The Waldorf School of St. Louis
Eighth Grade

In eighth grade, children have reached the culmination of the middle school experience.  Sharpened observation skills and growing critical thinking opens possibilities for new ideas and perceptive questioning.  Eighth graders strive to balance their tender and emotional inner life with their greater need for independence and reasoning skills. Academic rigor increases and students take on more personal responsibility for their classwork and time management.  As they complete their elementary years, our curriculum prepares students to meet forthcoming challenges with knowledge and confidence.      

In physics and chemistry, students pivot from subjective and emotional experiences to objective and sense- based perception though scientific observation. Students continue their study of algebra and geometry. Skills gained in all of their language arts classes culminate in individual research projects. World geography meets students’ growing interest in regions and cultures that differ from their own.  In history, eighth graders study major political, cultural and social events that have shaped the modern world. They compare and contrast biographies of key historical figures and realize the difference one individual can make. Students emerge with an understanding of the past, an appreciation of the present, and an enthusiasm for the future.

Main Lesson Topics:  research projects, proofreading, editing, note taking, novels, drama, algebra, graphs and grids, Platonic solids geometry, the Reformation and revolutions, civics and US history, world geography, chemistry, physics, anatomy, meteorology

Special Subject Lessons:  French, German, singing, orchestra, recorder, watercolor and mixed-media painting, clay modeling, mixed media pen and pencil drawing, set design, machine sewing, physical education, nature exploration