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The Curriculum of the Steiner School - Class 7

Notes and Lesson Plans

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A Note:

If you can only afford the essentials, these are the two things -- and the only 2 things -- that you need to develop your homeschool curriculum.

Both of these resources cover grades 1 through 12.

(And, don't worry, you can still do a FANTASTIC job!)

AWSNA Curriculum Chart

the WHAT and the WHEN

$8.00
on March 5, 2015

The Educational Tasks & Content of the Steiner Waldorf Curriculum

the HOW and the WHY

$40.00
on March 5, 2015

Age of Discovery, part 1
updated April 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.


The Age of Discovery, part 1
Charles Kovacs

Mission Statement - Consulting Services - Lending Library


Note: I previously taught a combined Age of Exploration / Renaissance & Reformation block, for which I used V.M. Hillyer's book A Child's History of the World, 1951 edition. However, this year I have the time to separate these topics out into two blocks. I am using Charles Kovac's book The Age of Discovery. This book actually has three complete main lesson blocks in it: The Middle Ages, The Age of Exploration, and the Renaissance & Reformation. Here, I will be using chapters 22 - 34.

Pinterest - Renee Schwartz
My curated collection of visuals! Browse sample main lesson book pages, watercolor paintings, chalkboard drawings, etc. for The Age of Discovery.


Essential Book


The Age of Discovery
by Charles Kovacs


Additional Resources

    I've suggested some supplemental chapter and picture books below.

    If you want your group to have experience analyzing primary and secondary sources, I highly recommend the work by Stanford History Education Group, and have listed their "Reading Like a Historian" lesson plans where they would fit best chronologically.

    I have also included links to these stories where they may be found online for free at The Baldwin Project, a wonderful collection of vintage books often used by Waldorf and Charlotte Mason families. I've recommended appropriate chapters from titles such as

      Our Island Story by H.E. Marshall

      The Story of England by Samuel B. Harding

      The Story of Columbus by Gladys M. Imlach

      Ferdinand Magellan by Frederick A. Ober

      Historical Tales: Spanish American by Charles Morris


Story One
The Growth of Cities (chapter 22)


Story Two
King John and the Magna Carta (chapter 23)


Story Three
Scotland and England (chapter 24)


Story Four
England and France, Joan of Arc (chapter 25)


Story Five
Printing and Gunpowder (chapter 26)


Story Six
The Age of Discovery (chapter 27)


Story Seven
Columbus (chapter 28)

    the entire contents (12 chapters) of The Story of Columbus by Gladys M. Imlach is available online for free at The Baldwin Project (mainlesson.com)

    another fantastic resource for this part of the story is Ship by David Macaulay; highly recommended!


Story Eight
The Year 1492 (chapter 29)


Story Nine
America (chapter 30)


Story Ten
Pizarro (chapter 31)


Story Eleven
The Fall of the Incas (chapter 32)


Story Twelve
Magellan (chapter 33)


Story Thirteen
Crossing the Pacific Ocean (chapter 34)

    sample MLB page with world map

    Painting in Waldorf Education by Dick Bruin and Attie Lichthart suggests a series of watercolor paintings called "Voyages of Discovery" (pp.121-122). This is comprised of three parts: painting strange faraway lands, painting the globe & painting maps of the continents. A wonderful way to end the block!

    Note: The above book is also available to download for free in its entirety from the the Online Waldorf Library

Blog posts from when I was teaching this topic:



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