Fifth Grade

Where children are, there is the golden age.

—Novalis

Physical and Social Development

Just as in the earlier move in curriculum from mythology to history, the fifth grader’s development moves into more confidence, grace, and agility, both physically and socially. Students study Greek mythology and history, as well as the ancient civilizations of India, Mesopotamia, Persia, and Egypt. The fifth grade year culminates with the Pentathlon, a competition modeled after the ancient Greek Pentathlons that captures the fifth graders at the height of their grace and agility and signals the end of the “golden age” of childhood. As with all grades in the Waldorf curriculum, the Subjects scaffold the Main Lesson for an all-encompassing approach to learning.

Main Lesson Block

• Ancient Civilizations

• Greek mythology/History

• North America geography

• Botany

• Decimals/Metric System

Subject Classes

Music

• Part singing
• Major and minor scale
• Alto recorder
• Strings

Practical and Fine Arts

• Geometric drawing

• Watercolor pointing

• Drama

• Knitting socks

• Woodwork

• Clay modeling

Movement/Spacial Dynamics™

• Greek sports building to the pentathlon

• Folk dancing

• Eurythmy

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

• Spanish:  simple text, syntax, short talks

• Mandarin

• Exposure to Sanskrit and Greek

Download the comprehensive Fifth Grade Curriculum.

Skills Classes

• Math

• Language Arts