Grades 6-8
As students arrive on the cusp of adolescence, the program, designed to meet their developmental stage, provides further challenge for their emerging thinking, reasoning, and inquiry.
While becoming more academically rigorous, it also recognizes the need for students to experience themselves within the context of a wider social group, the Middle School, and offers additional activities and events for their exploring natures. Core curriculum includes:
History. From Rome, through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, Age of Enlightenment, revolutions, industrialization, into modern times.
English. Vocabulary, grammar, composition, writing of reference papers; elements of poetry and figurative language, including ballads, sonnets, epics, Chaucer and Shakespeare; short stories; modern American and British novels and plays.
Geometry. Geometric drawing with instruments, plane geometry, solid geometry, and Platonic Solids.
Mathematics. Percents, ratio, proportion, areas, formulas, algebra from the simple equation through quadratics, powers and roots, binary system, inequalities, numerical trigonometry, probability, logic and problem-solving.
Geography. Western Hemisphere and the poles, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, oceans and winds of the world, world economic geography.
Natural sciences. Mineralogy, geology, astronomy, meteorology, human physiology and anatomy.
Physics. Optics, acoustics, heat, electricity, magnetism, hydraulics, mechanics.
Chemistry. Combustion, lime cycle, acids, bases and salts, metals, chemistry of foodstuffs.
Our graduates, well-prepared and confident, enter various mainstream and Waldorf secondary schools, both public and private. Pasadena Waldorf is opening a high school, beginning with 9th Grade in 2012.
