Middle School

Scroll down to view our school curriculum for grades 6-8

In sixth grade, children’s sense of self grows as do their egocentric concerns. While a student’s world is rooted in absolutes, they are in the midst of change as they connect their inner experiences and monologue with the outer world.  The sixth grade curriculum focuses on strong guidelines, clear differentiation concepts, and the morality of right and wrong. Classroom teaching relies heavily on the method of “compare and contrast.”

In world geography, the study of unfamiliar lands, people, and cultures counterbalances the sixth grader’s natural focus on self.  The focus on self often encompasses a focus on Earth, and the study of astronomy challenges students’ Earth-centric perspective. In language arts, students continue to hone their research and writing skills and compose subject-based papers on a foreign country.  Physics is introduced and students gain insight into the properties of acoustics, optics, heat, cold, light, and electricity. In math, sixth graders learn exact geometric construction using compasses and straightedges.  They also learn business math and practice applying it in real-world scenarios. In physical education, students work on overcoming obstacles through exercises designed to challenge them.

Main Lesson Topics:  biography, drama, creative writing, active and passive voice, fact and opinion, decimals, percentages, business math, metric conversion, charts and graphs, geometry, ancient Rome, medieval history, world geography, geology, physics, astronomy

Special Subject Lessons:  French, German, singing, recorder, orchestra, watercolor painting, black and white drawing, charcoal drawing, pen and ink, soft pastels, sewing/felting, woodworking, physical education, nature exploration

Waldorf School of St. Louis
Seventh Grade

In seventh grade, children navigate two worlds: a world of introspection and a world of exploration. Students yearn for independence, and yet still need guidance. They crave solitude and social connection.  They undergo intense physical, emotional, and mental growth and thirst for new experiences. Alongside this thirst for new experiences, seventh graders may also experience listlessness.  Teachers respect and nurture students’ inner-emotional lives while challenging their cognitive and creative skills. The seventh grade curriculum strives to activate students’ developing engagement with the world. To do so, teachers guide students as they work on projects that focus on the outer world.

Exploration and discovery are key themes in seventh grade.  Students study the innovative and fearlessly questioning thinkers of the Renaissance, the Age of Exploration, the Scientific Revolution, and the Reformation. They also study physiology, health, and nutrition, all of which focus on issues and body systems grounded in students’ own personal experiences.  In the science of chemistry and physics, observation gives way to phenomenological observations. The math curriculum includes algebra, which integrates symbolic math and conceptual thinking. In geography, students learn about the environment, climate, and social structure of indigenous cultures in Africa or South America. In art, they paint in the style of the Renaissance masters, learn perspective drawing and set design, and explore light and shadow.  In language arts, the wonder of creative writing serves as a tool for self-expression.

Main Lesson Topics:  research reports with bibliographies, writing poetry, creative writing, drama, bookkeeping, ratios, powers, roots, exponents, positive and negative numbers, introduction to algebra, the Renaissance, world geography, chemistry, physics, mechanics, physiology, health, and nutrition

Special Subject Lessons:  French, German, singing, orchestra, recorder, watercolor painting, clay modeling, perspective drawing, Renaissance portraits, set design, hand sewing, woodworking, physical education, nature exploration

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 open 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 through 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