Middle School
Waldorf schools are known for thoughtfully teaching students according to their developmental stage.
Middle school students are growing in their understanding of themselves as individuals and are beginning to see their role in the greater world. It is essential that middle school students feel seen and known by their teachers. This is not the time to get lost in the crowd.
We hear a lot of concern from parents about overcrowded classrooms and students being taught “to the test” in traditional schools. With the big changes that middle school students face - emotionally, intellectually, socially - they need to be recognized for their strengths and encouraged in their challenges and struggles. At WWS, the number one thing our teachers express about why they love working at a small school is that they really get to know each of their students - they are champions of each student’s success.
Grade 6
Capital letters indicate main lessons, which are taught in 3–4 week blocks of daily double-period class sessions. In grades 6–8, mathematics and English studies are supplemented by skills classes meeting 2–4 times weekly.
History and Social Studies
ROMAN HISTORY; MIDDLE AGES; ISLAMIC GOLDEN AGE; Christianity; Islam
English
Grammar; note taking; literature; business letters; book reports; vocabulary.
Mathematics
GEOMETRIC DRAWING; BUSINESS MATH; formulas; angle properties; protractor use; measurement; percentage; area and perimeter.
Sciences
ASTRONOMY; MINERALOGY; PHYSICS (sound, light, heat, magnetism, and static electricity).
Spanish
Conversation; reading; writing; geography of the Americas.
Fine and Applied Arts
Black and white drawing; calligraphy; watercolor painting; clay modeling; pastels
Music and Performing Arts
CLASS PLAY; orchestra; Grades 5 & 6 Chorus
Handwork
Hand sewing; creating patterns
Woodwork
Carving salad utensils
Eurythmy
Poetry; scales; rod exercises
Movement Education
Games; fencing; archery; circus arts; tumbling
Technology
Keyboarding; CyberCivics
Note: Each class teacher approaches this general curriculum guide with the freedom to shift and cater it to the particular group of students he or she is teaching.
Grade 7
Capital letters indicate main lessons, which are taught in 3–4 week blocks of daily double-period class sessions. In grades 6–8, mathematics and English studies are supplemented by skills classes meeting 2–4 times weekly.
History and Social Studies
RENAISSANCE; AGE OF EXPLORATION; geography of Europe and Africa
English
POETRY; grammar; short story writing; book/research reports; sentence diagramming; literature; editing and revising; vocabulary
Mathematics
ALGEBRA; signed numbers; statistics; powers and roots; order of operations; area; pi and circumference; metric conversions; Golden Mean
Sciences
PHYSICS (electricity, mechanics); HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY.
Foreign Languages
Spanish or German.
Fine and Applied Arts
Perspective drawing; Renaissance Masters; portrait drawing; pastels and colored pencils; clay modeling
Music and Performing Arts
CLASS PLAY; Grades 7 & 8 orchestra, guitar; Grades 7 & 8 Chorus
Handwork
Handmade dolls with biographies.
Woodwork
Wall clocks; plane craft
Eurythmy
forms; poetry; stories; musical compositions; rods
Movement
Games; basketball; soccer; relays; balance and coordination exercises
Active and Outdoor Education
Combined Grades 7 and 8; rock climbing, canoeing, biking, kayaking, hiking, and ice skating; outdoor camping and wilderness skills including edible plants, fires, and shelter building, first aid, orienteering; cotillion and folk dancing
Technology
Keyboarding; CyberCivics; computer research
Note: Each class teacher approaches this general curriculum guide with the freedom to shift and cater it to the particular group of students he or she is teaching.
Grade 8
Capital letters indicate main lessons, which are taught in 3–4 week blocks of daily double-period class sessions. In grades 6–8, mathematics and English studies are supplemented by skills classes meeting 2–3 times weekly.
History and Social Studies
AMERICAN AND OTHER REVOLUTIONS; 18th – 21st centuries; world geography; geography of Asia
English
Biographical reports; grammar; literature; composition; vocabulary.
Mathematics
PLATONIC SOLIDS; algebra; equations; laws of exponents; polynomials; graphing; ratio and proportion; geometry; Pythagorean Theorem;
Sciences
METEOROLOGY; HUMAN ANATOMY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; AERODYNAMICS AND HYDRAULICS
Foreign Languages
Spanish or German.
Fine and Applied Arts
Printmaking; veil painting; color and black and white transformation; human figure; pastels; clay modeling
Music and Performing Arts
CLASS PLAY; Grades 7 & 8 orchestra, guitar; Grades 7 & 8 Chorus
Handwork
Sewing machine projects
Woodwork
Three-legged stools
Eurythmy
forms; poetry; stories; musical compositions; rods
Movement
Games; basketball; soccer; relays; balance and coordination exercises
Active and Outdoor Education
Combined Grades 7 and 8; rock climbing, canoeing, biking, kayaking, hiking, and ice skating; outdoor camping and wilderness skills including edible plants, fires, and shelter building, first aid, orienteering; cotillion and folk dancing
Technology
CyberCivics
Note: Each class teacher approaches this general curriculum guide with the freedom to shift and cater it to the particular group of students he or she is teaching.
How is this reflected in the curriculum?
Middle school is often a time of turbulent change and intense questioning for students. How does the WWS curriculum meet the students where they are amidst their personal challenges?
Throughout the middle school experience, students receive a broad education in science, humanities, math, handworking, woodworking, music, and physical education. A Hands-on, arts integrated curriculum deepens the students academic learning. Social studies and history lessons resonate with the growth and change the students are experiencing in their early teens. Science classes connect students to a growing understanding of the natural world. The students create woodworking and handworking projects that broaden their self awareness and hone skills and perseverance.
Our Middle School program is part of our the Lower School department. Learn more about Class Teachers who stay with the class multiple years, Morning Lessons that are deep dives into a subject with an arts integrated multidisciplinary approach, and more from our Lower School overview.
What kind of support is there for a student transferring into WWS from a different type of school environment?
In the transient DC Metro area we often welcome students who are new to Waldorf Education throughout the grades. We work carefully with the parents to make transitions as smooth as possible.