Susquehanna Waldorf School
subject classes
Subjects which require regular repetition in shorter lessons (foreign languages, for example) occupy the later part of the morning. Afternoons are devoted to activities that are more social in nature: games and sports, painting, handwork and gardening. Boys and girls learn crocheting and knitting, simple sewing, and woodwork. There is a wonderful coordination and harmony of subject material throughout the curriculum. What is being taken up in each Main Lesson block appears in subtle ways in the activities of the afternoon. The challenges of handwork and the fine arts are treated not as separate, unimportant "options" but as vital parts of a complete education.music
Music is an integral part of our school's curriculum. Singing is practiced, with both the class and music teacher, throughout grades 1 to 8. In first grade the children begin to play the CHOROI pentatonic flute and chime bars then in second grade are introduced to the pentatonic lyre. In third grade they move to the diatonic flute or recorder which they will continue to play until eighth grade. By December of the third grade, all students start weekly private music lessons with the string instrument of their choice. Parents are responsible for arranging these lessons; this cost is not included in tuition. All students in grades 4 to 8 will participate twice a week in orchestra class and will perform several times during the year.
fine arts and Handwork
The arts permeate the Waldorf curriculum, where they are interwoven with all academic areas. In addition to illustrating each main lesson book, children paint, model with beeswax and clay and create geometric forms. Knitting, crocheting, simple sewing and woodworking are taught as children use manual dexterity to create items both beautiful and practical.Foreign Language
The spoken word is the key to learning languages in the early grades. In our foreign language curriculum, foreign languages are taught with songs, poems, rhymes, tongue-twisters, counting, and group games to foster group knowledge and appreciation of these languages. In the middle grades keeping a written record of the oral written work brings an awareness of spelling and basic grammar in the languages. In the upper grades, the geography of countries is taught along with the history, literature, tradition, and music. This further develops the understanding of these cultures.
Eurythmy
Eurythmy translates the sounds, phrases, and rhythms of speech, or the dynamic elements of music into movement and gesture. The result has been described as visible speech and visible music. In the art of eurythmy, that which you would normally hear, you see in the movements of the eurythmist. Through eurythmy the children learn to listen carefully and to express, through appropriate movement, what they hear.
