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Grades |
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| Madrona School welcomes families and students of any race, religion, national or ethnic origin to all of its programs, classes and activities. |
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"The heart of the Waldorf method is the conviction that education is an art - it must speak to the child's experience. To educate the whole child, his heart must be reached as well as his mind."
-- Rudolf Steiner
The Grades Curriculum
The Waldorf curriculum is one of extraordinary scope and richness, fully integrating the sciences, humanities and arts. In the grades program, the focus of each morning is the two hour main lesson, in which one core academic subject is taught for several weeks at a time.
Each subject block is approached in a variety of ways, studied in depth and enlivened with the arts. For example, first grade blocks include letter forms and sounds and the four arithmetic processes, taught through songs, games and physical activities. Sixth grade blocks include poetry, drama, mineralogy, astronomy, and economics.
Students design, write and illustrate their own main lesson books on each subject. In the afternoon, specialty teachers bring foreign language, games, instrumental music and singing, handwork and eurhythmy to the program each week.
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At Madrona School, the uniqueness of each child is appreciated and encouraged. The Waldorf method serves a variety of learning styles – visual, aural and kinesthetic. Learning happens naturally and rhythmically in a non-competitive environment. Traditional grading systems are replaced with written evaluations of student progress.
Ideally, the teacher takes a class through many grades. This provides an opportunity for developing deep, meaningful relationships between students, their families and their teacher.
As well as educating the mind and cultivating artistic skills, we seek to establish healthy growth and habits. Daily rhythms in the classroom teach important lessons in self-discipline. Fine and large motor skills are consciously developed through handwork, games, sports and the unique movement art of eurhythmy.
Through the years, each child learns to knit, sew, weave, model with beeswax and clay, work with wood, and play the recorder. Attention to the earth’s yearly rhythms and a strong connection to the natural world develops through outdoor play and exploration, gardening, seasonal stories and festival celebrations.
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