I did a Google search and found the curriculum you are using. There is indeed a teacher’s guide - I don’t know if you have it though. I could not find it online, but I did find a research paper that references it. The research paper is about teaching children how to write. It is very technical, but did have this to say: {FWE stands for Fun With English - your book}
As was indicated in the previous analyses, in English education policy documents in Kuwait, first grade is considered as a time for developing oral skills rather than written skills. Listening and speaking precede reading and writing skills. Accordingly, writing is described as a pre-skill and is not taught as a main skill but as a subordinate skill that will prepare the children for the introduction of writing in second grade. Like the English Language Curriculum Document, FWE takes this same position. It prioritises the development of some physical and perceptual skills (i.e. pre-writing skills). They are the same skills emphasised in the policy document. The FWE is focused on the same factors that have been discussed earlier: fine motor skills, eye-hand coordination, visual discrimination and memory, and left-to-right directionality. In short, FWE Teacher’s Guide reiterates the developmental position that is evident in the English Language Curriculum Document.
later it says:
First, the FWE Pupil’ s Book involves a detailed content map of the structures, functions, new vocabulary, and the songs to be taught in the ten units (Allen & Iggulden, 2002b). Each unit consists of pictures with instructions that require the student to do things such as “listen and point,” “listen and tick,” “look and say,” “ask and answer,” and “listen and draw.” The book has many colourful pictures expressing topics, such as, “hello-greeting, my body, my family, our house, and Funni at the picnic.” The FWE Pupil’s Book contains no written print. It is designed to accompany the listening and speaking skills that are implemented through teacher instruction in class as discussed earlier in the analysis of the FWE Teacher’ s Guide. Thus, this text book addresses all the four macroskills objectives of: listening, speaking, reading, and pre-writing (i.e. no writing).
The FWE Activity Book however provides the young learners with some practise in tracing, colouring, ordering pictures, copying, and matching letter with picture pre- writing activities. This activity book requires the practical application of the physical and perceptual skills that are introduced as the pre-writing skills which this syllabus considers as part of the macroskills for first graders. This activity book facilitates drilling to practise fine-motor control, eye-hand coordination, visual discrimination and memory, and left-to-right directionality.
It sounds like they have put a lot of thought into this curriculum. It sounds like they start by having the kids repeat words and phrases without really having them write at all. They start with listening and speaking before even moving on to reading and writing. I would think the teacher’s guide would explain this philosophy better.
By the way, this is the link for the research paper, although I don’t think it will be too useful: eprints.qut.edu.au/26369/1/Elham_Mohammad_Thesis.pdf