The seventh year sees the start of formal education in the Waldorf educational philosophy. The children have moved away from the imitation phase, often marked by the change of teeth, and are now ready to take on formal learning.
The newly freed forces of the etheric are now released so the child can clearly form and recall mental pictures from sensory experiences. This picture thinking is closely connected to living experiences the child has and the associated feelings. The teacher now leads the child through images to begin the process of learning literacy and numeracy skills.
Class One is a world of fairy tales and nature stories which are used to develop both literacy and numeracy skills. Movement and rhythm of important parts of the learning process and the children will engage in daily and weekly activities to build and strengthen their routine.
Form drawing is a vital part of the curriculum as it brings in the skills of pre literacy and numeracy, developing the art of writing so that the child feels confident in the work they do, not only with the hands but with their entire body. Movement play an important role in all activities the children do in Class one.
Regular nature stories help the child begin to understand the environment around them though imaginative pictures and feels comfortable in their world.
Form Drawing I
30 Aug – 16 Sep
Literacy - Introduction of Letters I
19 Sep – 07 Oct
Numeracy - Quality of Number
17 Oct – 04 Nov
Form Drawing II
07 Nov – 25 Nov
Literacy - Introduction of Letters II
28 Nov – 16 Dec
Numeracy - Arabic Numbers
09 Jan – 27 Jan
Literacy - Introduction of Letter III
30 Jan – 17 Feb
Numeracy - Four Processes I
27 Feb – 17 Mar
Literacy - Vowels
20 Mar – 06 Apr
Numeracy - Four Processes II
02 May – 19 May
Form Drawing III
22 May – 09 Jun
Literacy - Writing
12 Jun – 30 Jun
The class two child is like a butterfly which has emerged from its protective chrysalis, poised to take flight. Children in class two are now almost 8 years old and are ready to explore, meet, wonder, question, comply and resist in the world around them. They like contrasts and polarities, for example: good (base nature) vs good (higher self).
After their first year of formal education, the children in Class 2 visibly grow and change, both outwardly and inwardly; they become more confident and, in comparison with the contentment of Class I, they are more talkative, louder and cheekier. They push boundaries more than before and they notice and question things. Slowly, through the course of this year and the next, the impulse to just follow - to imitate - will be replaced by the growing wish for independence. The fluctuations in the behaviour of the 8-year-old signals the beginning of a process, which will lead them eventually to become free thinking, empathetic, responsible adults. Form Drawing at the beginning of the year brings some form to the children after the freedom of the summer holiday. At the same time, it is an artistic activity that the children enjoy, and the form - ability to focus, to sit still, to listen, to work carefully, to abide by class rules - comes in almost unnoticed. Much of what is done in the second-grade year builds upon the groundwork laid in the first grade, increasing the repertoire of knowledge and skills developed in the previous year. The second grader’s learning through imitation is still prevalent and their thinking is still very pictorial.
Multicultural animal fables, such as those from Aesop/African and Native American lore, in contrast with stories of great people, saints and heroines/heroes. The stories speak to the children’s imaginations allowing them to form their own inner pictures of right and wrong. The moral of the story is not made conscious, instead the children are let to work inwardly with it.
Language Arts a thorough study of phonics skills coupled with sight word acquisition is pursued as we write and read short vignettes of fables and stories. During writing blocks, children practice their handwriting moving onto printed lower case letters. Form drawing will help with dexterity to practice running forms. Form drawing is also an introduction to identifying and describing shapes.
Math/Numeracy work is continued with the four processes, using the vertical format and story problems. Place value work into the thousands, regrouping in addition and subtraction, introducing carrying/borrowing. Daily mental math. Times tables of 7,8,11 and 12 will be formally introduced. Learning of times tables by heart, through recitation and movement, continues and, by the end of the year, everyone should know the 2, 5, and 10 times tables; most should also know 11, 3 and 4; some will know all of them.
Literacy - Fables reading and writing
30 Aug – 16 Sep
Numeracy - Four Operations
19 Sep – 07 Oct
Form Drawing
17 Oct – 04 Nov
Literacy - Saints and lower case letters
07 Nov – 25 Nov
Literacy - Saints and Mary's Little Donkey
28 Nov – 16 Dec
Numeracy - Place Value
09 Jan – 27 Jan
Literacy - Fables and Phonics
30 Jan – 17 Feb
Numeracy - Place Value
27 Feb – 17 Mar
Literacy - Saints and Readers
20 Mar – 06 Apr
Numeracy - Tables and the Four Operations
02 May – 19 May
Literacy - Fables
22 May – 09 Jun
Literacy - Saints and Readers
12 Jun – 30 Jun
The children, now nine years old, experience a great deal of change, both physically and psychologically. It is often referred to as the 9 Year old Change or Rubicon, which can dominate the year.
