Seventh Grade
updated January 1, 2023
Recorded here is my own personal collection of articles, resources, favorite links, teaching ideas, and lesson plans. It encompasses many years, from the very beginning of my experience studying and learning about Waldorf to the present time. People from all around the world visit my site and recommend it to others. Welcome!
This site records my journey. I hope my honesty is encouraging and helps break down some barriers that may prevent people from trying Waldorf methods. Because this is an ongoing site documenting my curriculum planning and ideas, some materials are more Waldorf-y than others. Please feel free to take what you like and leave the rest.
Class Seven in Waldorf Education
Mission Statement - Consulting Services - Lending Library
Notes on Schedule of Main Lesson Blocks
Everyone does it differently, and you don't have to think of the main lesson topics as "subjects" because many of them are interdisciplinary.
I labeled them to the left but it is a bit arbitrary.
However,
I find it helpful to give them rough categories so that I can be sure we are balanced in the kinds of thinking we practice throughout the school year.
Each discipline has different habits of mind, and I like to rotate between them. Alan Whitehead suggests this, although he suggests using three-week long blocks. We do a nine month school
year with month-long blocks: two blocks of each subject plus a class play each year.
Some people begin the study of Human Anatomy & Physiology in grade 7 and conclude it in grade 8.
If you want to do two blocks of it in grade 7, you may want to combine
the Age of Exploration and the Renaissance & Reformation into one block (in my notes,
this is how we did it the first time).
You can also do the Human Body all in one block, lickety split, in which case
you may want to look at my notes for doing it as a Summer Camp topic.
I'm starting to feel compelled to create an optional Microbiology block, and I feel 7th grade is a good
place to put this since Microbes and the origins of life is ALL Chemistry, and Microbes are
essential to understanding the Human Body as well. You could put Microbes in this year
and move all of Human Anatomy & Physiology in grade 8, or you could include
Microbiology with Chemistry.
I put Calligraphy in 7th grade to be balancing between the Keyboarding of grade 6 and the Computer
Programming of grade 8. It also goes well with the Creative Writing block, as well
as with the Renaissance. And even Ratios!
Roberto Trostli argues for continuing a deeper study of Sound, Light,
Heat, and Electromagnetism in addition to taking up Simple Machines. See the notes on the
Physics Overview page. If you would like to do something like build a trebuchet, for example,
you can combine the study of Simple Machines with the study of Ratios and make the Science and Math connections. If you're
going to do Sound, Light, Heat, and Electromagnetism along with Simple Machines I would NOT also throw Ratios in there.
Perhaps you might consider an order like this...
Physics (Simple Machines, Ratios); World Geography (Africa); Human Anatomy & Physiology I; Creative Writing; Age of Discovery I;
Chemistry & Microbiology; Algebra & Geometry; Age of Discovery II; Human Anatomy & Physiology II
A Peek into the Classroom
Morning Verse for Upper Grades
Gallery of Chalkboard Drawings in the Waldorf Classroom grades 1 - 8
Waldorf/Steiner Main Lessons and Main Lesson Blocks VERY helpful article
from the Sophia Institute Online Waldorf Teacher Training program
- The Main Lesson - Principles and Features
- The Main Lesson - Structure
- The Main Lesson - Rhythm
- The Main Lesson - Planning a Main Lesson Block
- Sample Template for Waldorf/Steiner Main Lesson Block
samples from the Seventh Grade Curriculum by Live Education!
General Waldorf Resources
The Education of the Child in the Light of
Anthroposophy
article by Rudolf Steiner
How To Create, Tell, and Recall a Story
Four Ways to Connect with Storytelling
blog post - Simplicity Parenting
Overview of Childhood Characteristics - includes the four temperaments
article by David Mitchell
Blackboard Sketching book
by
Frederick Whitney (1908)
available online for free - with step by step directions and illustrations
How to Bind a Main Lesson Book
Main Lesson Book
pages shared by Christopherus Homeschool Resources
browse through my collection of Pinterest Boards
with chalkboard drawings and main lesson book pages for many main lesson blocks
Movement for Childhood - wonderful site!
