Curriculum

THE WALDORF CURRICULUM is organized to address the three developmental phases of childhood: from birth to six or seven years, from seven to 14 years and from 14 to 18 years. At each phase, subject matter is brought to the children in a way that is appropriate to their stage of development.

Skill Goals: This document presents a set of skill goals, or benchmarks, in language arts and mathematics for grades one through eight at Ashwood Waldorf School.

Here is an outline of the main courses of work for each of the grades:

Grade One

Main Lesson: form drawing; introduction to letters, writing and reading; fairy tales and folk tales; nature lore and observation; introduction to the four operations of math; pentatonic flute; recitation of poetry and verse; drama
Specialty Classes: music (singing), handwork (knitting), art (watercolor painting), foreign language (French), movement education

Grade Two

Main Lesson: form drawing; saint legends; animal fables; nature study; arithmetic, including borrowing and carrying, multiplication tables, numerical patterns and forms; expanded work in reading, writing and speech, pentatonic flute, recitation of poetry and verse, drama
Specialty Classes: music (singing), handwork (knitting), art (watercolor painting), foreign language (French), movement education

Grade Three

Main Lesson: Old Testament stories as an introduction to history; form drawing; studies of practical life in farming, maple sugaring, house building; multiplication with higher numbers, weight, measurement and money; cursive writing, introduction to grammar and parts of speech, simple and descriptive writing, and spelling; time and calendar work.
Specialty Classes: music (singing), handwork (cross-stitch), art (watercolor painting), foreign language (French), movement education, agricultural arts

Grade Four

Main Lesson: Norse myths and sagas; Maine geography and history; Native American cultures; form drawing; introduction to zoology; introduction to fractions; parts of speech, grammar, composition, vocabulary, spelling; drama

Specialty Classes: music (violin, chorus, recorder), handwork (cross-stitch), art (watercolor painting), foreign language (French), physical education 

Grade Five

Main Lesson: History of ancient civilizations (India, Persia, Egypt, Greece); physical and economic geography of North America; botany; introduction to geometry through freehand drawing; drama
Specialty Classes: music (violin, chorus), handwork (four-needle knitting), art (watercolor painting), foreign language (French), physical education and training for the Pentathlon, woodworking; clay modeling

Grade Six

Main Lesson: History of Rome and the Middle Ages; geography of Europe; geology; business math; introduction to physics; geometric drawing with ruler and compass; speech, spelling, vocabulary, book reports, letter writing, essay form; drama

Specialty Classesmusic (strings ensemble, chorus), handwork, art (watercolor painting), foreign language (French), physical education, woodworking, clay modeling

Grade Seven

Main Lesson: History from the 1400s through the 1600s (Age of Exploration, Renaissance, Reformation, Scientific Revolution); introduction to U.S. history; astronomy; physics; human anatomy; geography of Latin America, the Middle East and Near East, Oceania; literature, grammar, vocabulary, spelling, creative and expository writing; current events; drama

Specialty Classesmusic (strings ensemble, chorus), handwork, art (watercolor painting, perspective drawing), foreign language (French), movement education, woodworking, clay modeling

Grade Eight

Main Lesson: History from 1600 to present (American, French and Industrial Revolutions, Civil War, Twentieth Century); meteorology, chemistry, physiology, physics; geography of Africa and Asia; drama
Specialty Classesmusic (strings ensemble, chorus), handwork (machine sewing), art (watercolor painting), foreign language (French), movement education, woodworking, clay modeling