: Rahmah, Jannah, Salam
  • Mirror sound: Listen and repeat in pairs
  • Stress & intonation practice: "ALLAH is One!"

Interactive Speech Tasks

  • “Pass the Du’a” – student says Bismillah & passes it along
  • “5 Word Challenge” – describe a masjid in 5 English words
  • Islamic Charades: Act & speak Islamic actions

Weekly Mini-Presentations

  • “This week I helped my mom…” (2-3 sentence speech)
  • Use phrases: “Alhamdulillah I did…” / “It was nice because…”
  • Peer feedback: Smile, eye contact, good tone

Week 1: What is Sunnah?

  • Intro speech: "I follow the Sunnah because..."
  • Speaking posture: hands by side, look at audience
  • End with: "May Allah help us follow the Prophet ﷺ."

Week 2: My Morning Routine with Adab

  • Describe: waking up, saying du’a, brushing teeth (miswak)
  • Connect to Prophet’s habits
  • Pair presentations with feedback

Week 3: Why I Love the Prophet ﷺ

  • Use 3 structured points: His kindness, speech, salah
  • Begin with Bismillah – use flashcards
  • Audience Q&A and peer claps

Week 4: Kindness Challenge Talk

  • Topic: "How I showed kindness this week – like the Prophet ﷺ"
  • Structure: Incident, Action, Reflection
  • Speaking circle activity

Week 1: Story – Prophet Yusuf (a) in the Well

  • Short narration with drama voice
  • Use descriptive words: sad, alone, brave

Week 2: Story – The Boy and the Ditch (Hadith)

  • Group retelling + action gestures
  • Message: Iman over fear

Week 3: The Camel and the Mercy of the Prophet ﷺ

  • Students act out: crying camel + kind Prophet ﷺ
  • Focus: body language + tone of mercy

Week 4: Personal Story – "My Best Friend in Class"

  • Teach structure: start – what happened – what I learned
  • Story circle with du’a at end

Action Verbs + Islamic Context

  • Wake up, Brush, Walk, Pray, Help, Smile
  • Match with: “The Prophet ﷺ used to...”
  • Use in daily routine sentences

Sentence Builders

  • Past tense: "He helped a cat." / "They walked to the masjid."
  • Pronouns: I, You, He, She (practice with partner swaps)
  • Structure cards + oral drills

Week 1: Should Children Use Smartphones?

  • Opening sentence: “In my opinion…”
  • Islamic concern: “Too much screen can affect salah.”
  • Practice: pair debates with timer

Week 2: Uniform vs No Uniform Debate

  • Connector phrases: “On the other hand…”, “However…”
  • Modesty in Islam: dress with respect
  • 3-group roleplay (pro, against, judge)

Week 3: Dialogue – Respecting Parents

  • Expressions: “Can I help you?” “Yes, please”
  • Du’a: “Rabbir hamhuma kama rabbayani…”
  • Roleplay: polite responses in daily life

Week 4: Group Panel – My Duties as a Muslim

  • Each speaks for 60 seconds
  • Topics: cleanliness, respect, honesty
  • Feedback on fluency and confidence

Week 1: Truthfulness

  • Hadith: “Be truthful, even if…”
  • Story-based: The Boy Who Cried Wolf + Islamic reflection
  • Write personal promise: “I will always speak the truth…”

Week 2: Respect for Teachers

  • Islamic teaching: standing for knowledge
  • Roleplay: greeting, asking questions respectfully
  • Write thank you cards to teachers

Week 3: Responsibility at Home

  • Expressions: “I always…” / “I never…”
  • Chore chart discussion: “I wash dishes…”
  • Link with Hadith: cleanliness is half of faith

Week 4: Helping Others

  • Story: Prophet ﷺ helped the old woman
  • Class project: plan a help-others chart
  • Du’a for others: “Allahumma aghfir lihayyina…”

Week 1: Feelings and Reactions

  • Words: happy, sad, excited, afraid, proud
  • Sentences: “I feel happy when I pray…”
  • Drawing and sentence pairing

