Elementary School: Grades 1-5
A Waldorf curriculum begins by answering the question of how can we best engage our students at each distinct age and developmental stage
We provide a well-rounded and rich classical education - science, math, social studies, humanities and the arts - that is multi-sensory, creative and multi-disciplinary.
Students learn through stories and experiences that feed their senses, foster their creativity and lend a global perspective to their thinking. Everything from the introduction of the alphabet to the Pythagorean theorem is taught with depth and relevancy to our world.
Some of what used to be unique to Waldorf schools is now cutting-edge pedagogy in public and independent schools:
- Block-style learning
- Teacher looping
- Multi-disciplinary instruction (and its impact on neurological development)
- Character education
- Recognition of the importance of play and movement throughout the day (and throughout life)
- Teaching that engages different learning styles
Elementary school curriculum
Grade 1
- Language Arts: Writing capital letters, oral recitation, introduction to reading, spelling, poetry, and drama
- Literature: Folk and fairy tales.
- Mathematics: Number concept, Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, number patterns.
- Nature Study
- Form Drawing: Drawing straight and curved lines, linear forms
- Foreign Language: Songs, dances and games, poetry and stories
- Physical Education: Cooperative games
- Handwork: Knitting, painting, beeswax modeling
- Music: Pentatonic flute and singing
Grade 2
- Language Arts: Writing lower letters, parts of speech, oral recitation, reading, spelling, poetry, and drama
- Literature: Fables, Legends of Saints and Heroes
- Mathematics: Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, concrete computation, column addition and subtraction, multiplication facts
- Native American Lure
- Nature Study
- Form Drawing: Linear forms
- Foreign Language: Songs, dances and games, poetry and stories, alphabet and numbers
- Physical Education: Cooperative games
- Handwork: Knitting and Purling, painting, beeswax modeling
- Music: Pentatonic flute and singing
Grade 3
- Language Arts: Cursive writing, parts of speech, grammar and punctuation, oral recitation, reading, spelling, poetry, and drama
- Literature: Old Testament stories.
- Mathematics: Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, carrying and borrowing, multiplication tables, times, money and measurement, computation and problem solving.
- Food, Shelter, and Clothing
- Farming and Gardening
- Form Drawing: Vertical symmetry
- Foreign Language
- Physical Education: Cooperative games
- Handwork: Crochet, Painting, Drawing, Beeswax modeling
- Music: Recorder, Singing, Music notation introduced
Grade 4
- Language Arts: Grammar and punctuation, letter format, oral recitation, reading, spelling, poetry, and drama
- Literature: Norse Mythology
- Mathematics: Fractions, long division, computation and problem solving.
- Zoology
- Local Geography and History, Mapping
- Form Drawing: Braided forms
- Foreign Language
- Physical Education: Cooperative games, team skills
- Handwork: Cross stitch, Painting, Drawing, Clay sculpture
- Woodwork
- Music: Recorder, Singing (rounds), Music notation, Instrumental music
Grade 5
- Language Arts: Grammar and composition, reading, spelling, report writing, poetry, and drama
- Literature and History: Ancient civilizations (Indian, Persian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek)
- Mathematics: Decimals, mixed numbers, computation and problem solving, ratios, and percents
- Botany and Zoology
- North American Geography and History
- Form Drawing: Free hand geometric drawing
- Foreign Language
- Classics: Egyptian and Greek Language and culture
- Physical Education: Greek Olympic events
- Handwork: Four needle knitting, painting, drawing, clay sculpture
- Woodwork
- Music: Recorder, Singing (rounds), Music notation, orchestra and chorus
