Sixth Grade

Mathematics in the fifth grade is a period of review and consolidation. Proficiency in all operations with whole numbers and fractions is a goal. Then decimals are introduced. Calculations with inverse operations and reciprocals, ratio and proportion, percentages and mental math are all studied and practiced.

The study of geometry is based on observation and imagination. Various elements of geometric form are rendered freely, without the use of instruments. The basic language of geometry - line, point, segment, angle, intersection, parallel, circle, polygon, etc. - is introduced in preparation for the precision work in sixth grade.

Regular choral singing is practiced and the recorder is used in relation to the main lesson. Children continue to play the violin, with the introduction of the viola and cello to the class orchestra.

The class play is an integral part of the school year, as the children continue to expand their skills with longer individual parts.

Woodworking begins and handwork continues in this grade. Knitting involves using four needles as the children create socks or mittens. The children continue with wet-on-wet watercolor painting and drawing with the class teacher.

Eurythmy, Spanish, gardening, and physical education continue. The fifth grade participates with other schools in the Greek pentathlon. This is an event where the children are judged by grace and beauty, as well as proficiency with the skills of discus, javelin, long jump, hand-tohand wrestling, and running.

Both botany and geography are experienced firsthand as the children go on field trips to observe nature and the land that nourishes it. These trips not only deepen their learning, but also strengthen the social bonds of the class. Fifth grade trips sometimes follow the great naturalist, John Muir, to Yosemite Valley; other class teachers chose a coastal destination such as Big Sur. Cultural experiences may include a meal at an Indian restaurant, a visit to a production of the Ramayana, and almost always a trip to the Egyptian Museum in San Jose.

Sixth Grade

Sixth Graders inhabit the awkward territory that bridges childhood and adolescence. Most of them are experiencing the onset of puberty, the lengthening of their bones, new social and sexual impulses, acute self-consciousness, and the birth of a new kind of thinking, which is capable of analyzing cause and effect and connecting their inner experience with the outer world. They tend

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to be argumentative, idealistic, quixotic, sharp-tongued, and easily hurt. In short, they present a bundle of contradictions and possibilities that are ably met by the sixth grade curriculum.

Study of Rome leads the children to important questions about good and evil, the law and governance, and the consequences of our deeds. Later in the year, they learn about different cultures experiencing life and changes during the Middle Ages. This examination is a metaphor for the inner journey upon which they are now embarking as they seek to find their individuality on strong principles which will begin to come from within rather than from without.

They now have the capacity to look at the world with new eyes, to not only see and hear and feel what is around them, but to begin to understand these and other less visible processes. Through a systems approach to the study of geology, they learn that our seemingly solid earth is, in fact, involved in dynamic change, that the beach pebble they hold today may have traveled far and gone through many metamorphoses. Through astronomy, they learn about the stars and our solar system, created and held by physical laws, which connect the macrocosm to the microcosm. In a darkened room, they observe the light that radiates from a single candle and embark on a phenomenologically based study of physics (optics, acoustics, heat, magnetism, and electricity), which they will build on through the remaining years of their Waldorf education.

Study of the geography of the Americas aids their understanding of the relationships between place and culture. Applying our new understanding of heat, for example, the students are able to see how climate, ocean currents and prevailing winds affect our lives and our livelihoods as well as the development of civilizations. Fifth grade studies of Botany are furthered through a more focused look at the relationship between insects and plants. The children learn through these studies to make connections and to see life as a web of such intricate interconnections.

Basic skills are furthered and deepened. They learn to apply practical business math (introducing percent, ratio and proportion) to the task of creating a small business plan. Focus is on applying what they know and being able to use their math skills to solve practical problems. They explore geometry through the divisions of the circle and observe how these lawful geometric forms arise and repeat in nature. In language arts, they learn to organize information into paragraphs and short compositions, using topic sentences and topic paragraphs. Creative writing, eliciting their inner responses to experiences and phenomena, helps them make connections to their more objective study of the outer world. They are surprised to discover that they now have opinions, which are bursting to be expressed. Monthly book reports, book chats and literature read and discussed by the whole class not only encourage reading, but also widen their understanding of each other. Sixth Graders must begin to take responsibility for accuracy in spelling, punctuation and sentence structure. The study of English grammar, which is supported by their Spanish classes, rounds out the language arts program.

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