Elementary School
In the elementary school years, children learn best when academics are conveyed through painting, drama, music, storytelling, and other hands-on experiences that stir their emotions. In first through fifth grade, The Denver Waldorf School curriculum weaves a sense of beauty throughout each school day.
Daily Rhythms
The Waldorf curriculum has an intentional rhythm that enhances balanced learning. Each day follows a familiar cadence — the morning includes a two-hour main lesson wheres students take time to record insights as art, words, and other creative elements, followed by a chance to relax, play, and process through recess. During the rest of the morning, students dive into special subjects, such as music and world languages, while the afternoon brings more physical activity with movement or practical arts.
Bringing Learning to Life
The curriculum is thoughtfully considered to bring intellectual challenges, blended with experiential opportunities and artistic exploration. From letters through stories to mathematics through movement, academic foundations are laid through joy filled learning that engages students and allows exploration of concepts at a deeper level.
The Class Teacher
Our main class teachers in the elementary school take a class from 1st grade through 4th grade. A middle school loop then begins with a new main class teacher for 5th through 8th grade. This “looping” method fosters a strong class relationship, an improved understanding of each student’s unique learning styles, and a strong partnership with families throughout the educational journey.
Block Learning
The Waldorf curriculum is organized around the block schedule. Mornings begin with an engaging two hour main lesson period, during which one subject is the focus. These focused lessons allow students to dive deeply into academic studies in a lively, captivating way.
Reverse Textbook Learning
Students create their own main lesson books, creating a record of the academic facts integrated with art, poetry, and other creative elements. The creation of the main lesson book develops the executive function capacities required for self-directed learning.
Step Inside Our School
From our Early Childhood Education to the lively halls of our high school, the Waldorf experience takes a hand-on approach to education. We are founded on Rudolf Steiner’s humanitarian curriculum, a robust and dynamic program taught throughout the world for more than 100 years. Learn more about our curriculum, community, and culture with an in-person tour of our school.
First Grade
Time to work, play, and rest
First grade is a child’s introduction to the collective being of a class. We nurture a deep reverence for the earth, compassion for classmates, and a healthy respect for every living thing.
From knitting to numbers, fairy tales to falling leaves, we help first graders discover the wonders of our world and understand the rhythm of life. This year is the beginning of a multi-year relationship with their teacher.
CuriosityMovementRhythmCommunity
Language Arts
- Fairy tales and folktales
- Indigenous people’s stories
- Nature stories
- Upper and lowercase letters
- Writing sentences, stories, and poems
- Reading beginner texts
Social Studies
- Festival celebrations
- Multicultural folktales
Science
- Nature walks and observations
- Outdoor education
Math
- Quality of numbers
- Introduction to addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
- Mental math and form drawing
Spanish Language
- Spanish games, stories, songs
- Vocabulary of colors, animals, numbers
- Basic greetings and phrases
- Latin American cultural traditions
Visual Arts
- Wet-on-wet watercolor painting
- Beeswax modeling
- Crayon drawing
Practical Arts
- Handwork (knitting)
- Seasonal crafting
Theater
- Re-enactment of fairy tales
- Class play
- Assembly performances
Music
- Pentatonic flutes
- Lyres
- Singing
Athletics and Movement
- Folk dance
- Outdoor recesses (two per day)
- Games and movement
- Sensory integration movement work incorporated into daily main lesson
Field Trips and Community Service
First Grade In-Depth
Interested in learning more about our first grade curriculum? Complete the form and we'll email you our in-depth first grade brochure that offers expanded information on The Denver Waldorf education.
Second Grade
Awareness of others and ourselves
Building on a foundation of security and creativity, second graders move toward self-awareness and the subjective world of feeling. Mind-body integration thoughtfully prepares students for traditional academic topics. When students feel the lesson, they internalize it. Reading and writing are the crescendo of the year.
WonderJoyCompassionTendernessSorrow
Language Arts
- Multicultural stories and fables of saints or heroic figures
- Introduction to grammar
- Writing stories and compositions
- Recitation of poetry
- Group and individual reading
- Cursive writing
Social Studies
- Festival celebrations
- Legends of saintly and heroic people from many cultures
- Stories from indigenous peoples
Science
- Nature study and seasonal observation
- Outdoor education
Math
- The four arithmetic processes
- Place value
- Patterns in numbers
- Regrouping
- Mental math
- Math games and form drawing
Spanish Language
- Pronunciation through games, verses, and poems
- Vocabulary of greetings, commands, parts of the body, clothing & seasons
- South American cultural traditions and geography
Visual Arts
- Wet-on-wet watercolor painting
- Beeswax modeling
- Crayon drawing
- Form drawing
Practical Arts
- Handwork (crocheting and knitting)
- Seasonal crafting
Theater
- Re-enactment of fables and legends
- Class play
- Assembly performances
Music
- Pentatonic flutes
- Lyres
- Singing
Athletics and Movement
- Outdoor recesses (two per day)
- Folk dance
- Games and movement
- Daily exercises to develop fine and gross motor skills
Field Trips and Community Service
Second Grade In-Depth
Interested in learning more about our first grade curriculum? Complete the form and we'll email you our in-depth first grade brochure that offers expanded information on The Denver Waldorf education.
