Curriculum
Child Development Informs Our Waldorf Curriculum K-8
The gradual development of the whole child (head, heart and hands) undergirds every principle of Waldorf-inspired education. As such, Winterberry works to honor the healthy unfolding of our children. The Waldorf-inspired curriculum at Winterberry can be seen as an ascending spiral. Each day, a strong foundation is laid for future learning. And each day, children learn optimally as teachers build on the previous foundation through relationship and an inherent love of learning.
The Waldorf Common Core Curriculum Alignment and Handbook prepared by the Alliance for Public Waldorf Education shows how and when the progression of traditional Waldorf curriculum dovetails with Common Core Standards. Winterberry is a current member of the Alliance.
Kindergarten: Building Foundations | Develop relationships through structured play and free creativity. Learn through imitation. Children play at cooking; they sing, paint and color; model beeswax, build forts and little worlds with silks and wood. This play-based experience builds social awareness, powers of concentration, interest and a lifelong love of learning. |
Grade 1: Academic Journey Begins | With their physical bodies now basically developed, children are ready to begin work with their minds. Children are more able to imagine and think actively. Teachers create a classroom rhythm and cultivate a spirit of respect and group cohesion, which will carry the class through their grade school years. |
Grade 2: Emerging Awareness | The teacher builds step-by-step on shared foundations. Students possess an emerging a sense of themselves, as well as a growing awareness of those around them. They begin to recognize the impact of individual actions. |
Grade 3: Hands-on Discovery | Around age 9, students begin to think more independently and critically. Sensing that one day they will make their own way in the world, they’re inspired to learn the practicalities of everyday life. For most children, this is an awakening to the world around them leading to a transformative phase or “crossing over.” |
Grade 4: Adventure & Curiosity | Fourth graders are becoming more independent, developing a curiosity about the world and how people choose to live in it. The “hero” emerges through literature at an age when miraculous feats, as well as human emotions and struggle capture attention. They’re eager to work and ready to take up the complexity of new subjects. |
Grade 5: Time of Harmony | With new capacities for thought and reflection, fifth graders are excited begin their study of human history, world geography and ancient civilizations. Students possess an emerging sense of community and personal responsibility and are creative, confident and eager to work cooperatively. |
Grade 6: Venture into the Unknown | The sixth grader experiences a deepening power of objective judgment, an enhanced ability to understand cause and effect, and a growing orientation towards the outer world. This is the gateway to pre-adolescence and idealism. The curriculum aims to ground students, inspire them to venture out toward the unknown and offer insight into their quest in life. |
Grade 7: Voyages of Exploration & Reflection | Seventh graders reach a stage of self-reflection and introspection. They are eager for knowledge, independence and social connection. The Renaissance, Reformation, Scientific Revolution and Age of Exploration are a major academic focus and they read biographies of historical figures who challenged prevailing views in search of truth, freedom and self-expression. |
Grade 8: Intellectual Awakening | Students have developed strong observational skills and reasoning abilities. They serve as role models for younger students and work productively on class projects and performances, as well as independent research, writing and presentation. |