First Grade
First Grade is the beginning of the student’s academic journey at Woodland Star. Children of this age use their imagination to form mental images from orally presented stories. The first grade teacher presents rich fairy-tales from around the world and nature stories depicting seasonal phenomena that engage the child’s interest. With these mental pictures formed and recalled the next day, the child is led through drawing colorful images to complement simple writing tasks into their main lesson book. Over the course of the year they develop many foundational academic and artistic capacities.
First graders at Woodland Star learn:
- Math: Qualities of numbers; introduction to the four operations of arithmetic
- Literature & Grammar: Pictorial and phonetic introduction to letters; fairy tales from around the world; poetry recitation
- Science: Nature stories; nature walks and observations; gardening
- Music: Singing; pentatonic flute (develops finger coordination, concentration, breath control); songs based on seasonal themes
- Art: Form drawing; painting (emphasizing an experience of working with color rather than creating formed pictures); beeswax modeling; crayon illustrations
- Foreign Language: Spanish (introduced through plays, songs, rhythms, and games)
- Handwork: Knitting (promotes eye-hand coordination, fine motor skills, and pre-reading skills-sequencing, patience, perseverance, and self-esteem)
- History & Social Studies: Multicultural stories
Second Grade
Much of the work of first grade continues in second grade, as the child learns to write independently, read, and build arithmetic and artistic skills. However the curriculum changes to stories of ancient heroic people and animal fables from many cultures. Second graders are introduced to cursive writing and polish their understanding of the four math operations.
Second Graders at Woodland Star learn:
- Math: Continue with four operations of arithmetic; story problems; counting by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12; multiplication tables
- Literature & Grammar: Reading, elements of grammar (naming, describing words); animal fables and legends from around the world; recitation
- Science: Garden observations; nature walks and studies
- Music: Singing; pentatonic flute
- Art: Continuing form drawing; watercolor painting; beeswax modeling
- Foreign Language: Spanish continued (plays, songs, poetry, games, and simple conversation)
- Handwork: Knitting and purling (pattern recognition and perpetuation, concentration, fine motor skill development)
- History & Social Studies: Multicultural stories
Third Grade
The third grader enters into a significant inner challenge in their childhood often referred to as the “9-year change.” They begin to see their place differently in relation to the world around them. The curriculum meets the age well by bringing many practical skills as they become proficient in reading and writing. Children of this age thrive by learning real skills to help manage themselves and their responsibilities independently.
Third Graders at Woodland Star learn:
- Math: Higher multiplication tables; weight; measure; length; volume; money; time
- Literature & Grammar: Elements of grammar (nouns, verbs, adjectives); cursive writing; punctuation; compositions; stories of the ancient Hebrew people
- Practical Arts: Gardening; cooking and baking foods from the harvest; crafting with natural fibers including dyeing and weaving; building structures
- Science: Gardening classes and nature studies (ecosystems.)
- Music: Singing; recorder
- Art: Continuing form drawing; painting; beeswax modeling
- Foreign Language: Spanish continued (songs, plays, poetry, conversations)
- Handwork: Crocheting (pattern and placement recognition, finger dexterity)
- History & Social Studies: Study of practical life (farming, house building, clothing, and cooking), local history
Fourth Grade
Fourth graders can be fractious at times making it an ideal time to have them wrestle in-depth with fractions. Ancient story curriculum continues with the mythical stories of the Norse people. Students listen to these stories told by their teacher, orally recall them in detail, and write them in their own words. Main lesson pages are illustrated with drawings of the ancient tree/world of Yggdrasil and the Gods that dwelled there. Fourth graders continue their study of geography beginning with local surroundings, and then expanding to the exploration of California’s geographical history and the early people that lived here. Students also delve into the world of animals with their refined and specialized capacities and compare them to the human being.
Fourth Graders at Woodland Star learn:
- Math: Higher multiplication tables; four-digit multiplication; long division; fractions
- Literature & Grammar: Elements of grammar; continuing cursive; punctuation; book and research reports, and creative writing; Norse mythology
- Science: Zoology; continuation of garden and nature studies
- Music: Singing; recorder
- Art: Advanced form drawing; painting; beeswax modeling
- Foreign Language: Spanish immersion (basic grammar; masculine and feminine; verb conjugation)
- Handwork: Cross-stitch; embroidery; braiding (creating patterns from front to back)
- History & Social Studies: California and local history
- Geography: California and local geography; map making
Fifth Grade
Waldorf teachers often call the fifth grade year the “golden heart of childhood.” Fifth grade teachers often enjoy the ability to engage in class discussions of the material and may even engage in a bit of Socratic discussion; deeply wrestling with the larger picture questions that humans have faced for thousands of years. The year often begins with mythology from ancient India culminating in the biography of Siddhartha (Buddha). Fifth graders then study the histories of early Persia, Mesopotamia, and Egypt before arriving in ancient Greek civilization. They engage in a relatively comprehensive study of Botany, beginning with the simplest of plant life. They learn how plants reproduce; draw technical diagrams and create beautiful paintings, sketches, and pastels. Geography expands to the North American continent and the early history of the United States.
Fifth Graders at Woodland Star learn:
- Math: Decimals; fractions; metric system
- Literature & Grammar: Ancient stories; elements of grammar; continuing cursive; punctuation; compositions
- Science: Botany; Inductive Method; reproductive systems; continuation of garden and nature studies
- Music: Singing; recorder; rhythm (drums)
- Art: Calligraphy; painting; clay modeling; woodworking; crafts
- Foreign Language: Spanish continued (grammar; past and future tenses; reading simple stories)
- Handwork: Knitting in the round; knitting socks, hats, or mittens (develop and follow written instructions)
- History & Social Studies: Ancient civilizations through Greek times
- Geography: American geography as related to vegetation, agriculture, culture, and economics
