Grades 1-5
Children come to first grade full of curiosity and are met by teachers who foster the skills necessary to learn, work and play in an atmosphere of warmth and reverence.
Many subjects are introduced in first grade, and even if the child is already familiar with the content, the wonder and beauty the teacher brings to the subject matter holds the students’ attention as they begin their formal learning experience.
Waldorf class teachers move through the elementary grades with their students, carrying the present, past and future of the class’ educational journey with them. The teacher will, ideally, stay with a class from grade one through grade eight, providing a structure of security, continuity and authority for the children as they grow, learn and develop.

CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS
MAIN LESSON SKILLS
Learning and modeling good classroom behavior and habits, listening and communicating constructively, developing a sense of discernment
LANGUAGE ARTS
Learning of letters and their sounds, introduction to writing from the stories heard, introduction to reading, drama, oral recitation
LITERATURE
Folk and fairy tales from around the world, nature stories
MATHEMATICS
Number concept, arabic and roman numerals, the four operations (+, -, x, ÷), word problems, estimation
SCIENCES
Nature study through experiential events
FORM DRAWING AND SCULPTING
Straight and curved line, linear forms, living into colors through color stories in painting, beeswax modeling
WORLD LANGUAGE
Spanish (songs, dances, games, poetry and stories)
HANDWORK
Knitting, creating knitting needles, finger weaving
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Cooperative games led by the class teacher and movement teacher
MUSIC
Singing, pentatonic flute
The curriculum and experiences in the second grade year build on the foundation of first grade. The children enter second grade with an established relationship with their class teacher and a dawning sense of themselves as individuals, and as a member of the class as a whole.
The scope of the second grade curriculum juxtaposes fables with legends drawn from diverse cultures. The students gain a profound intuitive grasp of human moral lessons presented through the characterization of various animals. At the same time, the highest moral striving of humanity is portrayed through the legends of individuals and their accomplishments.
The second grade curriculum focuses on deepening capacities. A year rich in excitement as the child learns how to be a part of a class while exploring his or her independent nature.

CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS
MAIN LESSON SKILLS
Class and small group dialogue, experiencing stories and envisioning themes and outcomes
LANGUAGE ARTS
Lower case letters, parts of speech, reading, oral recitation, drama
LITERATURE
Fables, folklore, legends of saints and heroes, native american lore
MATHEMATICS
Continuation of the four operations, concrete computation, column addition and subtraction, multiplication facts
SCIENCES
Nature study qualities of animals
FORM DRAWING AND SCULPTING
Linear forms, mirrored forms, painting, and beeswax modeling
WORLD LANGUAGE
Spanish songs, dances, games, poetry, stories, alphabet and numbers
HANDWORK
Knitting and purling with pattern changes, and simple hand sewing to support mathematical thinking
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Cooperative games led by the class teacher and movement teacher
MUSIC
Pentatonic flute, folk songs, singing
The third grade curriculum speaks to the consciousness of the child who is turning nine. As this age, the child becomes more self-aware, and there can be a new sense of distance from the joys of early childhood.
There might be questions about many things, some of them quite profound. The Waldorf curriculum is meant to reassure, nurture, and help the child move ahead with confidence through this significant threshold.
The major themes for language arts study are the stories of the ancient Hebrew stories and legends, which offer a picture of joyful life in the Garden of Eden, the eventual expulsion from paradise, and the human being’s work, transforming the earth’s gifts into food, shelter, and clothing. These stories tell of a people who wandered in search of a place to call their own, and speak to the child in an unconscious, deep way: “Others have done this before me; I am not alone in this experience.”

CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS
MAIN LESSON SKILLS
Learning and modeling good classroom behavior and habits, listening and communicating constructively, developing a sense of discernment
LANGUAGE ARTS
Learning of letters and their sounds, introduction to writing from the stories heard, introduction to reading, drama, oral recitation
LITERATURE
Folk and fairy tales from around the world, nature stories
MATHEMATICS
Number concept, arabic and roman numerals, the four operations (+, -, x, ÷), word problems, estimation
SCIENCES
Nature study through experiential events
ART
Straight and curved line, linear forms, living into colors through color stories in painting, beeswax modeling
WORLD LANGUAGE
Spanish (songs, dances, games, poetry and stories)
HANDWORK
Knitting, creating knitting needles, finger weaving
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Cooperative games led by the class teacher and movement teacher
MUSIC
Singing, pentatonic flute
Fourth grade marks a clear change in the work the students do and what is expected of them. The habits and skills that have been developed are now put to use in tackling new and varied subjects.
The children’s exploration of their environment expands beyond their neighborhood, making maps and learning about the rich culture and ecosystems that exist in Kentucky. Fourth graders are immersed in the diversity and community aspects of the animal kingdom, while also observing and describing the unique qualities of each animal.
Their language arts lessons unfold through the use of stories, which in fourth grade can include stories from indigenous populations, as well as mythology. The children are introduced to the Norse gods and goddesses, a pantheon whose fiery passion, wily cleverness, and shining self-sacrifice mirrors their own.
The stories speak particularly well to the growing nine to ten year old as they pass out of early childhood into the middle childhood that is often as conflicted as the weather of the northern lands.

CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS
MAIN LESSON SKILLS
Learning and modeling good classroom behavior and habits, listening and communicating constructively, confidence and positive self-image building, developing sense discernment, continuing to build executive functioning skills
LANGUAGE ARTS
Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling, Letter Format, Reading, Oral Recitation, Poetry, Drama
LITERATURE
Norse Mythology, Native American Stories, Louisville and Kentucky history
MATHEMATICS
Introduction to Fractions, Long Division and Multiplication, Measurement, Computation and Problem Solving, Estimation
SCIENCES
Zoology, Local Geography & History
ART
Painting, and sculpting – Braided Forms, Geometric Drawing, Beeswax Modeling, Painting, and Drawing
WORLD LANGUAGE
Spanish (Songs, Dances and Games, Poetry and Stories, Days, Months, Seasons, Telling Time, Writing and Reading)
HANDWORK
Fine Hand Sewing, Embroidery & Cross Stitch, Design & Color Work
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Cooperative games and Team Skills
MUSIC
Singing in Rounds, Introduction to Music reading
At ten or eleven years old, the fifth grader can be seen as standing on a bit of a fulcrum or precipice. As if on a see-saw, one minute they can be looking back, acting like second graders, playing imaginative games or singing songs they learned years earlier, then the next minute they are acting like moody teenagers, trying on all the vivaciousness and attitudes they have observed in older students.
At this age, children begin to look at what is coming in the teen years and wonder how they will handle the changes they are beginning to experience in themselves. It is a time for reflection, solidifying foundations and exploring how cultures of the world have grappled with the questions of existence. How did we get here? How should we behave towards the world and each other? How does one find purpose in life?
Students delve deeply into ancient cultures, exploring stories of India, Persia, Babylon, Egypt and Greece. Each creation story brings a different twist. New and familiar perspectives are compared in how these cultures approached the fundamental questions of life. Closer to home, studying North American geography gives an opportunity to delve into how native cultures worked with their environments and how cultures and environments connect us across borders.

CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS
MAIN LESSON SKILLS
Personal and academic responsibility, punctuality with deadlines
LANGUAGE ARTS
Greek mythology, ancient civilizations, independent writing, reading, composition book reports, grammar, biographies of key cultural figures
LITERATURE
Norse mythology, native american stories
MATHEMATICS
Decimals, fractions, metric system, freehand geometry
SCIENCES
Botany, zoology, entomology, north american geography, native american cultures
ART
Painting, geometric drawing, form drawing, clay modeling
WORLD LANGUAGE
Spanish
HANDWORK
Knitting in the round (4-5 needles), plant dyeing yarn, gardening, woodworking
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Pentathlon training (discus, javelin, long jump, wrestling, running), rhythmic exercises
MUSIC
Chorus, folk music, string instruments