The Bedouins of ancient Arabia and Persia made poetry a conversational art form, and several poetic forms developed from the participatory nature of tribal poetry. Today in most Arab cultures, people may still experience public storytelling and spontaneous poetry challenges in the streets. The art of turning a rhyme into sly verbal sparring is considered a mark of intelligence and a badge of honor. The "ghazal" is an intricate pre-Islamic poetic form that is thought to have developed through the practice of poetic challenges. It is a series of couplets, called "shers," no more than a dozen or so, which are related, but not connecting in a narrative pattern. The first couplet, or "matia," has a rhyme pattern, "kaafiyaa," preceding a single word or short phrase, refrain, "radif," at the end of each line. Thereafter, every couplet shows a pattern wherein the first line does not rhyme, but the second line ends in the "kaafiyaa" and the "radif." Finally, the last couplet, the "maqta," contains the "takhallis," the poet's name or pen-name. This lesson plan for a unit on Arabic poetry intended for high school students: cites subject areas, time required, and skills developed; provides an introduction; poses guiding questions; presents learning objectives; gives tips for teacher preparing to teach the lesson; suggests (and delineates) three classroom activities; offers suggestions for extending the lesson; lists Web resources; and addresses standards alignment. (NKA)