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 Culture & Conversation class that fosters student connectedness to the Arab identity, 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 ~4-6)
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 (Lower school program | Ages 5-7)
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 (Lower school program | Ages 6-9)
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 (Lower school program | Ages 8-10)
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 (Lower school program | Ages 9-12)
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.
This class is a prerequisite for all subsequent Arabic classes. Placement tests may be used if students are new to BAAS.
GOLD (Upper school program | Ages 10-14)
In this class, students refine their comprehension skills and begin to expand their Arabic language composition abilities through a variety of activities, exercises and in-depth projects. To build their vocabulary and grammatical skills, students learn to correctly use and convert between present/past tense verb sentences, as well as the application of possessive pronouns, various forms of plurals and ‘huroof aljarr’ (prepositions). Students complete two larger projects over the course of the year, a non-fictional spoken and written project completed in small groups and an in-depth written biography completed individually.
This class is a prerequisite for all subsequent Arabic classes. Placement tests may be used if students are new to BAAS.
DIAMOND (School age program | Ages 11 – 15)
In this class, students build greater confidence in using conversational Arabic at home and when traveling. In addition to reviewing all topics covered in previous levels, the Diamond class teaches concepts such as complex past tense verbs, comparative statements, ‘huroof al-atf’ (conjunctions) and advanced prepositions of time and place. Additionally, the Diamond class exposes students to simple forms of Arabic poetry and stretches their composition skills at the written and spoken level. Students complete two large projects over the course of the year – a group project creating multimedia Arabic language guides for local tourist attractions, and an individual project consisting of descriptive long-form essays and poster presentation comparing their local hometown with a researched Middle Eastern city of their choice. Learning in the Diamond class is hands-on and immersive, with lots of group work and movement-based games that reinforce the concepts we study.
This class is a prerequisite for all subsequent Arabic classes. Placement tests may be used if students are new to BAAS.
NEW ARABIC LEVEL TBD (School age program | Ages 12 – 16)
For the 2025-26 academic year, BAAS is creating a new level that will serve as a continuation of our curriculum for current Diamond class students. More details to follow.
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 values of the Islamic faith and to encourage students to use their religious knowledge to be positive role models in society. BAAS’s Islamic Studies curriculum is leveled by age and developed in-house. Our youngest students learn Islamic ethics through a variety of crafts, games and activities. Older classes cover topics such as stories of the prophets, age appropriate Quranic stories, the five pillars of Islam, and the seerah of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). Our oldest classrooms are run halaqa-style, offering students a safe space to discuss the issues that affect their day to day lives as young muslims while learning about Islamic leadership, stories of the Prophet (pbuh)’s companions and the ways that hadith inform and guide our understanding of Islam. All Islamic Studies classes are conducted in English and grounded in connecting to religion through a positive, compassionate lens. Teachers also work with students to help them memorize short surahs of the Quran.
Class Time: 12:00 pm ~ 01:00 pm