The Curriculum of the Steiner School - Class 4

Notes and Lesson Plans

Fourth Grade
updated January 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.



Class Four in Waldorf Education

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Notes on Schedule of Main Lesson Blocks

Everyone does it differently, and you don't have to think of the main lesson topics as "subjects" because many of them are interdisciplinary. I labeled them to the left but it is a bit arbitrary.

However, I find it helpful to give them rough categories so that I can be sure we are balanced in the kinds of thinking we practice throughout the school year.

Each discipline has different habits of mind, and I like to rotate between them. Alan Whitehead suggests this, although he suggests using three-week long blocks. We do a nine month school year with month-long blocks: two blocks of each subject plus a class play each year.

Tall Tales are optional but nice (if you're teaching in the U.S.). I found when doing a block on Tall Tales that they really go well with the Local History & Geography theme of this school year, as each larger-than-life figure symbolizes the main Industry of his region. It could be combined with that block or given its own time.

To make room for Tall Tales, you could also combine Grammar & Sentence Analysis with the Composition block of Personal Narratives. I mainly used the Personal Narratives block to focus on advanced punctuation.

I added in a specialized block on Landforms & Water Features because I didn't feel I had covered this adequately in the Local History & Geography block. That could be saved for grade 6 Geology.

You can choose to do one block or two of Zoology, and one block or two of Norse Mythology.

Perhaps you might consider an order like this...
Fractions; Landforms & Water Features; Norse Mythology I; Composition (Grammar & Sentence Analysis, Personal Narratives); Zoology I; Norse Mythology II; Tall Tales; Zoology II; Local History & Geography


A Peek into the Classroom

Morning Verse for Lower Grades

Gallery of Chalkboard Drawings in the Waldorf Classroom grades 1 - 8

Waldorf/Steiner Main Lessons and Main Lesson Blocks VERY helpful article
from the Sophia Institute Online Waldorf Teacher Training program

  • The Main Lesson - Principles and Features
  • The Main Lesson - Structure
  • The Main Lesson - Rhythm
  • The Main Lesson - Planning a Main Lesson Block
  • Sample Template for Waldorf/Steiner Main Lesson Block


samples from the Fourth Grade Curriculum by Live Education!


Ruzuku Stand-Alone Courses

Why Ruzuku Courses?

My Professional Background

Fourth Grade Main Lesson Block Planning


Grammar 3/4

$30.00


How to Teach Spelling
Grades 1 - 8

$65.00

Man and Animal

$30.00


Norse Mythology

$30.00


General Waldorf Resources

The Education of the Child in the Light of Anthroposophy
article by Rudolf Steiner

How To Create, Tell, and Recall a Story

Four Ways to Connect with Storytelling
blog post - Simplicity Parenting

Overview of Childhood Characteristics - includes the four temperaments
article by David Mitchell

Blackboard Sketching book by Frederick Whitney (1908)
available online for free - with step by step directions and illustrations

How to Bind a Main Lesson Book

Main Lesson Book pages shared by Christopherus Homeschool Resources

browse through my collection of Pinterest Boards
with chalkboard drawings and main lesson book pages for many main lesson blocks

Movement for Childhood - wonderful site!

Waldorf Today Newsletter
very interesting & free weekly newsletter sent via email each Monday

Block Rotations Grades 1 - 8 (PDF)
by Jamie York

Summary of Math Skills for Grades 1 through 8 (PDF)
by Jamie York

A Grades 1 through 8 Math Curriculum Overview (PDF)
by Jamie York

Word Problems in Grades 1 through 8 (PDF)
by Jamie York

Jamie York has a BUNCH of free resources on his site including sample math MLB pages for grades 1-11, and lesson plans and assessments for grades 1-5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.

Waldorf Science Newsletter - issues available in PDF format
page 13 of Vol.1 has a Science Curriculum in the Waldorf School Grades 1-8 overview / one page handout, and page 14 has the same for the Waldorf High School Grades 9-12

World Geography and Waldorf Education
blog post - Switzerite

When Should My Child Begin Music Lessons?
article by Sarah Baldwin

The Spiritual Gifts of Handwork
blog post - Knitting with Children

"Foundations of Waldorf Education" Series Notes
FREE links to all 25 volumes in this series of educational writings by Rudolf Steiner

DO NOT MISS The Online Waldorf Library's tremendous selection of Waldorf education books converted into PDFs and available for FREE download! You can literally save $1000's of dollars!


Curriculum Planning



Little Bluestem Homeschool Co-op
2018-2019

This was the main lesson block plan for our combined 3rd/4th grades:

    September - Local History & Geography

    October - Spelling & Grammar (Structured Word Inquiry, Montessori Grammar symbols)

    November - Maths of Practical Life (Time, Temperature, Mass & Volume)

    December - Class Play (Great Artists: "The Fantastic Art Show")

    January - Zoology I

    February - Tall Tales (Local Industry)

    March - Fibers & Clothing

    April - Maths of Practical Life (Currency)

    May - Zoology II


Little Bluestem Homeschool Co-op
2019-2020

This was the main lesson block plan for our combined 3rd/4th grades:

    September - Landforms & Water Features

    October - Grammar (Structured Word Inquiry, advanced Montessori Grammar symbols)

    November - Fractions

    December - Class Play (Hawaiian Mythology: "Legends of Hawai'i")

    January - Norse Mythology I

    February - Farming & Gardening

    March - Personal Narratives

    April - Linear Measurement & Coordinate Graphing

    May - Norse Mythology II



Resources & Recommendations Specific to Fourth Grade


Literature & Composition


Mathematics


Form Drawing

  • It's expensive, but I think the absolute best form drawing book for Celtic knots and braided forms is Creative Form Drawing: Workbook 1


    This series is also wonderful for the adult for inner work!


Norse Mythology


Local History & Geography


Man and Animal


General Resouces

Handwork

    The classic Handwork theme for this year is counted cross-stitch. There are lots of kits and sources of patterns. I love these FREE alphabets (PDF) from Yarn Tree. A nice first project is to do initials (my favorite alphabet is on pages 5-7). Have the children transfer the desired letter patterns to graph paper first so they can get a sense of how the whole is made up of the parts. I like decorating these sturdy white burlap shopping bags with the child's initials.

Drawing, Painting, Modeling


Class Plays


Handwork: Embroidery & Cross-Stitch
These were the books Natalie used:


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