The Waldorf School of St. Louis
Seventh Grade
In seventh grade, children navigates 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, wood working, physical education, nature exploration