Grades and Middle School

At Berkshire Waldorf School, each child begins the school day with an individual greeting and a firm handshake from their Class Teacher. The atmosphere at the school is warm and practical; our standards and expectations are high. We encourage students to look for the best in themselves and in others in a manner that leads to a purposeful life.

Class Teacher

Starting from a relationship of warmth and trust, the Grades and Middle School Class Teacher typically leads their students for several years in a row through the Grades, and is thus able to guide each child’s progress from a deep awareness of individual gifts and challenges, in the context of the class community as a whole. Working with fresh subject matter designed for each grade level, the Class Teacher inspires imagination and discovery, while also building continuity across the grades, unifying content and disciplines over the years. Teachers stretch and grow with their students, creating a dynamic context for learning.

Main Lesson

Students begin every day with the two hour Main Lesson, a three- to four-week block covering a major academic subject intensively. Each subject is brought to life with stories, music, expository writing, poetry, painting, drawing, and drama.

Main Lesson Books

We don’t have text books at BWS. Students create their own Main Lesson Books, amplifying, condensing, restating and illustrating their studies. These colorful, very individualized books are handmade with great care by the children. Not only a record of what has been learned, main lesson books are an active method of inquiry, increasing students’ capacities for creativity and understanding.

For admissions information about current or upcoming school years, please call the Berkshire Waldorf School Admissions Office at (413) 528-4015, ext. 106. You’ll find our academic calendar on our home page, and application and tuition information on our Admissions page.

Curriculum by Grade

Grade 1

Main Lesson: Introduction to the alphabet, simple spelling, introduction to reading, elements of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, fairy tales and nature stories from many cultures (retold and dramatized by the class), form drawing, painting.

Subjects: German, eurythmy (movement), handwork (knitting), music, physical education (games), farming and gardening.

Grade 2

Main Lesson: Spelling, reading, introduction to elements of grammar, arithmetic (multiplication tables), fables and legends (retold and dramatized, leading to composition in the child’s own words), form drawing, painting.

Subjects: German, eurythmy (movement), handwork (knitting, crocheting), woodwork, music, library, physical education (games), farming and gardening.

Grade 3

Main Lesson: Spelling, reading, elements of grammar, introduction to cursive writing, arithmetic, measurement, study of housing and farming, Old Testament stories (leading into history), form drawing, painting.

Subjects: German, eurythmy, physical education, music (strings), library, handwork (simple sewing, crocheting, embroidery), games, farming, and gardening.

Grade 4

Main Lesson: Composition, grammar, spelling, reading, arithmetic (fractions), local geography, the study of mankind in relation to animals, telling of Norse myths and sagas, form drawing, painting. Farm trip to working farm.

Subjects: German, eurythmy, music (strings), woodworking, library, physical education (games), handwork (embroidery, cross stitch), farming and gardening.

Grade 5

Main Lesson: Composition, grammar, spelling, reading, arithmetic (decimals), North American geography, history of ancient civilizations (culminating in Greek history), botany, form drawing, painting.

Subjects: German, eurythmy, music (ensemble), woodworking, library, physical education (games), handwork (knitting with four needles), farming and gardening.

Grade 6

Main Lesson: Composition, grammar, spelling, literature, arithmetic, geometry, South American geography, Roman and Medieval history, physics (sound, light), earth sciences, painting.

Subjects: Spanish, eurythmy, music (orchestra), woodworking, library, physical education (games), handwork (sewing original stuffed animals), farming and gardening.

Grade 7

Main Lesson: Composition, grammar, spelling, literature, geometry, algebra, European geography, Renaissance, Reformation, the Age of Discovery, physics, astronomy, inorganic chemistry, physiology. Class trip to Camp Glenbrook.

Subjects: Spanish, eurythmy, music (orchestra and chorus), woodworking, library, Cyber Civics, painting, physical education (games), handwork (dyeing and wool felting), farming and gardening. After school sports in soccer (fall), basketball (winter), lacrosse and baseball (spring).

Grade 8

Main Lesson: Composition, grammar, literature, geometry, Algebra I, world geography, American history, physics, organic chemistry, physiology. Class trip before graduation.

Subjects: Spanish, eurythmy, music (orchestra or recorder and chorus), woodworking, library, Cyber Civics, painting, physical education (games), handwork (machine sewn garments), farming and gardening. After school sports in soccer (fall), basketball (winter), lacrosse and baseball (spring).

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