The
Chennai
Waldorf School
“As they leave the dreamy world of Early Childhood, first graders begin to awaken to the world around them. They are ready to learn in a new way.”
Children move into the second phase of childhood at the age of six or seven. This change is marked by a new readiness for formal learning. It is important to nurture the new intellectual abilities while continuing to foster the life of imagination as the child moves through the Grade school.
These are the years in which every child, no matter what his or her gifts, is an artist at heart and the mentor's task is to inform intellectual knowledge with aesthetic experience. All subjects like Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, Woodwork and Knitting, sports and second languages (Sanskrit, Tamil, Hindi and French) are taught imaginatively and artistically. The mentors address the children's feelings as well as their intellect - in pictures and stories, in colour, rhythm, and music. Thus, what is learned becomes a living part of the child.
1. FORM DRAWING
As a discipline, form drawing is unique to Waldorf education, and traditionally each first grade begins with this subject. Form drawings, composed of straight and curved lines, form the basis of all the drawing and writing the first grader will encounter. The students first make the shapes with their whole body through walking, running, and large movements of the arms and hands, later bringing the movement experience to rest by drawing them on paper with crayons or coloured pencils on large paper. Form drawing stimulates the activity of forming mental pictures, an activity which engages the will and feeling life in a mood of quiet focused attention. Through form drawing activities, the child feels the balance, proportion, symmetry, and shape of the forms and their inherent dynamic movements. Form drawing helps develop eye-to- hand coordination, the sense of uprightness in space, right/left and up/down orientation, and the ability to mirror, all skills that are needed in reading.
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2. LANGUAGE ARTS:
Having listened to their nursery and kindergarten mentors tell them stories and lead them in rhymes and verses, our students experience the richness of the English language long before they reach first grade. This experience fosters an appreciation for the beauty of speech and lays the groundwork for fertile imaginations and strong, varied vocabularies. The first grade begins with a main lesson block in form drawing. After this introduction, the children learn the upper-case consonants in imagery from stories, through the progression from story to picture to letter. After, the vowels, both short and long, are introduced. Next, words and phrases are constructed as a class activity and written on the board by the mentor. Students copy these words into main lesson books. Thus, writing precedes reading, and the main lesson book that the children create becomes their first reader. Lower case letters are learned by year’s end. Through song, verse, speech exercises, games and drills, phonics and a basic sight word vocabulary are learned. In addition, through the telling of fairy tales and the recitation of poetry, children are exposed to other cultures and skills in listening, re-telling, sequencing, and articulate speaking are practiced.
3. MATHEMATICS:
In the first grade, arithmetic is taught through movements like walking and stamping, clapping, throwing a beanbag and through lively oral games. First graders are introduced to Roman numerals and learn to count by one’s, two’s, three’s, four’s, five’s, and ten’s. Through imaginative stories, the four processes, i.e., addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are practiced. Students also learn to solve simple number problems, using manipulatives when necessary.
4. NATURE STUDY:
Children are natural scientists. Children in first grade develop an intuitive and reverential respect for the earth as they spend time outside throughout the seasons playing, gardening, composting and simply being in nature. The Science Curriculum aims to cultivate the sense of wonder, awe and curiosity which is a foundation for true scientific inquiry. Waldorf education encourages a strong scientific process that is based in strong observational abilities. In Grade 1, mentors focus on the natural environment the children experience every day. First through stories, and then through daily discussion of the weather, close observation of animals, and the study of farming and gardening, the child’s sense of belonging in nature and a reverent responsibility toward the natural world are nurtured.
5. SECOND LANGUAGES:
Language is the path to communication, cultural understanding and ultimately human unity. At AKSHAR, we endeavour to develop our children’s abilities to learn languages and understand different cultures.
(i) Sanskrit and Tamil:
In Grade one, children focus on these languages exclusively. They are introduced to alphabets, writing and reading. Literacy skills are developed through a language-rich curriculum that focuses on stories, poems, and songs. The imagination is sparked through Panchantantra tales, Amarchitra stories, Folk tales, and traditional verses and poems (e.g. Thirukurral, Aathichudi, Bharathiyar songs, etc.) as your child develops the necessary skills and confidence to read independently.
