Sixth, Seventh, Eighth Grade ~ and beyond

Sixth Grade

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As children approach age eleven or twelve, changes begin to take place in their physical bodies. One of the most subtle is a hardening of the bones.  With the increasing awareness of their physical bodies, the time is right for the study of the physical body of the earth.  Geology turns to the structure of the earth, and proceeds to minerals, metals, and finally gems and crystals.  Sixth grade history follows the transition from ancient to modern history.  Students study the decline of Greece, the rise and fall of Rome, and the effects of these two great cultures on European civilization up through the Middle Ages. The Roman epoch epitomizes in an historical sense what the children are experiencing in their bodies. Of all ancient peoples the Romans most strongly dominated their physical world. All their accomplishments - cities, roads, aqueducts, the Roman army and their conquest of the Western world - match a feeling of omnipotence that the sixth grader has: "I can do anything!" Yet equally important for the children is the example of how the excesses of the Roman period led to the fall of the Empire and the Dark Ages, which were illuminated by the new religion of Christianity. Students study astronomy with the movement of the sun, moon, and stars, the equator, constellations and planets. By observing the phases of the moon, seasonal changes, and the varying relationship of the stars to the earth, the students make a connection between conditions of the earth and the heavens.

We suggest the following books and supplies for the Sixth Grade Year:

Books
Ancient Greece (Charles Kovacs) Vividly narrative stories from Ancient Greece paint a literary picture of Grecian accomplishments including the fearless deeds of the Greek Gods as well as the birth of modern medicine, philosophy, and science
Homer's Odyssey (Isabel Wyatt) An evocative re-telling of one of the greatest stories in literature
Ancient Rome (Charles Kovacs) Rome from founding to fall
Tales the Harper Sang (Isabel Wyatt) Stories of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table
The Islamic Year: Surahs, Stories, and Celebrations (Noorah Al-Gailani) Describes major Muslim festivals vividly with stories and craft ideas.  A unique and valuable resource
A Phenomena Based Physics Books 1 and 2 (Manfred vonMackensen) Useful manual for the study of physics

Supplies
Main lesson books
Large, good-quality colored pencils such as Lyra
Good quality artists pencils such as Caran D'ache
Beeswax block crayons
Stockmar watercolor paint
Paint brushes
Good quality watercolor paper
A painting board and resealable glass jars
Carving knives and wood
Sewing supplies
Additional natural craft materials

Seventh Grade

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Seventh grade signals a very important change in the development of the child. Externally, the body is usually in the throes of puberty, while internally, a new "soul force" is born - that of the intellect. Again the curriculum appropriately mirrors this development with the Renaissance.  The students are exposed to a new stage in human consciousness in what was still a largely untamed Europe. Crude villages, monastery life, and castles that once had been the center of European life gave way to the birth of cities, as the arts, trades and commerce took on a new importance. Religious fervor swept Europe, leading to the rise of the great Gothic cathedrals, as well as the crusades and the Spanish Inquisition. The students see remarkable advances in the arts, culture, science and politics. Science focuses on  physics which is often divided into five sections: sound, heat, magnetism, electricity, and light. Through the physics curriculum, children learn to observe a phenomenon during an experiment and write about it the following day. In anatomy, the class studies the muscular and skeletal systems of the human being. The  physiology block seeks to balance solid, fundamental scientific understanding with an appreciation for the artistry of form and movement within the body of man. Applications from physics, such as pulleys, are applied to the workings of the human being's physical form.

We suggest the following books and supplies for the Seventh Grade Year:

Books
The Age of Discovery (Charles Kovacs) An overview of history from the time of the Crusades to the Renaissance
Muscles and Bones (Charles Kovacs) Human Physiology and anatomy including health and hygiene
Mathematics Around Us (John Blackwood) Geometry in nature

Supplies
Main lesson books
Good quality artist's pencils such as Caran D'Ache
Beeswax block crayons
Stockmar watercolor paint
Paint brushes
Good quality watercolor paper
A painting board and resealable glass jars
Carving knives, wood-working tools, wood
Natural clay
Sewing supplies
Additional natural craft materials

Eighth Grade

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The goal of the eighth grade history curriculum is to bring history up to the present. Students begin with a study of revolutionary American and European history.  Highlights of the first history block are the American Revolution and the French Revolution. The history curriculum addresses the inner changes going on within the students, and the need to develop social forms that accommodate their emerging individuality. The curriculum accomplishes this by looking at history through the building up and deterioration of social forms.The science curriculum adds chemistry, which focuses on combustion and the effects of fire and acid (a fine reflection of the developmental stage of the students).  Eighth grade chemistry asks students to expand their vision of the earth and its properties. Transformation is the underlying theme as is the interplay of elements found in nature and the human being. Through the study of combustion, salts, acids, the lime cycle, and the universal solvent, water, the students are given the opportunity to experience transformation through careful experimentation and detailed observations.

We suggest the following books and supplies for the Eighth Grade Year:

Books
The Age of Revolution (Charles Kovacs) World History from the 18th to 20th Centuries including French, American,and Industrial Revolutions
The Wonders of Waldorf Chemistry (David S Mitchell) Helpful and practical manual for teaching chemistry with a Waldorf approach
Mathmatics in Space and Time (John Blackwood) Eighth grade geometry

Supplies
Main lesson books
Good quality artist's pencils such as Caran D'Ache
Beeswax block crayons
Stockmar watercolor paint
Paint brushes
Good quality watercolor paper
A painting board and resealable glass jars
Carving knives, wood-working tools, wood
Natural clay
Sewing supplies
Additional natural craft materials