CURRICULUM OVERVIEW/DAILY SCHEDULE

Waldorf Schools, Hood River, The Gorge Oregon
Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the Waldorf approach to education, gave indications for what might be taught in each grade based on his knowledge of the development of the human being. These indications serve as broad guidelines for New Vision teachers but are not absolute. Very Importantly, each teacher, as s/he gets to know the children in the class, adapts the curriculum to fit them specifically.

New Vision school teaches to a blended age classroom, where two grades are combined. This offers many benefits for children and is designed to meet the needs in Hood River County at this time. The set structure of the school will unfold based on numbers of students and interest
There are several "Golden Rules" that Waldorf teachers strive to achieve that we will strive for as well. They are:
1. Connect everything to the human being.
2. Do first and bring understanding later.
3. Teach from the whole to the parts.
4. Bring everything into a picture.
5. Create rhythm in all activity.
6. Do everything with the truly practical in mind.

Curriculum Content:
The following serves, as a general guideline of content students will learn. Since we have blended ages in our classrooms, great consideration will be taken into account for the readiness of each child and for the classroom as a whole. Since our classrooms will remain small, students will be given a considerable amount of individual attention. Thematic units will be studied each year based on interest of the group and developmental appropriateness.

The following is formatted such that each student will remain with their teacher throughout their education at New Vision. They will experience many different teachers for specialty subjects, but their main teacher will remain their primary instructor.

Kindergarten-First Grade
Fairy, folk and nature tales; Reading approached through writing, form drawing; Addition, subtraction, division and multiplication. The K-1 blend is a very important year of balance between work and play.
You can see more details about the k-1 program by scrolling down
the page.

First Grade-Second Grade
Legends of saints and heroes, animal fables; Cursive writing, reading; Broadening of math concepts.

Second Grade-Third Grade
Old Testament stories, Hebrew studies, practical life: farming, housing, clothing; Spelling, introduction to grammar; Long division, weights, measures, money, higher multiplication tables.

Third Grade-Fourth Grade
Norse mythology and sagas; Composition, letter writing, spelling, grammar; Fractions; Local history, geography, map making; Zoology.

Fourth Grade-Fifth Grade
Ancient India and classical Greece; Composition and grammar; Decimals, ratio and proportion; North American geography, agriculture and economics; Botany.

Fifth Grade-Sixth Grade
Roman and medieval European history, world geography; Composition, grammar, spelling; Geometric drawing, compound and simple interest, business math and percentage; Geology, physics (acoustics, static electricity, optics, magnetism and heat), astronomy.

Sixth Grade-Seventh Grade
Renaissance, Age of Exploration, world geography; Poetry, biography, composition, grammar, spelling; Pre-algebra, geometric drawing; Physics (mechanics, electricity), physiology, inorganic chemistry, astronomy.

Seventh Grade-Eighth Grade
Modern history, world geography; Literature (short stories, letters, Shakespeare), composition, grammar, spelling; Algebra, solid geometry; Physics, meteorology, chemistry; Nutrition and hygiene.

Special Subjects
Field trips, Spanish, music (singing and recorder, band, string groups), handwork, crafts, woodworking, organic gardening, painting, drawing, games, clay and beeswax modeling, cooking, nature studies and many thematic and project based units throughout our studies.

New Vision Curriculum Plan 2007-2008
K-1

The Curriculum is play-based and nature-oriented in keeping with the awakening capacities and consciousness of the young child under seven. The teacher guides the daily schedule into a rhythmic alteration between outgoing activities and quieter, indrawn activities so that the children can fully take in all that the day and the week has to offer. The seasons are celebrated throughout the year and high points are the festivals that enhance the reverence, awe, and wonder of the young child. This rhythmic schedule protects and nourishes the senses of the children and builds a strong habit life, which later becomes self-discipline.

The rymthm, experiences, and food all help to integrate a healthy body, (will forces), with a creative imagination, (mind), with a sense of reverence for all life, (feeling), as a foundation for all that will be learned in the grades to come. To that end, the teacher offers many and varied physical activities for the children to develop strength and skill. Outside, the children go for walks to collect treasures for the seasonal table; they take weekly hikes through the forest, they garden and take care of the school grounds.

The daily rhythm offers time for developing gross motor and fine motor skills, for socializing and for rest time, for storytelling, mathematics, writing, circle games, work and play, and time for eating and digesting. Story time is filled with vocabulary-rich and simple nature tales, folktales, and fairytales from around the world that offer the children not only morals and values, but also the opportunity to translate what they hear into play. Story time builds focus and concentration.

The open-ended objects in the classroom also stimulate the creativity, flexibility, and imagination of the children, such as: boards, rocks, shells, seeds, and nuts, pieces of driftwood, scarves, large pieces of cloth and clothespins. By working together to creatively play and build their own fantasy worlds, the children learn about social skills and relationships. In their social interactions they learn to balance their own desires and rules for the well-being of all. These classroom rules, as well as the daily chores, (setting the table, cleaning up toys), help to foster a sense of responsibility and a sense of connection to something bigger than one's self. Thus, in time, each child finds his/her individual, valuable self within the context of the harmonious whole of the classroom.

The weekly curriculum offers the children: painting and hand crafts, sculpture, cooking and baking, language and movement, language arts and story time, academic lesson blocks, a relationship with nature through daily walks and gardening, and household chores. This work and play all provides skill and a sense of belonging as it is all-essential to our life. Because of the mood of openhearted love in the classroom and of the regular daily and weekly routines, and yearly festivals, the children quickly feel very secure in the environment and naturally and easily develop their own unique genius.

Example of
Snack Schedule

Monday - Pasta with olive oil, and choice of yeast, Braggs, cheese and a vegetable

Tuesday - Home made pretzels with almond butter and honey/or Muffins and fruit

Wednesday - Seasonal Soup (cold months) / Salad-pasta and other various salads (warmer months)

Thursday - Whole Wheat Quesadillas / Whole wheat pizzas with choice of toppings

Friday - Cultural Day (we will create foods from another culture for our snacks on these days)

New Vision School

 Phone:541-490-0352
Fax: 541-325-7780
Email: info@newvisionschoolhr.com