Curriculum Overview

Grade 1 

Central Theme: Fairy Tales and Nature Stories
Math: Number patterns, manipulating numbers up to 24 with the four processes of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
Language Arts: Letters of the alphabet; word families; exercises in reading, writing, and speech; storytelling; drama
Science: Nature studies and nature walks
Foreign Language: Spanish - songs and poems
Art: Form drawing, watercolor painting, crayon illustration
Music: Pentatonic flute, singing in unison
Handwork: Knitting
Movement: Circle games
Gardening: Seasonal garden activities, crafts, stories and songs

Grade 2 

Central Theme: Legends, Saints, and Fables
Math: Place value (1–1,000), addition and subtraction of large numbers by carrying and borrowing, regrouping, number patterns, all four arithmetical operations, multiplication tables
Language Arts: Phonetics; reading and writing letters; words and sentences; drama; reading in groups,upper and lower case manuscript writing
Science: Animal behavior, gardening, nature studies and nature walks
Foreign Language: Spanish - songs and poems
Art: Form drawing, watercolor painting
Music: Recorder, singing in unison and in rounds
Handwork: Continue knitting, learn purl stitch
Movement: Gross motor movements with a focus on rhythm and coordination, and various group cooperation games.
Gardening: As above for Grade 1, starting container gardens, basic concept of composting

Grade 3 

Central Themes: Old Testament Stories, Farming
Math: Time, money, measurement; continued practice with the four arithmetical processes and the multiplication tables.
Language Arts: Composition, beginning parts of speech, cursive writing,reading, drama.
Science / Practical Skills: Farming and gardening (overnight farm trip), house-building,cooking, fiber arts - carding, spinning
Foreign Languages: Spanish - beginning vocabulary
Art: Drawing and watercolor painting
Music: Recorder, choral singing, introduction of string instruments
Handwork: knitting, crocheting
Movement: A variety of cooperative games and activities, obstacle challenges.
Gardening: Farming from seed to harvest, building structures, dye and fiber gardens, raising chickens from eggs

Grade 4 

Central Theme: Norse Mythology, Native American Stories, Animal Kingdom
Math: Fractions, long division, averages, factoring, continue practice four processes
Language Arts: Grammar, composition, animal research project, drama
Science: Zoology (comparing humans and animals)
History & World Cultures: Texas history and local geography, map-making
Foreign Languages: Spanish - vocabulary development
Art: Watercolor - nature scenes and animals, form drawing, clay modeling, form drawing braided and knotted forms
Music: Recorder, choral singing, string ensemble, scales, notation
Handwork: Cross-stitch, braiding, knotwork
Movement:. Increasing stamina, and breath control through field games, relays and double dutch. Also practice ball-handling skills (basketball, kickball, and whiffle ball.)
Gardening: Native and traditional food and medicine sources; local wildlife, including insects and birds; beneficial insects in the garden; caring for farm animals

Grade 5 

Central Theme: Ancient Myths of India, Persia, Egypt and Greece
Math: Fractions, mixed numbers, decimals, beginning geometry, continued practice of four processes
Language Arts: Composition, grammar and syntax, spelling, state research project, drama
Science: Botany 
History & World Cultures: U.S. geography; history and geography of ancient cultures
Foreign Languages: Spanish - beginning grammar
Art: Colored pencil, drawing and shading, watercolor, freehand geometry
Music: String ensemble with an option to begin a wind instrument, choral singing
Handwork: Circular knitting (socks, fingerless gloves)
Movement: Games and activities designed to foster group cooperation and listening skills, training for the 5th grade Pentathlon
Gardening: Close plant observation and sketching, identification of locals plants by family, make healing salves, fruit tree care

Grade 6 

Central Theme: Ancient Rome, Early Medieval Europe
Math: Percentages, economics and business math (interest and discounts), graphing, geometry, business project, simple mathematical formulas, continued practice of previously learned skills
Language Arts: Grammar and composition, letter writing (business and personal), drama
Science: Astronomy, Mineralogy; Physics (acoustics, optics, heat, and magnetism)
History & World Cultures: History geography of Rome; Europe in the Middle Ages; European Geography
Foreign Languages: Spanish - reading and letter writing
Art: Geometric constructions with compass, black & white (charcoal) drawing,
Music: String or wind ensembles, choral singing
Handwork: Hand-sewing, embroidery
Movement: Sports, practicing Medieval games such as jousting, archery, staff fighting
Gardening: Continued work in the learning garden, soil science, crop rotation, running farm stand (business math)

Grade 7

Central Theme: The Age of Explorers
Math: Pre-algebra, ratios, geometry, continued practice of previously learned skills
Language Arts: Creative and expository writing, research, drama, poetry and prose
Science: Physics, inorganic chemistry, mechanics, physiology, anatomy
History & World Cultures: Renaissance history, the Reformation, the Age of Discovery, South American geography
Foreign Languages: Spanish - verb tenses, reading, and writing
Art: Perspective drawing, veil painting, portraiture, sculpture
Music: Orchestra or recorder ensemble, choral singing
Handwork: Quilting
Movement: Bothmer exercises, physical education, sports
Gardening: Continued work in the learning garden, maintaining the kitchen herb garden, food preservation, lactofermentation

Grade 8 

Central Theme: The Ages of Revolution
Math: Algebra I, geometry, continued practice of previously learned skills
Language Arts: Poetry, essays, compositions, research papers, drama, presentation of 8th grade project
Science: Physics, organic chemistry, physiology, computer science
History & World Cultures: American, French, and Industrial Revolutions; geography of Africa and Asia
Foreign Languages: Spanish - grammar, composition, and culture
Art: Composition and proportion, pastels, clay modeling
Music: Orchestra or recorder ensemble, choral singing
Handwork: Machine sewing
Movement: Bothmer exercises, physical education, sports
Gardening: Continued work in the learning garden, service project, introduction to permaculture and biodynamics