Week 2: Islamic Actions

  • Verbs: pray, fast, give, visit, share
  • Game: Act out the action, others guess
  • Qur’anic link: translate + pronounce

Week 3: People Around Me

  • Words: neighbor, cousin, imam, friend, elder
  • Usage: “My neighbor helps us...”
  • Story matching game

Week 4: Tools and Daily Life

  • Items: toothbrush, prayer mat, backpack, lunchbox
  • Speaking task: describe what you use daily
  • Interactive quiz (oral)

Week 1: Polite Modals

  • “Can I...?”, “May I...?”, “Shall we...?”
  • Use in Islamic settings: “Can I go to wudhu?”
  • Practice with classmate checklist

Week 2: Past Tense Actions

  • “I visited…”, “We prayed…”, “She learned…”
  • Flashcard sequencing of actions
  • Write: “Yesterday I…” journal

Week 3: Why-Because Sentences

  • “I help because Allah loves helpers.”
  • Pair interview task
  • Poster creation: 3 ‘why’ sentences

Week 4: Plurals and Countable/Uncountable

  • Examples: apples / milk / salah / du’as
  • Sorting activity: “one or many?”
  • Oral quiz: “How many…?” “How much…?”

Week 1: Formal Introduction

  • Practice structured self-introduction: Name, school, Islamic interest
  • Present using full sentences and correct posture
  • End with: "I thank Allah for giving me the ability to speak."

Week 2: Islamic Role Models

  • Speech on: "Who is my role model in Islam and why?"
  • Include 3 traits with examples from Seerah
  • Peer evaluation + pronunciation tips

Week 3: Inspiring Others

  • Persuasive talk: “Why Salah should be your priority”
  • Use of pause, rhetorical questions, and emotional tone
  • Record and playback with feedback

Week 4: Speech Competition

  • Topic: “My dream for the Ummah”
  • Judging on fluency, adab, Islamic relevance
  • Certificates and prizes

Week 1: Story of Prophet Musa (as)

  • Read and act out key moments of courage
  • Retell in own words using props

Week 2: Hadith on Kindness

  • Memorize: “Whoever is not merciful will not be shown mercy”
  • Use it in examples from school life

Week 3: My Islamic Responsibility

  • Discussion: Respect for parents, using Hadiths
  • Express opinion clearly using sentence starters

Week 4: Debate Activity

  • Motion: "Technology is a gift from Allah – Use it wisely"
  • Split groups for for/against argument

Weekly Vocabulary Themes

  • Week 1: Adjectives – truthful, generous, respectful
  • Week 2: Debate Words – agree, disagree, opinion, prove
  • Week 3: Faith Words – belief, prayer, Ummah, Sunnah
  • Week 4: Connectors – however, therefore, because, although

Activities

  • Flashcard battles with Islamic context
  • Peer vocabulary challenge quiz
  • Use in journal entries and public speeches

Weekly Grammar Focus

  • Week 1: Sentence types – declarative, interrogative, imperative
  • Week 2: Pronouns (I, we, they) & subject-verb agreement
  • Week 3: Modal verbs – should, must, can, may
  • Week 4: Writing 3-paragraph speech with transitions

Practice Tasks

  • Identify and correct errors in short passages
  • Create your own examples using new grammar each week
  • Link grammar with Islamic content: e.g., “We must pray five times a day.”

Week 1: Motivational Speech

  • Write & perform: “What I can contribute to the Ummah”
  • Use transitions like “First of all…”, “In conclusion…”
  • Feedback session with peer rubrics

Week 2: Persuasive Debate

  • Topic: “Every Muslim should protect the environment”
  • Formal language, rebuttals, team-based prep
  • Assign roles: speaker, timer, questioner

Week 3: Presentation Challenge

  • Create a slideshow: “What Islam teaches about Justice”
  • Use voice modulation, visual support
  • Presentation scored by teacher rubric

Week 4: Live Interview Roleplay

  • Pair work: Act as news anchor & guest (Islamic topic)
  • Use question tags, opinion starters, and closing lines
  • Practice expressions: “In my humble opinion...”, “That’s an excellent point...”

