First Grade
In first grade, students acquire basic skills in math, reading, and writing that will be the foundation of the rest of their education. The rich, multi-sensory learning environment of the Waldorf School is tailored to engage each student's innate curiosity and desire to grow. A variety of teaching approaches are utilized throughout the day. Sounding out, imagining, drawing and sculpting, moving, and listening engage different learning styles and stimulate the mind in different ways, so that every student becomes a motivated, eager learner.
As readers, first graders add phonics and linguistics to the skills they mastered in the Children’s Garden—a whole language perspective, attention span, comprehension and inference. In first grade, students begin to encode and decode letters and words.
In math and science, first graders are introduced to the four basic math functions—addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division—using a wide range of tactile objects which make math concepts visible and engaging. Students may arrange beads, corn kernels, or seeds into piles of different amounts to be added together, or divide a pile of counting stones into groups of 2, 3, 4, or more. They use these and other skills of observation and analysis in nature studies.
First grade students, like the rest of our lower school, enrich their days with music, art, eurythmy, handwork, games and drama.
To learn more, email the Admissions Office or call: 410-367-6808, ext. 202