Grade School at Mulberry

Inspired most deeply through their feelings, Grade School students respond powerfully to what is beautiful in the world, this feeling for beauty is cultivated by the tools and approaches used in their main lesson work. Learn more about our Grades 1-5 and 6-8 curriculum.

The morning begins with music and verse and then moves into a two-hour main lesson. Each main lesson block is a deep immersion in a particular academic subject including fine arts, science, mathematics, humanities, language arts, and languages. The block, lasting three or four weeks, is shaped and enlivened by the teacher through music, poetry, painting, drawing, movement and drama. This allows the whole child to become absorbed in the subject matter: head, heart and hands. This approach also allows for freshness and enthusiasm, and a concentrated, in-depth experience with each subject area as well as time for integration and reflection before the subjects are reviewed.

​When our students reach Grade One, they are given a plant. 
They water them and watch them grow. 
Just as these plants grow and change, so do the children.

The class teacher delivers the main academic subjects, coordinates with specialty teachers, and provides the link between home and school. The class teacher encourages mutual respect, love and understanding; and strives for a deep recognition of each student’s individual needs, which helps to develop their full potential.
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​As a vital part of learning, the students create their own workbooks for each subject, recording and illustrating the substance of the teacher's research and presentation. These books are an important way in which art is integrated into every subject. These colourful, very individualized books reflect the progress of each student and are not only a record of what has been studied, but a method of inquiry, increasing the students’ capacities for creativity and for knowledge. They are a unique and vital part of Waldorf education.

Grade School Main Lesson

Fine Arts

Fine arts, including drama, painting, music, drawing and sculpting are integrated into all subjects, including mathematics and the sciences. The Waldorf method of integrating the arts throughout the curriculum awakens imagination, and creative and flexible thinking, which brings vitality and wholeness to learning.

Science
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Science is taught experientially. The teacher sets up an experiment, then calls upon the students to observe and discuss their findings so that they can understand the underlying scientific principles. This process cultivates observation skills, inquiry, and critical thinking. The sciences begin with Nature Studies in the early grades and then move to more challenging subjects such as zoology, botany, chemistry, astronomy, physiology, and physics.

Mathematics

In the lower grades, mathematics is introduced through stories, art, song, and movement. Number bonds, the four processes, number problems, and place value are practiced daily using manipulatives and movement. Students progress to multiplication tables, word problems, measurement, time, and money. Fractions, long division, rounding, and decimals are introduced and mental arithmetic and games are continued to help strengthen skills. In middle school, students learn business math, geometry, and algebra to build analytical and critical thinking in preparation for high school. A gentle start with a strong finish!

Humanities

The humanities curriculum begins in Preschool and is developed through the use of great stories of the world which reflects a diversity of cultures and the evolution of humanity. The stories selected at each grade reflect the specific stage of child development and serve as a guide for age appropriate striving and sense of purpose. The humanities curriculum begins in Preschool and Kindergarten with fairy tales and stories from around the world. Grade School students are immersed in fables, as well as Indigenous legends, Old Testament stories, and Norse and Greek mythologies. These students travel through the full sweep of the world’s cultural heritage, from studying ancient Roman and Greek cultures, to learning about North and South American, Asian, European, Middle Eastern, and African cultures, geography, and history. By experiencing these cultures through their legends, literature, architecture, music, inventions, and art, our students gain a deep understanding and appreciation for the rich diversity of humankind.

Language Arts

In our Early Childhood programs, children develop a rich oral vocabulary through stories, songs, games, and poems. Special attention is given to the development of fine motor skills through activities such as lacing, finger knitting and sewing. In the Grade School, topics, such as letters of the alphabet in Grade 1, are introduced through engaging stories and beautiful art. Learning to read and write is accompanied by daily phonetic work in songs, poems, and games that help to establish a joyful, living experience of the language. Progressive development in language arts is built through a myriad of grammar, spelling, poetry, creative writing, drama, research skills, and diverse literature.

​Grade School Specialties

French

Learning the French language begins in Early Childhood through songs and rhymes. In the early grades, a wide basic vocabulary is learned through oral repetition using songs, stories and puppet shows. Children make crafts or drawings in their ‘’Grand Cahier de Français” (French book) as words and usages are playfully absorbed into memory. This lays a foundation for students to grasp exact meanings, progress to written language and explore the culture and history the French language describes as they progress through the Grade School. In the upper grades, grammar and exact usage are introduced while the underlying focus remains to experience the living qualities of language through oral expressions such as poetry, dialogues and singing. Students become well-adept in the French language and are prepared after Grade Eight to transition to high school.

Handwork

Handwork has immense benefits for the growing brain as it both trains the awareness and dexterity of both hands and promotes a child’s cognitive development. As children knit, sew or crochet, they are developing fine motor skills that help make their brains stronger and better at mastering new skills and subjects. Throughout Grade One to Grade Eight, students make different items each year, from a braided belt and a knitted recorder case in Grade One to moccasin slippers and pyjama pants in the upper grades. Incorporating handwork into the Waldorf curriculum aligns with our mission to exercise children’s brains in new ways, helping them succeed in other facets of education and life. ​​

Grade 1 - recorder cases

Grade 2 - pencil cases

Grade 3 - hats

Grade 4/5 - wooden mice

Grade 5 - knitted socks

Grade 6 - hedgehog

Grade 7 - moccasins

Music

According to Rudolf Steiner, the human being is a musical being, and the making of music is essential in experiencing what it is to be fully human. Music education is informed by the stages of childhood development and helps meet the needs of students as they grow. Singing is also infused throughout the day. Students are introduced to different elements of music throughout their education, such as singing in choir, playing recorder, music notation and playing violin. Music in the Waldorf curriculum awakens and nurtures the deep inner life of the child.  
To read an overview of the Waldorf music curriculum, including a brief description of the music activities in each grade according to the understanding of child development, click here.

Physical Education

​Mulberry Waldorf School’s Physical Education program aims to cultivate a healthy balance of skill development and enjoyment of healthy movement. In the early grades, there is a focus on spatial awareness, as well as fine and gross motor skills through different games that emphasize imagery, story, rhythm and imitation. In the later grades, students learn the nobility of sport through the Ancient Greek games of javelin, discus, long-jumping, wrestling and running. Students are then introduced to team sports such as soccer, volleyball and basketball after they have learned the importance of working with each other, rather than against. All students are encouraged to participate in all aspects of Physical Education.