Week 1: Youth of the Qur’an

  • Discussion on Yusuf (as): purity, patience, leadership
  • Group sketch or mind map presentation

Week 2: Prophet Muhammad ﷺ’s Leadership

  • Story-based reflection & rephrasing exercise
  • Write 5 qualities of a leader with proof from Seerah

Week 3: Modern Muslim Hero

  • Research a Muslim reformer or scholar (e.g. Ibn Khaldun, Fatima al-Fihri)
  • Make a speech: “Why I admire them”

Week 4: Guided Khutbah Practice

  • Prepare mini Khutbah: Kindness, Tawakkul, Amanah
  • Practice with appropriate gestures and voice clarity

Weekly Word Groups

  • Week 1: Motivation Verbs – inspire, uplift, influence, achieve
  • Week 2: Debate Phrases – on the other hand, my view is, it's evident that
  • Week 3: Islamic Values – modesty, honesty, wisdom, justice
  • Week 4: Formal Speaking – furthermore, respectfully, undoubtedly, hence

Vocabulary Practice Ideas

  • Synonym match game
  • Mini speech using 5 words from the week
  • “Islamic Journal Entry” using at least 10 vocab words

Weekly Grammar Goals

  • Week 1: Complex Sentences – use of "although", "even though", "since"
  • Week 2: Reported Speech – e.g., He said that prayer is important.
  • Week 3: Passive Voice – e.g., “The Masjid was built by the community.”
  • Week 4: Argumentative Writing – thesis, support, conclusion connectors

Activities

  • Convert dialogues into reported speech
  • Use grammar structures in Islamic topics
  • Peer review: grammar correction challenge

Week 1: Formal Public Address

  • Deliver a speech: “The Power of Du’a in My Life”
  • Emphasis on voice projection, eye contact, pacing
  • Incorporate Hadiths and reflective conclusion

Week 2: Panel Discussion

  • Topics: Islamic solutions to modern problems (e.g. media, materialism)
  • Students assigned as panelists and moderators
  • Use structured turn-taking and expressions of agreement/disagreement

Week 3: TED-style Talk

  • Topic: “Lessons I’ve learned from Prophet Muhammad ﷺ”
  • Slides + storytelling + rhetorical devices
  • Q&A round with peer reflection

Week 4: Leadership Address

  • Present vision for Islamic youth or Muslim future in media
  • Build speech using introduction–body–call to action
  • Feedback from teachers + certificate of excellence

Week 1: The Ummah as One Body

  • Study Hadith: “The believers are like one body…”
  • Group activity: Design campaign for unity in class

Week 2: Trust in Allah (Tawakkul)

  • Real-life examples: exams, family pressure, goals
  • Write reflective journal: “How I rely on Allah in challenges”

Week 3: Islam and Justice

  • Role-play: Judge, witnesses, and truth-seekers (based on Islamic case)
  • Discuss Quranic ayat on fairness and equality

Week 4: Global Muslim Awareness

  • Research a Muslim country’s challenges and achievements
  • Present with solutions and duas for unity

Advanced Word Sets

  • Week 1: Expressive Verbs – reflect, pursue, empower, establish
  • Week 2: Debate Transitions – although, nonetheless, whereas, conversely
  • Week 3: Islamic Identity – piety, brotherhood, humility, sincerity
  • Week 4: Academic Verbs – analyze, demonstrate, support, synthesize

Tasks

  • Create a Word Wall with meaning + usage
  • Use 10 words to draft a reflective paragraph on “My Role as a Muslim”

Grammar Focus

  • Week 1: Compound-Complex Sentences
  • Week 2: Advanced Modals – might have, should’ve, must’ve
  • Week 3: Passive Voice vs Active (with Seerah examples)
  • Week 4: Formal Academic Writing – thesis statement, transitions

Practice Exercises

  • Rewrite Qur'anic stories using active/passive mix
  • Grammar maze: Fix the Hadith errors
  • Build a formal essay: “My Journey with the Quran”