“Reading  is  a  complex  cognitive  process  of  decryption  signs  in  order  to  create  or originate meaning” (Schulz, Baker, Purcell, Association, and Conference, 1977). It is a way of language acquisition, communication, and sharing information and ideas.  Reading has an impact on how well a person remembers and comprehends a text. Historically, camels in the UAE were a dependable source of not only transport but also food and milk. See figure 1. 

     This story talks about a camel that shared a father and his son and daughter the tent. I have chosen such a story for several reasons. First, it is important to teach children that camels have been at the heart of life in the UAE, serving as transportation, food, entertainment, and more.(as shown in figure 1) As a result, they have become a symbol of Emirati history and are deeply embedded in the country's customs and cultural activities. Moreover, through reading such a story, children are capable of seeing that camel racing has become one of the most prestigious events in the UAE,(figure 2) because to the value of camels among Arabs. Camel racing has evolved into a traditional sporting event that attracts a large number of visitors to the United Arab Emirates. Second, they will be able to learn new vocabulary words, know mathematical rules relating to counting and patterns.(figure 3)

     Reading to children stimulates brain development and imagination, as well as linguistic and emotional development and bonding (Journal of Education and Practice, 2015). Reading to children of all ages benefits their brains, their relationships, and much more. A few books, some motivation, and some time are all that is required. As a result, children will put what they've learned from what they've seen, heard, and read into practice.

     This story talks about the significant history of camels in the UAE, particularly in the Arab world. Camels made life feasible in the UAE when it was nothing but a sand desert in the past. Camels were commonly employed by Arabs for eating, riding, and transportation.(As shown in figure 1) The UAE has long been associated with camels, which have both social and economic relevance in the region.

     You will still begin by discussing the title, author and illustrator, but then you can discuss with your student what genre they believe this book belongs to. Continue creating predictions by generating a notion about the book or text based on the title. Prediction piques pupils' interest in the subject. You can use a jigsaw puzzle (figure 1) to inspire children's intellectual abilities to figure out what the tale will be about. After that, review the story vocabulary flashcards (Figure 2). Prepare a few WH Questions (Figure 3) to ask the kids about the new vocabulary words on the flashcards to pique their attention. These types of questions are crucial because they allow teachers to investigate the children's social backgrounds and allow them to share their knowledge with one another. Continue to explain the new vocabulary words by providing a gentle, friendly description, explanation, and examples. After that, have children restate the ideas by asking them to give descriptions, explanations, and examples in their own words so that they can look through the text for new words and try to figure out what they mean from the context. Following that, students and children will engage in vocabulary conversations by exchanging ideas. Children are also capable of recognizing the number of the family members.(figure 4) They can learn counting, “When first learning to count, students may use inconsistent number sequences (e.g. 1, 2, 3, 5, 4 or 1, 2, 3, 5, 6).  To reach the Developing or Mastered levels, students need to be able to reliably say the number sequences for 1-5 / 1-10 correctly”. (ADEC, 2014-15).

    The while-reading part longs for 15-20 minutes. It is important to use puppets(Figure 1) in order to represent the characters of the story. For example, the camel, the tent, the family members and so on. When reading a sentence from the story, however, props (Figure 2) will be placed in front of the children in order for them to experience the story's situation. Attempt to hold and exhibit the objects so that the children can compare the events of the story to real-life situations. Teachers can incorporate questions utilizing the CROWD approach in asking WH questions connected to the story as they flip the pages. “Students will start to show an understanding that text carries meaning, however, they may ‘read’ differently each time. They will also associate environmental print with meaning e.g., they will begin associating the letter C with camels, they will know that a particular letter stands for their name. This will eventually lead to the understanding that text and pictures carry meaning” (ADEC, 2014-19). 

People: the characters of the story are the camel, the father and his son and daughter. It reveals an image of how the camel has been a faithful and reliable friend to the Emiratis. It shows a conversation between the characters in the story and how the father is teaching his children about the characteristics of camels.

Food: Camel meat has long been a staple of Emirati cuisine, and Bedouins relied on their milk for survival. Camel flesh is still a popular delicacy today, and it's offered on special occasions like Eid and National Day. Camel milk is used to manufacture chocolates and biscuits, and it is frequently recommended to visitors to the nation as a must-try.

Urban features:   It was one among the few forms of entertainment available to desert dwellers. Children will learn more about the traditions and will gain new information about issues related to UAE. Camel racing has become one of the most prestigious events in the UAE, because to the value of camels among Arabs. Camel racing has evolved into a traditional sporting event that attracts a large number of visitors to the United Arab Emirates.

Fluency: Fluency is concerned with the capacity to quickly decode new words while reading. Fluency is the sound of reading, and it has a direct impact on children’s ability to grasp what they’re reading. For example, if a child's reading skills improve, they will be able to easily locate meaning and understanding in what they read, which will help them comprehend the content. That’s why the teachers have to ask children to repeat the new words in order to feel more flexible and fluent while uttering words. 

Vocabulary: Reading comprehension is influenced by the capacity to decode or discern the meaning of new words. Teachers can improve children’s capacity to generate assumptions, create thoughts, and overall better grasp the materials they read if they can swiftly interpret new meanings and detect relationships between new vocabulary and familiar terms.

Reasoning and background knowledge:   Camels have always been employed as animals of burden and mounts in the UAE. Camels have also served as a status symbol throughout history, with the quantity of camels owned indicating affluence. They were also employed as a sort of currency to pay brides' dowries and the zakat, or annual charity tax. Camels could also make a lot of money if they won camel races or beauty contests, because the awards included food, helpful animals, and other necessities.

Read aloud: Teachers must employ appropriate instructional tactics during read-aloud sessions to promote increased vocabulary learning among pre-school children. Props, riddles, matching exercises, and puppets are used to read aloud and engage the pupils in this story.

Ask questions: Reading this book with kids can help them find answers to their questions and expand their knowledge on themes they're already familiar with. ("What do you believe will happen next?") What kinds of questions should be asked? ("Can you tell me what this is?" he asks, pointing to a photo).

 

Abu Dhabi Education Council (2014-15). KG Mathmatics Learning Outcomes. ADEC: Abudhabi.

 

Abu Dhabi Education Council (2014-15). G 1 Science Learning Outcomes. ADEC: Abudhabi.

 

Reading Readiness Deficiency in Children (2015): Causes and Ways of Improvement. Journal of Education and Practice. ISSN N 222-1735 (page). Vol 6, No 24. 

 

Schulz,  R.A.,  Baker,  R.E.,  Purcell,  J.M.,  Association,  Ohio  Modern  Language  Teachers,  and Conference,  Central  States. 1977.  Personalizing  foreign  language instruction:  learning styles and teaching options :  selected papers  from the 1977  joint  meeting of the Central States  Conference  and  the  Ohio  Modern  Language  Teachers  Association:  National Textbook Co. 

 

Widdowson, H. G. 1979. The process and purpose of reading Explorations in applied linguistics (pp. 168-176). Oxford: Oxford University Press.