Grade School Curriculum
CURRICULUM
6th Grade
Rudolf Steiner noted it is not until the age of 12 that a child can grasp causality or cause and effect; this ability opens up a new way to approach subject matter. In Geology, for example, the sixth graders not only sharpen their observations of the world around them, but also study how the movement of the earth changes the landscape and its inhabitants, and how our actions in the present will shape the world in the future. In Geometry, students learn what happens when the straight edge is not exactly straight or the consequences when the compass point has moved a fractional amount.
Sixth grade students are often interested in establishing structure and order, and in finding lawful relationships; the study of Rome and the medieval times are the perfect backdrop to explore these themes. The mood of the Middle Ages, with a focus on cloistered monks and chivalry, satisfies the sixth grader’s quest for beauty, contemplation, and justice. They look for lawfulness in the heavens through a study of astronomy, and then delve into the structure and make-up of the earth as they study mineralogy. In physics, the sixth graders study acoustics, heat, and optics. The dynamics of light, dark, and color are further explored through painting and charcoal drawing. The study of physical world geography helps students see patterns in the geographic distribution of biomes and how the natural forces such as climate, ocean and wind currents, plate tectonics, erosion, etc. influence the physical environment. Language arts focuses on the rules and laws of grammar, while math focuses on business math and percentages.
Learning Objectives
MAIN LESSON SKILLS
Academic organization and multitasking, artistic expressions of academic learning
LANGUAGE ARTS
Paragraph and essay structures, note-taking, self-editing, expository, descriptive and narrative writing, report writing, parts of speech, punctuation, parts of sentences (subject, predicate, direct object, indirect object), phrases and their functions, types of clauses, Latin root words, prefixes, suffixes, conditional mood, drama, poetry
LITERATURE & HISTORY
Rome and Roman law, Jesus of Nazareth, The Crusades, Islam, Muhammad, medieval society, tales of chivalry
ARITHMETIC
Business math (decimals, percentages, interest proportion, profit and loss), economics, computation and problem solving
GEOMETRY
Eight basic geometrical constructions, constructions based on the six and twelve division of the circle
WORLD GEOGRAPHY
Mapmaking, wind and water currents, meridians and parallels of latitude, land formations, climates, vegetation, and bodies of water
PHYSICS
Acoustics, optics (color and light), heat, magnetism, static electricity
MINERALOGY
Polarities in the mineral world: igneous and sedimentary rocks; metamorphic rocks, minerals and crystals, precious stones, metals, petroleum and coal, earthquakes, volcanoes
ASTRONOMY
Moon cycle, the apparent movement of the stars and planets, the relationship between the sun, moon and earth, lunar and solar eclipses, the Pole Star and its relative positions
PAINTING
Veil painting technique, landscapes
ART
Nature sketching and technical illustrations of science experiments, pastel chalk and charcoal drawings
world LANGUAGE
Spanish (conversational skills, grammar, vocabulary, proverbs)
HANDWORK
Hand sewing soft sculpture (gusseted animals, pattern creation)
PRACTICAL ARTS
Woodworking (convex egg forms, wooden swords)
MUSIC
Recorder, orchestra, chorus (songs of the Middle Ages, Roman music)
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Cooperative and medieval games designed to allow students to test themselves