The grades curriculum is comprehensive and introduces academics in a developmentally thoughtful way. Each student’s imagination is continually nurtured as they develop the capacity to meet the challenges of learning math, language arts, history, geography, science, music, eurythmy, handwork, movement, and two foreign languages, Spanish and Japanese. We have a team teaching format where students are held by their class teacher and supported by a number of speciality subject teachers.

History and geography
Fairy tales, folktales, myths, timeless archetypal consciousness, classroom and body geography

Language arts
Alphabet and letters, word families, rhyme words, write and copy sentences, fairy and folktales, oral recitation

Mathematics
Quality of numbers, recognition of the four operations, number patterns, odd and even numbers, grouping and estimation

Science
Natural and seasonal effect on plants, animals and humans through stories and nature walks

Art
Straight and curved lines, primary and secondary colors, wet-on-wet painting, crayon drawing and beeswax modeling

World languages (Spanish and Japanese)
Greetings, colors, seasonal verses and songs, family members, numbers 1-50, parts of the body and folk tales

Practical arts
Finger knitting, knitting needle construction and introduction to knitting through story and song

Music
Singing melodies by imitation, instruction of interval and pentatonic flute, listening and playing notes by ear, pentatonic songs and stories

Movement
Physical activities and games outdoors, circle games, singing games, clapping rhythms and jumping rope

Eurythmy
Diverse forms and shapes in context of fairy and folk tales, expansion and contraction, musical rhythm, and speech and sound experience

Experiential
Pumpkin patch trip with 8th-grade buddies

History and geography
Legends, fables, helpers of humanity stories, landscape archetypes, ecosystems and school and neighborhood geography

Language arts
Lowercase writing, composing simple sentences, dictation, phonetics, punctuation and consonant blend and vowel combinations

Mathematics
Applying operation principles, number patterns and relationships, geometric patterns, place value and times tables

Science
Nature walks, gardening, nature studies, animal characteristics, sharpening observation skills

Art
Form drawing, vertical and horizontal symmetry, wet-on-wet painting, crayon drawing, beeswax modeling and seasonal crafts

World languages (Spanish and Japanese)
Daily activities, clothing, nature, months, days of the week, seasons, numbers 1-100, answering simple questions, fables

Practical arts
Purl knitting, stockinette stitch, carrying color, work on long-term projects and simple sewing to assemble pieces

Music
Sing and play pentatonic melodies by ear, international folk songs and dances and pitch recognition

Movement
Circle and gross motor games, rhythmic exercises in unison and tumbling and floor work

Eurythmy
Mirror movements, vowel gestures to music, anapest rhythm, and inner and outer circle

Experiential
Nature walks

History and geography
Ancient civilizations, Old Testament, origins of farming and housing, building techniques, landscapes, climates and natural resources

Language arts
Cursive writing, parts of speech, dictation, short compositions, sentences, journaling, reading, punctuation and oral recitation

Mathematics
Number patterns, money, time, measurement, geometric patterns, borrowing and regrouping and the introduction to division and multiplication

Science
Animal husbandry and farming, relationship to environment and farm trips

Art
Watercolor form and technique, exploration of light and shading, expression of mood with color and increased detail in drawings

World languages (Spanish and Japanese)
Gardening and food, time, trade, house, furniture, transportation, daily activities and recognition of personal pronouns

Practical arts
Introduction to crochet (single and double stitches), basic two- and three-dimensional shaping and increasing and decreasing stitches

Music
Sing C major scale, diatonic flute, singing in rounds, playing in lyre choir, and choosing a string instrument

Movement
Circle games, relays, gymnastics, ball skills, collaborative games, physical and social learning

Eurythmy
Expansion and contraction, spirals, step rhythms to poetry, geometric forms, and major and minor moods

Experiential
Snow shelters on Mt. Hood & 2-night farming trip

History and geography
Norse mythology, Native American stories, mapmaking, bridge walks and city tours, geography of Oregon

Language arts
Sentence to paragraph, dictation, composition (descriptive writing, story recounting), pattern layer of spelling, tenses introduced, animal research project and presentation

Mathematics
Fractions (proper, improper, mixed numbers, addition, subtraction), averages, factoring, measurement, long division and multiplication

Science
Animal physiology, map and compass skills, geographical regions and environments

Art
Watercolor (animal forms, landscapes), form drawing (braiding and knots), modeling with clay and colored pencil and oil pastel drawing

World languages (Spanish and Japanese)
Reading, writing, spelling, speaking common words and simple sentences, reciting longer verses and text

Practical arts
Introduction to simple embroidery, cross stitch, 4-way mirror-image patterns, and butterfly stitch

Music
Introduction of orchestral ensemble work, music theory and musical notation and sight reading and rhythm exercises

Movement
Cooperative games, tag and running games, group ball and sports lead-up games, circus skills, tumbling and group pyramids and Native American games

Eurythmy
Forward-facing, choreography, “you and I” form, crossing and wearing, curve of Cassini and rod exercises

Experiential
Ekone Ranch in WA, NW Wildlife Refuge, walking field trip for Oregon History/Geography

History and geography
Ancient India, Persia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and the political and topographical geography of North America

Language arts
Style, research project, mood of writing, creative and descriptive writing

Mathematics
Fractions and mixed numbers (multiply and divide), decimals, lowest common multiples and greatest common factors, percentages and ratios and number theory

Science
Historical maps, North American geography and botany (plant life cycle, trees and climate)

Art
Freehand geometry, watercolor (plants, geography, ancient cultures), colored pencil (drawing and shading), and multimedia art

World languages (Spanish and Japanese)
Simple paragraphs, regular and irregular verbs in present tense, answer questions, creation stories, botany and geography

Practical arts
Practical arts begin (safe tool use and woodcarving), clay modeling, knitting in the round, reading and writing knitting patterns

Music
Deepen orchestral ensemble work through complex harmonies and sight reading, harmony and two- and three-part singing

Movement
Ball games, frisbee and running games, circus skills, tumbling and group pyramids and cooperative games and problem solving

Eurythmy
Historical epochs through movement, geometrical forms, peace and energy dances, gestures of the alphabet

Experiential
Botany field trips