Morning Verse for Grades 5 - 8

I look out into the world
Wherein there shines the Sun
Where glimmer all the stars,
Where lie the silent stones
The plants that live and grow
The beasts that feel and move
Where man in soul creates
A dwelling for the spirit.
I look inward to the soul
That lives within my being
The spirit of God is weaving
In sunlight and in soul-life
In heights of world without
In depths of soul within.
Spirit of God to thee
I turn myself in seeking
That strength and grace and skill
For learning and for work
May live and grow in me.

Rudolf Steiner

Fifth Grade

What's Taught?
The Waldorf School Curriculum - Grade 5 by Eugene Schwartz

see also
• Books for Fifth Grade from the Baldwin Project
• Samples from the Fifth Grade Curriculum by Live Education!

  A Sample Block Rotation for the Year from Introduction to the Fifth Year

  Brahma the Creator from Ancient India

  Form Drawings Using Iranian Motifs from The Ancient Culture in Persia

  The Fertile Crescent from Ancient Mesopotamia

  The Birth of Isis and Osiris from The Culture of Ancient Egypt

  Know Thyself from Teaching Ancient Greek Mythology

  Algae and Seaweed from Botany

  Discover the Triangles from Geometry and Number

• Ways to Reinforce Geometric Shapes blog post
• Botany:
  Christopherus Homeschool Resources sells a Botany main lesson block
  submitted by Rhoda

  Sacred Flora by Alan Whitehead
  submitted by Rhoda

  Seed Leaf Flower Fruit by MaryJo Koch
  Drawing from the Book of Nature by Dennis Klocek is also a must-have for this block!
  submitted by Rhoda

  Outline of the sexual organs and reproductive cycle of flowering plants
  submitted by Rhoda

  "The Truth About Cauliflory: Flowers That Bloom On Tree Trunks"
  Don't miss this site! It's an absolutely fascinating look at specialization.
  submitted by Rhoda

  medicinal properties of herbs (An Herbal Summer by Tonya Lemos), soapmaking.
  also, Plants that Never Ever Bloom by Ruth Heller
  submitted by Rhoda

• Ancient Egypt:
  Passing through the Netherworld board game (a version of the game of Senet)

  Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw (historical fiction)

  Papyrus Activity Kit from American Museum of Natural History
  (includes two sheets of papyrus plus reeds so you can make one additional sheet)

  Life in Ancient Egypt by Adolf Erman, trans. by H.M. Tirard

• Ancient Greece:
  D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths [ABRIDGED] (Audio Cassette)
  read by Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier, Kathleen Turner, Matthew Broderick
• Geometry:
  Geometric Drawing and the Waldorf School Plan by Hermann von Baravalle

  Waldorf Geometry for Homeschoolers by Barbara Dewey

Sixth Grade

What's Taught?
The Waldorf School Curriculum - Grade 6 by Eugene Schwartz

The Waldorf Clearing House Newsletter devoted an entire issue to the curriculum for Grade 6:

Fall 1977 Issue on the Sixth Grade, Part 1
Fall 1977 Issue on the Sixth Grade, Part 2

see also
• Books for Sixth Grade from the Baldwin Project
• Samples from the Sixth Grade Curriculum by Live Education!

  The Medieval Industrial Revolution from The Middle Ages

  Tullus Hostilius the Third King from Teaching Ancient Roman History

  Lesson Activities 1 - 5 from Lessons for Teaching Ancient Greek History

  How Color Comes Into Being from Heat, Light and Sound: Introduction to Physics

  The Circle of Fire from Mineralogy

  The Path of the Sun from Astronomy

  Six-Fold Symmetry of the Snow Crystal from Nature, Number, and Geometry

• Roman History:
  Christopherus Homeschool Resources sells a Roman History main lesson block
  submitted by Rhoda
• *NEW* Greek Mythology and the Forms of Energy
  free unit materials to download

The following is exclusive content for Waldorf Curriculum members (subscription required):

• *NEW* Rocks and Minerals

Seventh Grade

What's Taught?
The Waldorf School Curriculum - Grade 7 by Eugene Schwartz

see also
• Samples from the Seventh Grade Curriculum by Live Education!

  Quiet Awe of Fallen Snow from Wish Wonder Surprise: English Literature and Creative Writing

  The Grid from Perspective Drawing

  Work, Power, and Energy from Physics II

  Leonardo da Vinci from Renaissance Biographies

  Ferdinand Magellan from The Age of Exploration and Discovery

  Finland from European Geography

  Cartesian Coordinates from Introduction to Algebra

• Handwork:
  to introduce embroidery, read The Bedspread by Sylvia Fair
  "Embroidery 101" is in MS Living February 2001, featuring directions and craft project ideas for backstitch, stem stitch, satin stitch, long and short stitch, blanket stitch, chair stitch, french knot, and cross-stitch (already learned in 4th grade)
  first embroidery project could be a patchwork design of your house with details added in specialty stitches (such as those mentioned in the book) and applique -- after reading this book your kids will be raring to go on making a picture of their own houses
  then move on to an all-embroidery project such as the Bird Embroidered Quilt
  submitted by Rhoda
• English:
  Everything you need to teach the Wish, Wonder, Surprise MLB:
  • Wish, Wonder, Surprise -- wonderful article describing this main lesson block
  • Wish, Wonder, Surprise An Anthology for Creative Writing in Grades Seven and Eight - compiled by Eugene Schwartz
  • The Art and Science of Teaching Composition - by Dorit Winter, which focuses on this block
  submitted by Rhoda
• *NEW* Mathematicians Are People, Too!

Eighth Grade

What's Taught?
The Waldorf School Curriculum - Grade 8 by Eugene Schwartz

see also
• Samples from the Eighth Grade Curriculum by Live Education!

  The Louisiana Purchase from American History in the 19th Century

  The Factory City from Revolutionaries and Romantics: European History

  Plot Development from The Art of the Short Story with Charcoal Drawing

  The Chemistry of the Limestone Cycle from Chemistry

  A Few Facts About American Nutrition from Hygeia: Nutrition and Physiology

  Criticisms of Marxism from World History

• Electronics:
  I'm thinking model trains! how much fun would that be???? so, somewhere there must be a unit on teaching electronics through model trains... has anyone seen something like that?
  submitted by Rhoda
• Food, Nutrition and Health:
  Eric Fairman just published this MLB. Bob & Nancy's Bookshop is carrying it for $18.00.
  submitted by Rhoda

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