To learn more about Whidbey Island Waldorf School or come for a tour or a walk through the Grades, please reach out through the button below.
Grades 6-8
Note: we have an Early Release day (Wednesday at 1pm) each week at WIWS for the Grades students.
6th grade - astronomy
Grade 6:
The sixth grade is a firm, intentional step into the outer world. It is an arrival upon this earth. As children approach eleven or twelve, changes begin in their physical bodies. One of the most subtle is a hardening of the bones. Young people are more aware of gravity and weight. With the increasing awareness of their physical bodies the time is right for the study of the physical body of the earth.
this year’s grade 6/7th Curriculum includes:
Ancient Rome, Life of Muhammad, Islam, Life of Christ, Medieval Europe & the Crusades, advanced grammar, expository, descriptive, & narrative writing, Latin sayings & proverbs, Spanish, mathematical equations, percentages, business mathematics, exact geometric drawing, physics, botany, geology, chemistry, geography of North, Central & South America, black and white drawing, painting landscapes, sewing stuffed animals & work aprons, woodworking, bas-relief modeling, two and three part choral singing, descant, alto & tenor recorder, decathlon, team sports & other movement.
Each Grade participates in community service for a particular community organization. Community outreach work by 6th Grade is with Sound Water Stewards.
Regional Waldorf Event - Medieval Games/Decathlon
WIWS is a “Cyber Civics” school. In Grades 6-8 we teach digital literacy using the popular Cyber Civics curriculum which is used in many Waldorf Schools across the country. Cyber Civics emphasizes critical thinking, ethical discussion and decision making about digital media issues, all through role play, hands-on projects and problem solving tasks.
7th grade main lesson book - physics
grade 7
As the seventh grade children enter puberty, they are also adventuring across a basic threshold experience on their way to self-hood. Can they enter this dark unknown territory carrying a flaming torch to allow discovery as they wander and probe? Can they spend their time productively bearing in mind that others behind them also need their light? If their spirit of inquiry and creativity in a social context can be fostered in puberty, they will surely find it sweet to enter adulthood. If it isn't fostered, they may stumble endlessly in the darkness, burdened by excess baggage of self-centeredness, criticism and chaotic emotions. To help them cross this threshold, we present a rich panorama designed to take them out to civilizations and people who share their mood of soul, as well as lead them to a closer look at each one's own environment and inner being.
this year’s 6/7th grade Curriculum includes:
World & European history (1400-1700), Age of Exploration, Reformation, the Renaissance, forms of poetry, research papers, algebra, meteorology, astronomy, chemistry, physiology, physics, geography of Africa & Europe, Spanish, choral singing & orchestra, perspective drawing, Platonic solids, sewing puppets & slippers, woodworking, modeling the human hand & foot in clay, motets, madrigals & oratorios, team sports & other movement.
Each Grade participates in community service for a particular community organization. Community outreach work by 7th Grade is with WIN.
Regional Waldorf Event - Renaissance Fair
WIWS is a “Cyber Civics” school. In Grades 6-8 we teach digital literacy using the popular Cyber Civics curriculum which is used in many Waldorf Schools across the country. Cyber Civics emphasizes critical thinking, ethical discussion and decision making about digital media issues, all through role play, hands-on projects and problem solving tasks.
8th grade main lesson book - history
8th grade main lesson book - anatomy
eighth Grade
The Grade 8 history curriculum strives to span the time from Elizabethan England through the 20th century by looking at the social, political and economic climates surrounding revolutions through individual biographies, art, literature and pertinent readings. Aspects of American history (The Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, Civil and World Wars) become familiar territory. The history of revolutions and its world-wide impact is also explored. Geography takes up the same theme, showing the role played by every part of the earth in modern industrial civilization. A comprehensive picture is given of the relation of mineral resources and plant and animal life to the life of human beings in various regions of the world (world economic geography).
Curriculum includes:
World History (1700 - present), Shakespeare, Napoleon, Industrial Revolution, stories/biographies from many cultures, Spanish, solid geometry, chemistry, physics, physiology, geography of Asia, Australia & Antartica, choral singing & orchestra, black and white drawing with charcoal, sewing a piece of clothing, woodworking, sculpting the human head in clay, Greek wrestling, team sports & more movement.
Each Grade participates in community service for a particular community organization. Community outreach work by 8th Grade is with WIN.
Field Trip - 1 week trip, US location, chosen by teacher/parents/students each year. Often includes rugged camping and service work.
Regional Waldorf Event - MS Dances & Team Sports
WIWS is a “Cyber Civics” school. In Grades 6-8 we teach digital literacy using the popular Cyber Civics curriculum which is used in many Waldorf Schools across the country. Cyber Civics emphasizes critical thinking, ethical discussion and decision making about digital media issues, all through role play, hands-on projects and problem solving tasks.
Waldorf schools, including WIWS, are not no-tech - rather, we are slow-tech.
We encourage placing great value on the intention behind technology use and the ways in which it works as a critical tool in our modern world. Starting in the 6th grade, our students participate in a unique Cyber Civics curriculum that prepares students to be ethical, digital citizens and teaches them to leverage the power of technology. Our alumni speak often to the value of an education that places human connection first, and technology as a tool. So while computers may be used at home to support research in Middle School, we encourage direct inquiry, observation and experience of all subject matters. Our students are experiencing their curriculum immediately through action, observation, contemplation and embodied response.
“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.”
““I think one of my oldest daughter’s favorite blocks was Anatomy & Physiology, in 8th Grade while at WIWS. She went on to become a degreed exercise scientist and is passionate about helping others move, gain strength, heal, and eat nutritiously. She’s now applying to grad schools to continue to follow her passion. She is a life-long lover of learning and I know WIWS inspired her passions and motivation early on.”
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