Grade School (1st-8th)
The core principles of Waldorf Education are that knowledge is best acquired through experimental and academic learning. Waldorf education fosters the ability to think with clarity, feel with compassion, and initiate change with confidence.
The students start the morning with Main Lesson, taught by their class teacher. Planned around a block system of three- to six-week sessions, the main lesson allows for comprehensive study of core academic subjects, including math, language arts, history, geography, and science. The intellectual, artistic, and practical realms are present in both the overall curriculum and within each lesson. For example, literacy is fostered through drama, artistic work, writing, and beautiful recitation of poetry. Math instruction is based in academic concepts which are experienced through real world application, to create a tangible understanding of the quality of numeracy.
The Grade School curriculum is interdisciplinary by design. Working alongside the class teacher, a group of specialist teachers introduces the primary school student to the other areas of the curriculum throughout the course of the day. These areas include foreign language, handwork (development of fine motor skills as well as laying the foundations for pattern recognition and coding), gardening (connecting students to the environment as well as responsible and sustainable citizenship), music, visual arts, Eurythmy, and movement and games.
Curriculum Overview
Guide to Benchmarks
Guide to Benchmarks
“Today’s children need to be equipped to handle the many challenges and demands of the rapidly changing and complex world they will face as adults. The capacities they will need include a strong sense of integrity, the ability to develop relationships and to work well with others, the capacity for imagination and creative problem solving, and intellectual curiosity. Waldorf Education, with its focus on supporting the growth of all aspects of the child, is uniquely suited to support the development of these capacities, and is why my husband and I chose this education for our children.” —Janine C., former WSP school administrator and parent