Waldorf Today Newsletter
very interesting & free weekly newsletter sent via email each Monday
Block Rotations Grades 1 - 8 (PDF)
by Jamie York
Summary of Math Skills for Grades 1 through 8 (PDF)
by Jamie York
A Grades 1 through 8 Math Curriculum Overview (PDF)
by Jamie York
Word Problems in Grades 1 through 8 (PDF)
by Jamie York
Jamie York has a BUNCH of free resources on his site including sample math MLB pages for grades 1-11,
and lesson plans and assessments for grades 1-5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.
Waldorf Science Newsletter - issues available in PDF format
page 13 of Vol.1 has a Science Curriculum in the Waldorf School Grades 1-8 overview / one page handout, and
page 14 has
the same for the Waldorf High School Grades 9-12
World Geography and Waldorf Education
blog post - Switzerite
When Should My Child Begin Music Lessons?
article by Sarah Baldwin
The Spiritual Gifts of Handwork
blog post - Knitting with Children
"Foundations of Waldorf Education" Series Notes
FREE links to all 25 volumes in this series of educational writings by Rudolf Steiner
DO NOT MISS The Online Waldorf Library's tremendous selection of Waldorf education books
converted into PDFs and available for FREE download! You can literally save $1000's of dollars!
Curriculum Planning
Becca's 7th grade year
2017-2018
Becca had a background of Waldorf homeschooling (6th grade), progressive school (4th and 5th grades), traditional public school (2nd grade), and Montessori school (PK, PK, K, K, and 3rd grades).
She skipped 1st grade because the public school wanted to put her back with her peers.
I, on the other hand, was happy with the second year of Kindergarten and wanted her to be 7 when she started first grade.
When we decided to homeschool for her second year of middle school, I picked
Resources & Recommendations Specific to Seventh Grade
Literature
Composition
Mathematics
See my Middle School Math booklist
And my suggestions for Math Daily Skills practice
And my NEW pages for Ratios and
Natural Dyeing
- Teaching about Money
blog post - Switzerite
- Entire Algebra & Geometry main lesson block plan from Jamie York (PDF)
- First Steps in Proven Geometry for the Upper Elementary Grades by Ernst Schuberth
available as a FREE download from the Online Waldorf Library
- Geometry and the Imagination by A. Renwick Sheen
available as a FREE download from the Online Waldorf Library
 
A fun note:
In the "Publisher's Perspective" by Anita Silvey, part of the introduction to the Curious George anthology, we found out that one year -- in 1945 -- the story of Curious George actually sold negative-six copies! Yes, this is possible. Bookstores returned more copies to the publishers than they bought. If you are teaching Algebra in Seventh Grade, this would be a wonderful way to introduce negative numbers! Jamie York suggests that negative numbers NOT be introduced using a number line, which then either becomes a crutch or becomes a source of confusion (such as why a negative times a negative is a positive). He suggests real life examples, like thinking about a bank account and how you could write a check for more money than you have in the bank and, thus, have a negative balance. I appreciate that idea but I love the Curious George story even more because it is a wonderfully quirky real-life example!
Chemistry
Physics
History
Age of Exploration, Renaissance, Reformation
World Geography / Foreign Language online resources
-
One of my daughters is using Destinos and Duolingo to help her learn Spanish.
We've also found some useful practice activities on TpT, which has a weekly middle school newsletter.
- Another one of my daughters is using Duolingo to help her learn German.
- And one of the children in my homeschool co-op is also using Duolingo for French.
General Resouces
Literature & Composition
History
Handwork
This is an excellent year to introduce macrame, as a tie-in with the Age of Exploration.
Macrame for Kids
Drawing, Painting, Modeling
Class Plays
Is there a subject you're having a hard time finding resources for? Please
contact the Yahoo Group for suggestions from our members or consider
hiring a consultant.
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