How do I use the Safar Teacher's Guides?
The Teacher's Guides are practical companions to the Safar Islamic Studies textbooks. Each guide covers the full academic year across 30 teaching weeks plus two assessment weeks, with a suggested lesson for each week mapped to the textbook. They are designed for use in maktabs, Islamic schools and home settings.
Why lesson planning matters
In a madrasah or home setting where contact time is short and students often arrive tired, a written plan makes a real difference. It helps you to:
- Keep lessons focused and make the best use of the time available
- Set clear objectives so students know what they are learning and why
- Cater for different ability levels within the same group
- Avoid repeating or missing content across the year
- Reflect on what worked and improve your teaching over time
- Provide a record of teaching that can be shared with parents or other teachers
What each lesson entry contains
Every chapter in the guide includes a brief lesson overview, differentiated learning objectives and outcomes, suggested activities with approximate timings and notes linking to prior learning. Objectives are split into three levels: what all students should achieve, what most students should achieve and what some students could achieve. In a home setting these levels help you stretch a child who is ready for more without moving on before the foundations are secure.
Workbooks and assessment
The workbooks align directly with the textbook lessons and include standard and advanced questions for use in class or as homework. The guide recommends a class test at Week 10 and Week 20 with a final exam at the end of the year. Assessment does not have to be written. Group presentations, verbal quizzes and practical tasks all count.
Lesson planning template
A blank lesson plan template is included at the back of the guide. It covers the lesson aim, learning objectives and outcomes, starter and main activities, plenary and homework. Filling it in after each lesson helps identify what worked and informs future planning. It is also a useful record to share with other teachers or to support your own development over time.
How to use it
Read the lesson overview before you teach and prepare any resources in advance. The activities in the guide come with suggested timings but these are a guide not a fixed schedule. If an activity does not suit your class or you have something that works better, use it. The guide is a starting point not a script.
Teachers are encouraged to share feedback and activity ideas with Safar at [email protected].
Sample Lesson:
📖 You can view more sample pages here.