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.

grade 1 fairy tales

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.

fox and stork

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.”

in the beginning

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.

norse realms

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.

hyroglyphs

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

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