DUBAI AMERICAN ACADEMY YEAR AT A GLANCE 

 
GRADE 1 

Term 1   Term 2  Term 3 

Overarching Concept: Interconnectedness   Overarching Concept: Innovation   Overarching Concept: Integrity  
 
Curricular Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit
Area

Inquiry   How can we have an impact?
 
  We are inquiring into the concept of
leadership through analyzing the
roles and responsibilities of leaders
within our school, the city of Dubai
and the UAE.
We will investigate aspects of
communal living such as personal
responsibilities, rules, ways of
earning income and traditions.
We will identify and analyze the
impact of individuals influencing
communities and causing historical
change through questioning and
research.
 
How do living things
communicate ?
We are investigating how we
are able to use our senses and
available technology to
communicate and make
meaning
We are inquiring into light
and the sound, how and what
impacts how they are
transmitted
We are demonstrating our
understanding of how light
and/or sound are transmitted
through utilizing the solution
fluency model to design and
create a helpful tool.
How does money impact the choices
we make?
We are inquiring into the concept of
scarcity and how it impacts
decision-making through
investigating needs, wants and the
rise of adversities.
We are exploring the changing ways
of earning income over time.
We are exploring ways to maximize
how we benefit from our earnings
through collaboration and balancing
our budget.   impact each other.
Why don’t you sleep when I do?
We are observing how patterns of
the sun, moon, and stars can be
predicted and how they impact our
lives. We are exploring the sun’s
travel through the sky, how this
affects seasons as well as how
time zones differ across continents.
We are developing an
understanding of how patterns
from the past help us predict the
future, how they impact our daily
lives, and how we can adapt to
them.
How can living things survive?
We are conducting investigations using maps to explore and analyze
features of various geographical locations such as biomes.
We are analyzing how physical and structural characteristics of living
things facilitate their survival and growth in various geographical
locations.
We are using the Solution Fluency Model to design a biomimicry
inspired solution to a human problem , in order to demonstrate our
understanding of the influence of physical characteristics on survival
and how living things as well as their environments influence and

Literacy   How do stories and other
  narratives impact people?
 
 
We are exploring how stories and
other texts can be shared through
pictures and words.
How can we communicate How does nonfiction text features What makes writing worth How does what we read How can different forms of
our thoughts and ideas? enhance our writing? reading and why should we do influence how we should read writing affect our opinion?
it? it?
We are writing narrative We are writing about a topic to teach We are using persuasive writing to
pieces to express real readers, using nonfiction text We are composing realistic fiction We are continuing to apply a express opinions supported by
experiences or events using features.   stories with problems and variety of reading strategies to reasons. 
details and appropriate solutions, that include invented comprehend a range of texts.  
sequence.  characters.  

Numeracy   Place Value Measurement & Graphing Geometry & Time

  Addition & Subtraction
  How do problem-solving strategies support and impact solutions? We are solving a range of complex We are solving a range of complex We are solving a range of We are solving a range of complex
and real-world problems using and real-world problems using complex and real-world problems and real-world problems using
We are solving a range of complex and real-world problems using mathematical reasoning and mathematical reasoning and using mathematical reasoning mathematical reasoning and
mathematical reasoning and problem-solving strategies. problem-solving strategies. problem-solving strategies. and problem-solving strategies. problem-solving strategies.

* Subject to change and revision according to program and students’ needs  

 DUBAI AMERICAN ACADEMY YEAR AT A GLANCE  
GRADE 1 

We are practicing addition and subtraction with numbers to 20 by We are applying place value We are investigating length by We are identifying, partitioning, We are going to apply place value
modeling them concretely, pictorially and symbolically to develop knowledge and properties of comparing, ordering and and composing 2D and 3D understanding and fact fluency
computational fluency.  operations to add and subtract, as well measuring with non-standard units. shapes. skills in order to add and subtract
as compare numbers based on the within 120. 
value of the tens and ones digits.   We are inquiring into graphing by We are going to tell time to the
organizing, representing, and hour and half-hour, using an
interpreting data.   analog and a digital clock. 

* Subject to change and revision according to program and students’ needs