Syringa Mountain School Curriculum 2015-16 Introduction The following curriculum was created for Syringa Mountain School (SMS) based on the curriculum taught in traditional Waldorf schools. A few changes have been made to the traditional private Waldorf school curriculum in order to stay true to the mission and vision of SMS. Other differences are minor and have been included in order to meet the Common Core Standards. The curriculum is presented by grade level and by block or unit of study. Each grade begins with a listing of the blocks to be taught that year and is followed by an overview of what children are like at that particular age and gives the reader a short introduction to that phase of child development. A brief summary of the block follows. Next the Common Core Standards and/or the Idaho State Standards are listed. These are the standards that will be met during the unit of study. Then the blocks are broken down by weeks. Suggestions for how and what to teach each week are given. Finally, a list of teacher resources round out the block. The curriculum by no means is meant to be followed exactly. It is a guide and a resource. Should the teacher wish to bring the unit of study to her class in a different way, it would be perfectly fine as long as the standards were met and the teaching methodology was developmentally appropriate. It should also be noted that the curriculum is a working document and it is expected that it will evolve over time. Thank you to Dr. Mary Goral and Tomorrow River Community Charter School for their work creating this curriculum and for allowing us to use this resource. 1 Syringa Mountain School Curriculum 2015-16 First Grade First Grade Block Rotation 1st Grade (Blocks are 4 weeks long) Form Drawing Reading, Phonics and Writing through Fairy tales Quality of Numbers/Number Sense Reading, Phonics and Writing through Fairy Tales 4 Processes Class Play (Drama) Reading, Phonics, and Writing through Fairy Tales Basic Facts to 100 (all 4 processes) Overview of First Grade Curriculum The first grade child is quite ready to undertake the tasks of literacy development and mathematical reasoning. As the child enters first grade, literacy development comes more clearly into focus through the language arts curriculum. Instruction centers around storytelling, particularly the archetypal fairy tales, which will develop the child’s growing capacity for writing and reading. Listening and speaking is deepened by daily circle activities, as well as through the recall and retelling of stories. Children also practice balance, handedness, directionality and precision in the gross motor movements while reciting poems, rhymes, and songs during the morning circle. Writing arises from drawing and from the practice of the alphabet as a combination of the straight and curved lines. Much care is taken in the initial stage of writing to prepare the children for success. Penmanship, recognition and distinction of letters, words, and sentences, are all emphasized. Games that encourage concepts of print, visual tracking, matching oral and printed words and phonemic awareness are introduced and assessed formatively to help guide instruction. Students become increasingly capable of writing and reading high frequency words as the first grade year progresses. The teacher presents the study of these words in the context of compelling and age-appropriate stories. This work is done during the main lesson as well as practice periods. Mathematics is taught from the whole to the part and is brought to the students through imaginative storytelling. Students also use art, movement, music, mental games, and manipulatives to help create a learning context for the understanding of numeric concepts. The four processes are taught by the personification of each sign (i.e. Perceival Plus, Moira Minus, Tamara Times, and Duke Demi Divide). By adding feeling and emotion to the mathematical processes, children can better relate to these abstract concepts. Science concepts are taught through nature studies and by immersing the children in the outdoors. First grade is a time for children to explore in all aspects of the curriculum. 2 Syringa Mountain School Curriculum 2015-16 First Grade – Form Drawing The first block of first grade traditionally focuses on form drawing – the straight line and the curved line. Now that students are in the first grade, they should have developed a “coordination of the balance and movement senses” (Embrey-Stine & Schuberth, 1999, p. 1). The straight line actually has a connection with the uprightness of the child and the child’s ego where as the curved line has a softer feeling and is more connected with the environment. All things learned in school, from reading letters and numbers to writing algorithms and essays stem from the straight and curved line. Although it may seem like a simple concept, it is actually quite profound and students will take this first block seriously, as they will sense the innate importance of it. In addition to practicing the straight and curved line, students will hear stories, sing songs, be introduced to their pentatonic flute, learn the routine and rules of the classroom, and generally begin to get used to being a student in the first grade and building a community. Learning the pentatonic flute in the first grade supports the child’s growth in many ways. Holding the instrument at the vertical midline while right and left hands function independently, strengthens neural pathways leading to dominance. Children practice balance, handedness, directionality, and precision in the gross motor movements while reciting poems, rhymes, songs, and stories. Many of the activities in the first grade and in this first block set the tone for building a community of learners – from playing flutes together to moving in tandem in the circle, this first block sets the tone for the year and it is imperative that teachers establish a strong routine from the very beginning. First graders are eager to learn new things and take on new responsibilities, so giving them jobs is also key to their feeling “grown-up”. Common Core Standards: Reading Literature Key Ideas and Details 1. Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. * 2. Retell stories, including key details and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson. 3. Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. *These standards will apply to stories that the teacher tells the children. Craft and Structure 4. Identify words and phrases in stories or poems that suggest feelings or appeal to the senses. 5. Explain major differences between books that tell stories and books that give information, drawing on a wide reading of a range of text types. ** 6. Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text. **This standard will be met in grade 2 Integration of Knowledge and Ideas 7. Use illustrations and details in a story to describe its characters, setting, or events. 8. Compare and Contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories. Speaking and Listening Standards Comprehension and Collaboration 3 Syringa Mountain School Curriculum 2015-16 1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). b. Build on others’ talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges. c. Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion. 2. Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. 3. Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood. Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas 4. Describe people, places, things and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly. 5. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings. 6. Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation. (See grade 1 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.) Language Standards Conventions of Standard English 1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. a. Print all upper- and lowercase letters. b. Use common, proper, and possessive nouns. c. Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We hop). d. Use personal, possessive, and indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; they, them, their; anyone, everything). e. Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future (e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home). f. Use frequently occurring adjectives. g. Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, so, because). h. Use determiners (e.g., articles, demonstratives). i. Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during, beyond, toward). Week One: Begin the morning lesson with a well-crafted circle (following the greeting, morning verse, attendance) that has a lovely balance of songs, poems, movement, all of which contain feelings that span the range of happy and sad, serious and silly. Even in the morning circle, there is a breathing in and breathing out, a certain rhythm, that appeals to the child’s sense of well-being. The teacher can then introduce the pentatonic flute This is a very important exercise and if the teacher wants to wait on this, that is understandable. Following the circle, begin with a story that contains something that will portray the straight line and the curved line.