Word Work with Surah Al-Ikhlas

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

The preschool/kindergarten classrooms are, whenever possible, large inviting spaces. With various learning centres throughout the room, it is a place that invites children to engage in the sheer joy of learning and discovery.

In Islaamic Schools, Quraan and Islamic Studies teachers come into this space to share their knowledge with young students and in support of that, homeroom teachers can try to allocate space to set up a Quraan/Islamic Studies Centre. This centre, given its noble purpose, should be a clean,beautiful space that is superior in cleanliness and beauty than that of its companion centres. What could be found in such a centre?

Believing in and being committed to the power of literacy, I propose that teachers can furnish this centre with literacy based activities. The oft used word work can easily be adapted to be used with the Quraan. Children's familiarity with word work and literacy games can aide them in learning to read the shorter suwar (pl. of surah) from the Quraan independently. Here are some suggested games that can be used in a Quraan centre:

Pictured are 3 games. The first game has game boards for up to four players. There are 3 different boards in the file and the teacher can print enough so that some student's boards will be different and some the same. On the boards are words from surah al-ikhlas. Students shuffle the word cards (in the lower right hand corner of the tray and found on pages 7,8 and 9 in the file) and place them face down on the table, making sure that the name of Allaah is not on the bottom. Each player takes turns picking a card. They must read/say the word on their card and if that card is one they need to complete their board, they keep it and place it on the board. If they do not need the card they replace it at the bottom of the stack. If a student has the board that has the picture of the Quraan in the bottom left corner, when he gets the Quraan picture card, he has the pleasure of being able to recite the entire surah (or he can pass if he wishes). The first player to fill up his board is done. Other players keep playing until all boards are completed and only one player is left with an incomplete board.

The second game pictured is a variation of Go-Fish. Students take the cards and shuffle them/mix them up. One player gives all players cards (i.e. 1 for me, 1 for you, 1 for Ibrahim, 1 for Sa'ad, 1 for Faisal, etc.) until there are no more cards left and all players have cards. The players hold their cards in a fan like fashion in their hands where other players cannot see their cards. The player on the right starts and can pick a card from the hand of any player he/she wishes. If that card is one they need (i.e. they have the matching card in their hand of cards) they take both cards out and place them on the table. Play continues in this way until 1 player is left with the card that says: "Iqra! - read!". This player has the privilege of reciting surah al-ikhlas from memory to the other players. The player with the most sets of matching cards wins.

The game can also be played using other alternate ways of playing Go-Fish.

The third game pictured is to be used with a CD player. The teacher records the words that are on the cards (i.e. Ahad, As-Samad are on one card.) After she says the words that are on a particular card, she asks the student to use the clothes pins that have the words on them to show the word she just said. This game can be played with students saying the words on the cards and their partner must find the clothes pin that has the correct word. It is suggested that all cards and pins not be used/introduced at the same time but start with 2-3 cards and matching clothes pin words and add more as children become more proficient.

Other work/games in the file that are not pictured include:

• Students cut out the word cards from surah al-ikhlas and paste them onto a worksheet that has some of the words missing. They must glue the correct word into the correct space so that the surah reads correctly insha'Allaah. (Pages 5 and 6 in the file). You will use the cards on pages 7-9 in the file for this activity.
• Match the words in the right hand column to the words in the left hand column. This is to help students recognize the words in the surah (page 10 in the file) and move toward being able to read them on sight with fluency insha'Allaah.
• Handwriting practice: Trace some of the words from surah al-ikhlas (page 11 in the file).
• Cut and paste to match the ayaat in surah al-ikhlas (pages 12 and 13 in the file). This activity is different from the one on pages 5 and 6 in that no words are blank but students use the shadow/traced words to help them match the words correctly insha'Allaah. 
• The Quraan card game pictured above (the variation of Go-Fish) is on pages 16 thru 22. *You must print these pages twice so you have duplicates of each card so students can match them*
• On page 23, teacher/parent cuts out all of the sentences and then mixes them up. The student must re-arrange the sentences so that the ayaat read in the correct order.

Using games and activities that children are familiar with and enjoy, this centre supports children as they endeavour to learn to read the Quraan independently. If you are a teacher in an Islaamic school, do you have a Quraan centre in your classroom? What activities and/or games do you have in your centre? How do you and the Quraan/Islaamic Studies teacher work together to incorporate the Quraan and Sunnah across the curriculum?