Third Grade
Finding oneself through direct experience
Between ages nine and ten, children experience a significant change in consciousness. They awake to a greater sense of identity and learn the impermanence of life and death. They seek real and practical knowledge (how to build a house or tend to an animal) and work to protect their own inner space. Along with traditional academic progress, our curriculum includes story interpretation, recitation, form drawing, stage performance, learning the recorder, and the introduction to playing a string instrument.
Testing limitsExperiential learningAsserting oneselfFinding one’s place
Language Arts
- Hebrew legends
- Grammar and spelling
- Writing stories and composition
- Recitation of poetry
- Reading aloud
Social Studies
- Festival celebrations
- Ancient Hebrew culture
- Shelters
Science
- Farming
- Gardening
- Nature observation
- Cooking and preserving food
Math
- Measurement (liquid, dry, linear, weight, time)
- Money
- Long multiplication and long division
Spanish Language
- Vocabulary of feelings, families, holidays, foods, and home
- Practice of pronunciation through cultural songs
- Cultural focus on Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean
Visual Arts
- Wet-on-wet watercolor painting
- Beeswax and clay modeling
- Crayon/colored pencil drawing
- Form drawing
Practical Arts
- Handwork (weaving, plant-dyeing, knitting, crocheting)
- Shelter building
- Cooking and canning
- Seasonal crafting
Theater
- Re-enactment of stories
- Class play
- Assembly performances
Music
- Recorder
- Singing
- Strings
Athletics and Movement
- Outdoor recesses (two per day)
- Folk dance
- Games and movement
- Daily rhythm/coordination exercises
Field Trips, Overnight Trip, and Community Service
Third Grade In-Depth
Interested in learning more about our first grade curriculum? Complete the form and we'll email you our in-depth first grade brochure that offers expanded information on The Denver Waldorf education.
Fourth Grade
I have arrived!
Although still deep in the heart of childhood, fourth graders gain intellectual ground, realizing they are an individual among many — and must appreciate differences. Along with traditional academia, they study map drawings, mythology, calligraphy, clay modeling, speech work, and reading music. Main lesson books become radiant with vast compositions of self-directed artwork.
Self-awarenessSteadinessSeparatenessIndividuality
Language Arts
- Norse mythology
- Native culture
- Grammar
- Writing (including with fountain pen)
- Recitation of poetry
Social Studies
- Festival celebrations
- Nordic culture
- Colorado geography and history
- Native American practical life
- Map-making
Science
- Zoology: “Human Being and Animal”
- Nature walks and observations
- Outdoor education
Math
- Fractions
- Multiple digit long multiplication and division
Spanish Language
- Read aloud short stories
- Vocabulary of counting, time, seasons, directions
- Cultural focus on Mexico and Mexican influence in Colorado
Visual Arts
- Wet-on-wet watercolor painting
- Clay modeling
- Crayon/colored pencil drawing
- Form drawing (weaving patterns, Celtic knots)
Practical Arts
- Handwork (cross-stitch, embroidery)
- Seasonal crafting
Theater
- Re-enactment of stories
- Class play
- Assembly performances
Music
- Recorders
- Singing rounds and choral music
- Strings
Athletics and Movement
- Outdoor recesses (two per day)
- Folk dance
- Games and movement
- Daily rhythm/coordination exercises
Curriculum Project on Topic of Interest
- Animal project
Fourth Grade In-Depth
Interested in learning more about our first grade curriculum? Complete the form and we'll email you our in-depth first grade brochure that offers expanded information on The Denver Waldorf education.
Fifth Grade
The heart of childhood
Fifth grade is the golden year – a nod to ideal physiology (symmetry, heartbeat-to-breath rhythm, sense refinement) and the golden age of Greece, when mythology recedes and democracy, logic, and philosophy arise. Fifth graders penetrate the world outside themselves with openness, enthusiasm, flexibility, and harmony. They learn the Greek alphabet, take field trips to nurture the seasonal rhythm of life, and gain independence in language arts by creating their own compositions.
OpennessEnthusiasmFlexibilityHarmony
Language Arts
- Ancient Indian, Persian, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, and Greek culture and myths
- Literature
- Grammar and writing
- Recitation of poetry
Social Studies
- Festival celebrations
- Land and culture of ancient India, Persia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece
- Greek history
- North American geography
Science
- Botany
Math
- Decimals
- Complex fraction problems
- Freehand geometry
- Ratios and proportions
Spanish Language
- Gender and plurality of nouns and adjectives
- Verb conjugation
- Conversational skills
- Cultural focus on Mexico and Central America, and the Aztecs
Visual Arts
- Wet-on-wet watercolor painting
- Clay modeling
- Colored-pencil drawing
Practical Arts
- Knitting in the round on four needles to potentially make mittens, hats, and socks
- Seasonal crafting
- Woodworking
Theater
- Re-enactment of stories
- Class play
- Assembly performances
Music
- Recorders
- Singing
- Strings ensemble
- Woodwinds and brass
Athletics and Movement
- Outdoor recesses (two per day)
- Folk dance
- Physical education
- Daily rhythm/coordination exercises
- Pentathlon training
Class Trip and Community Service
Curriculum Project on Topic of Interest
- Research, written report, artistic project, and community presentation
Fifth Grade In-Depth
Interested in learning more about our first grade curriculum? Complete the form and we'll email you our in-depth first grade brochure that offers expanded information on The Denver Waldorf education.