Grades 1-5

Grades Programming

The uniqueness of Waldorf education lies in how the children are taught. Whether the subject is fractions, local geography, Egyptian mythology, or cursive writing, the class teacher brings learning to life through vivid stories, active inquiry, and absorbing hands-on experiences that heighten students’ curiosity and engage their feelings, motivation, and intellect. An eagerness to learn unfolds and evolves as they fine-tune their self-discipline and self-expressive abilities. Through this holistic approach, teachers encourage and inspire students, helping them to develop imagination, emotional depth, will, and a sense of service so that they can meet the challenges of the world as caring and productive adults.

Daily Schedule, Monday through Friday, 8:30 am – 3pm

Each day core academic subjects are presented in a morning main lesson explored over a period of weeks (blocks). Movement, verse, and song preface each lesson, helping to foster social and physical awareness and to make minds and bodies agile and receptive for learning. Rather than using textbooks, children create their own main lesson books, first with colorful crayons and later with colored pencils. A morning snack and recess provide a necessary break, or “breathing out,” after the main lesson.

In the afternoons children participate in specialty, or subject, classes whose themes are integrated into the main lesson curriculum. For example, fifth-graders studying Greek mythology learn the ancient Greek Olympic sports in Games/Movement class and later participate in a Greek pentathlon event. First-graders learn the same fairy tales in their afternoon Spanish class that they heard previously in their morning lesson. Other subject classes include chorus, woodworking, strings ensemble, and handwork. Afternoon activities also include the class teacher’s review of main lesson work and instruction in painting, modeling, and nature studies.

Curriculum

All Waldorf Grades students explore the essential subjects of reading, writing, and mathematics through the following rich and classical, academic curriculum.

1st Grade—Pictorial and phonetic introduction to letters. Form drawing. Reading approached through writing. Qualities of numbers and introduction of the four processes in arithmetic and multiplication tables. Fairy tales, folktales, and nature stories.

2nd Grade—Reading through writing and recitation, basic elements of grammar. Solidification of the processes of arithmetic. Form drawing. Nature study through observation. Heroes, heroines, saints, legends, and animal fables.

3rd Grade—Reading, spelling, original compositions, and cursive writing. Form drawing. Higher multiplication tables, weights, measures, and money. Study of practical life: farming, housing, clothing. Hebrew stories introduce the subject of history.

4th Grade—Composition, reading, letter writing, and grammar. Form drawing. Local geography and mapmaking. Local history. Study of the animal kingdom. Fractions and decimals. Norse mythology and sagas.

5th Grade—American geography related to vegetation, agriculture, and economics; composition, grammar, spelling, and reading; arithmetic, decimals, and ratio and proportion; botany and form drawing. Greek myths and Egyptian and other ancient civilizations through Greek times.

After-school programming is available from 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

For more information, please contact the office at (607) 273-5184, email ithacawaldorf@gmail.com, or visit our Admissions page to download an application.