(ii) Hindi:
Language lessons in (spoken) Hindi are presented orally in the form of songs, poetry and rhymes which help the children absorb the musicality and feeling of the language. Stories also engage the imagination and help students create essential mental pictures. Meaning is acquired slowly through repetition and accompanying visuals, gestures, intonations and body language. All work is done orally and the children are slowly encouraged to speak along, to answer questions about their family, pets and their houses.
(iii) French:
In the Grade 1, French language is taught to the children in the ways in which they are most receptive: by imitation. The mentor speaks in French almost exclusively, and the children's powers of imitation, which are so strong in the early years, enable them to imitate what they hear in a seemingly effortless manner. The mentor keeps the class focused on songs and short conversations. Through stories, songs, poems, rhymes, games, gesture, pantomime, and drama, children receive a whole language experience.
6. VISUAL ARTS:
From your first step onto campus or into a classroom, you will see how the arts and art appreciation is integrated into the programming at AKSHAR. The Fine and Visual arts play a vital and vibrant role in the curriculum. Many extracurricular activities are available to all students, as are classes with professional artists and an improvisational group.
(i)Painting and Drawing:
In Grade 1, all students study drawing and painting. Drawing is part of the main lesson, while painting is taught in a separate period, although the themes are generally taken from main lesson subjects. The finest materials are always used, including high-quality watercolour paper, block crayons, and artist’s colour pencils. The overall purpose of the visual arts program is not only to teach students to draw and paint, but also to teach them how to observe carefully. Waldorf education recognises the importance of beauty: all work is imbued with colour, form and texture that should be pleasing. This is obvious in the weekly painting lessons. The teacher uses stories to introduce the qualities of the colours as well as to develop new skills such as handling of the brush, paint, and paper. The children also learn to become helpers in the set-up and clean-up, another important aspect of painting lessons.
(ii)Handwork:
Handwork is a practical art that involves the senses of sight and touch as well as balance and movement. In doing handwork, fine motor skills, coordination, patience, perseverance and imagination are schooled through this practical work. The children learn respect for the process of making something and gain confidence in their ability to complete a task. The children learn a variety of skills throughout the years, and a healthy respect for the natural materials used is fostered. Special care is taken to design objects that are practical and functional and also allow the children to work with color and form in a creative way. In Grade 1, Knitting, Origami and Pottery are taught to them. Knitting provides an opportunity to hone fine-motor skills and develop neural pathways that support academic learning. Origami teaches children eye-hand coordination and helps them develop a higher level of concentration. The children also regularly model with mud clay, which allows them to work with their hands while listening to a story, creating an animal or figure out of the content of the fairy tales.
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7. FINE ARTS:
Classical Vocal, Classical dance, Performing Arts, Music, Pottery, Recorder (Flute) and Drama are part of the first graders’ year.
8. PHYSICAL EDUCATION:
Children are given ample time for physical activity each day. Whether playing games organised by the mentor or engaging in free play, the students run, skip, climb, jump, throw, and catch in a free, imaginative and a non-competitive atmosphere.
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9. EURYTHMY:
Eurythmy, developed by Rudolf Steiner, is an art of human movement set to music, poetry or speech. It is sometimes called “speech made visible” and is intended to be a complement to intellectual learning. By studying eurythmy, students learn dexterity of movement, grace, poise, balance and concentration. They also develop a sense for sound and space and a feeling for social harmony. Gestures for vowels and consonants are also introduced through stories and poems. Fairy tales are the theme. Gestures are set to the images arising from the stories and are accompanied by music.
10. AWARENESS THROUGH THE BODY:
Contemporary society has become extremely demanding, eating up the time we need for ourselves, imposing its stressful rhythms on our lives, colouring whatever we do and how we feel. AWARENESS THROUGH THE BODY is a comprehensive curriculum of exercises that aims to raise awareness and enable children to become conscious of their own perceptions and abilities so that they may become self-aware, self-directed individuals. The activities are creative and often fun; they develop gradually and encourage concentration, focus and a sense of accomplishment. These exercises also help the children to develop their loco motor skills, laterality, body balance, spatial skills, etc.