Academics
At BAAS, our academic philosophy is grounded in fostering a love of the Arabic language and a connectedness within Arabic-speaking communities. With classes starting at the preschool level all the way up to adults learning Arabic for the first time, BAAS has something for everyone. Our teachers value the importance of learning through play and exposure to authentic Arabic materials.
Our Arabic curriculum is fully developed in-house, crafted to meet the unique needs of our students and constantly evolving with feedback from our families. We offer leveled Arabic language classes (classes held on Sundays with virtual mid-week review sessions), a virtual ‘Conversation Club’ for a more immersive language practice opportunity, and Islamic Studies classes for all ages.
Arabic Language Program
At BAAS, our lower school students follow our in-house developed, leveled curriculum through classes that teach reading, writing and basic conversation in modern standard Arabic. Classes take place on campus every Sunday from 10:15am – 11:45am. In addition, each teacher hosts a mid-week virtual review session for her class to answer student questions, help with homework, and supplement learning with fun group activities.
Classes are color coded as follows:
RED (preK | Age ~3-5)
In this class, our main focus is early exposure to the Arabic language through fun activities, games, songs and projects. Students build their vocabulary with age-appropriate thematic units.
ORANGE (KG | Ages ~4-5)
In this class, students are introduced to the Arabic alphabets and sounds through fun activities, games, songs and projects. This class is an entry point to the Arabic Program and is a prerequisite for all subsequent Arabic classes.
Note: Red & Orange classes both serve as entry points to our Arabic program – placement will depend on a child’s social/emotional readiness and previous experience in school settings.
YELLOW (KG | Ages 5-6)
In this class, students learn to read and write the letters of the Arabic alphabet in their isolated form with short vowels (harakat). Focusing on one letter per week, students continue to build their vocabulary in Arabic grouped around the alphabet. The class reviews basic conversational skills such as greetings and introductions, describing likes and dislikes, and builds on vocabulary through thematic units.
This class is a prerequisite for all subsequent Arabic classes. Placement tests may be used if students are new to BAAS.
GREEN (School age program | Ages 6-8)
In this class, students build on their knowledge of the alphabet by mastering the reading & writing of letters in connected forms with short vowels (harakat). Students build a foundation in reading by learning to sound out words and write phonetically. Students expand their vocabulary and build confidence having simple conversations in formal Arabic with thematic conversation units such as the family, the home, and daily routines.
This class is a prerequisite for all subsequent Arabic classes. Placement tests may be used if students are new to BAAS.
BLUE (School age program | Ages 7-10)
In this class, students use previously acquired knowledge of letter sounds, forms and connections to start reading and writing words and short sentences. Students begin learning basic grammar such as gender differences and short vs long vowels. Students continue to build their vocabulary through conversational units revolving around the self, the home and the local community. By the end of this level, students are able to form verb action sentences describing daily activities and complete reading comprehension exercises involving short passages.
This class is a prerequisite for all subsequent Arabic classes. Placement tests may be used if students are new to BAAS.
SILVER (School age program | Ages 9-14)
In this class, students level up their use of spoken and written Arabic through age-appropriate exercises, games and the use of authentic resources from around the Arab world. We focus on building confidence in communication and producing language, with instruction that is individualized to meet each student at their current level. Students will continue to stretch their vocabulary and learn to navigate real-life Arabic language scenarios such as dining in a restaurant, following a recipe, or describing their daily routine. Reading comprehension at this level grows in length and complexity, and students begin to author their own short original narratives. To support this reading and writing work, students learn to correctly use demonstrative and subjective pronouns, prepositions of time and place, and various questions and answers. At this level, students spend a significant portion of class time doing activities in pairs and small groups, and are encouraged to communicate in Arabic as much as possible with partners/classmates/teachers from the moment they walk into the class until they leave it.
Class Time: 10:15 am ~ 11:45 am
Culture & Conversation
Our weekly Culture & Conversation class is a fun enrichment class that encourages students to use spoken Arabic (in any dialect they are comfortable) in an informal group setting while exploring a variety of cultural arts and activities from the Arab world. Throughout the year, we explore a rotation of cultural mediums such as art, music, theater, food, games, dance, etc. This class build towards an end of year showcase where each student crafts a unique final project in the medium of their choice to be shared with the community during a very special gallery/performance weekend.
Class Time: 09:15 am ~ 10:00 am
Islamic Studies
The main focus of this class is to understand the core value of our religion and be a positive role model in society. To achieve our mission we use ‘I Love Islam’ series of Islamic studies textbooks that gradually introduces Muslim students to the essentials of their faith and bring to light historic and cultural aspects of Islam. The curriculum is in English and uses the modern methodology and simple stories followed by creative exercises. Moreover, we will work with our students to help them memorize short surahs of the Quran.
Class Time: 12:00 pm ~ 01:00 pm