Developmentally they are finding balance within their bodies, a firmer gait and constitutionally they are more robust than previously. Growth is now more focused in the limbs as they become ‘spindly’. These changes can also bring symptoms of weariness, tummy and head pains, nausea and dizziness and interrupted sleep patterns.
As the children become more aware of themselves the curriculum meets them with content that engages them in the world around them. Class Three is very practical, with farming, building and measurement, all of which they need to get a hands-on experience. Lay bricks and mortar, dig and plant seeds, weight out and measure different materials.
Behaviour needs clear guidelines at this age with the help of the teachers and parents. The old testament stories which are key to this year also have a pedagogical value as they tell of the old testament god where there was right and wrong, no grey areas. Class Three is a wonderful and practical year that fully engages the child’s, head, heart and hands.
Creation Stories
30 Aug – 16 Sep
Numeracy - Four Operations skill development
19 Sep – 07 Oct
Farming/Agriculture
17 Oct – 04 Nov
Literacy - Old Testament Stories
07 Nov – 25 Nov
Numeracy - Measurement
28 Nov – 16 Dec
Building/Shelters & Homes
09 Jan – 27 Jan
Literacy - Old Testament Stories & Cursive Writing
30 Jan – 17 Feb
Farming and Nutrition
27 Feb – 17 Mar
Numeracy - Money
20 Mar – 06 Apr
Literacy - Grammar skills
02 May – 19 May
Numeracy - Time
22 May – 09 Jun
Literacy and Numeracy - Skills Review
12 Jun – 30 Jun
The children, now ten years old, are entering the middle of the class teacher years and begin a phase between childhood and puberty which is often called the “Heart of Childhood” in Waldorf pedagogy.
Developmentally they are harmonising the relationship between blood circulation and breathing, finding a balance in themselves.
This brings with it a solid self-assurance that focuses their learning and desire for knowledge which shows in their work. They are awakening to their own individual character and exploring who they are in relation to their friends, family and community.
The curriculum brings Norse mythology with strong lively characters that they often connect to strongly. We also start looking out into the world around us and learn what we can from observation and experience. Local history and geography focus on the environment they live in and teach them to get their bearings and how to draw maps. Natural science is begun with a very phenomenological study of the animal kingdom in relation to the human being.
Class four is a year of laying solid foundations for work habits and the children are given more and more responsibility for their own work and its completion.
Norse Mythology I - Form Drawing
30 Aug – 16 Sep
Local History and Geography I
19 Sep – 07 Oct
Human and Animal I
17 Oct – 04 Nov
Norse Mythology II
07 Nov – 25 Nov
Literacy - History of Writing
28 Nov – 16 Dec
Numeracy - Common Fractions I
09 Jan – 27 Jan
Local History and Geography II
30 Jan – 17 Feb
Human and Animal II
27 Feb – 17 Mar
Norse Mythology III
20 Mar – 06 Apr
Numeracy - Common Fractions II
02 May – 19 May
Human and Animal III
22 May – 09 Jun
Norse Mythology IIII
12 Jun – 30 Jun
In their evolving progress the Class Five child attains a new stage of grace and agility in their movement; developmentally this is a stage of co-ordination, balance, and harmony. This year their psychological development of ‘self’ grows as the child begins to develop their own fledgling ego, hand in hand with a sense of ‘will’. They are now more capable of understanding and formulating concepts as they approach their twelfth year. This age, before puberty sets in, can be described as the golden age of childhood, where they find balance and form in themselves physically and psychologically.
The curriculum meets these developmental changes and helps the children find their place as the educational content looks further afield in geography and takes them on a journey from the ancient mythologies to historical Greece. Here we look at developing the Olympian Ideal where the group/individual distinctions are subservient to the greater whole, where qualities such as beauty are valued as much as speed and distance.
Ancient Mythologies
30 Aug – 16 Sep
Geography – Home Country
19 Sep – 07 Oct
Numeracy - Freehand Geometry
17 Oct – 04 Nov
Ancient Mythologies
07 Nov – 25 Nov
Numeracy - Decimal Fractions I
28 Nov – 16 Dec
Greek Mythology
09 Jan – 27 Jan
Animal Kingdoms
30 Jan – 17 Feb
Greek History
27 Feb – 17 Mar
Numeracy - Decimal Fractions II
20 Mar – 06 Apr
Botany
02 May – 19 May
Greek History
22 May – 09 Jun
Literacy - Review
12 Jun – 30 Jun
These lessons are subject to change
The Class Six child’s growth begins to express itself in the skeleton as the limbs begin to lengthen and the child develops a tendency for awkward and angular movements. The twelve year old experiences the strength of gravity through the skeleton. The physical change is accompanied by the first experience of causation in the thinking realm, while psychologically the child enters a phase which may be characterised as the ‘changeling’ period. The twelve year old witnesses what may be described as the death of their childhood and the birth pangs as their rise into individuality. As the child begins to anticipate adolescence the children are also forced to re-examine their relationships and develop a new understanding of social responsibility.
Roman History I
30 Aug – 16 Sep
Business Math I
19 Sep – 07 Oct
Physics
14 Oct – 04 Nov
Roman History Part II
07 Nov – 25 Nov
Geometry with Instruments
28 Nov – 16 Dec
Geography of Europe and Asia
09 Jan – 27 Jan
Astronomy February
30 Jan – 17 Feb
Medieval History I
27 Feb – 17 Mar
Geology and Mineralogy
20 Mar – 06 Apr
Business Math II
02 May – 19 May
Medieval History II
22 May – 09 Jun
Literacy - Review
12 Jun – 30 Jun
Class Seven is the year the children turn 13 and move from being a child to being a teenager. This change manifests in two main characteristics of this age: the increased outer active life and the dynamic stirrings of the inner life. The children’s appetite for knowledge grows as they explore the world and develop the capacity for reflection. Their physical changes, related to puberty, are often only later followed by maturing psychological development. The children will yearn for independence and solitude but can often be hampered by feelings of anxiety, emotional sensitivity and embarrassment. Boys and girls vary greatly in the way in which they deal with the challenges before them, both physically and emotionally; the Waldorf curriculum helps give them perspective and bring some understanding into their lives.
Voyages of Discovery deal with the great surge in outer activity whereas moods and styles in English compliment the inner changes of the children.
Algebra - Equations
30 Aug – 16 Sep
Wish, Wonder and Surprise
19 Sep – 07 Oct
The Age of Exploration
17 Oct – 04 Nov
Heliocentric and Geocentric Views
07 Nov – 25 Nov
The Four Human Systems
28 Nov – 16 Dec
Geometry - Pythagoras
09 Jan – 27 Jan
The Renaissance and Reformation
30 Jan – 17 Feb
Comparing Two Continents
27 Feb – 17 Mar
Chemistry
20 Mar – 06 Apr
Arithmetic - Fibonacci and Phi
02 May – 19 May
The Enlightenment
22 May – 09 Jun
Physics - Mechanics
12 Jun – 30 Jun
The Class Eight child now reaches their most intense period of inwardness, from which they will journey back out into the periphery, the world. It is now that the young person begins to sees what is around them with a new more critical and conscious faculty. They will feel more ready to face the world and challenge what they feel to be unjust. They will feel more down to earth, connected to the world around them. Discussion, debate and laughter will bubble up in the expressing of new found ideals. The ability to make judgement, especially about rules and aesthetics begins to emerge. It is a time of thresholds for the young person; challenges help them to stand confidently as they enter the turbulent years of teenage hood.
Anatomy
30 Aug – 16 Sep
Geography – World
19 Sep – 07 Oct
Numeracy I
17 Oct – 04 Nov
The Age of Revolutions
07 Nov – 25 Nov
Organic Chemistry
28 Nov – 16 Dec
The Industrial Revolution
09 Jan – 27 Jan
Literacy – The Short Story
30 Jan – 17 Feb
Numeracy II – Platonic Solids
27 Feb – 17 Mar
Physics
20 Mar – 06 Apr
History – Modern
02 May – 19 May
Meteorology
22 May – 09 Jun
Class 8 Projects and Review
12 Jun – 30 Jun