Waldorf schools are known for thoughtfully teaching students according to their developmental stage.

Middle school students are growing in their understanding of themselves as individuals and are beginning to see their role in the greater world. It is essential that middle school students feel seen and known by their teachers. This is not the time to get lost in the crowd.

We hear a lot of concern from parents about overcrowded classrooms and students being taught “to the test” in traditional schools. With the big changes that middle school students face - emotionally, intellectually, socially - they need to be recognized for their strengths and encouraged in their challenges and struggles. At WWS, the number one thing our teachers express about why they love working at a small school is that they really get to know each of their students - they are champions of each student’s success.

Grade 6

6th Grade performing Circus Arts

Capital letters indicate main lessons, which are taught in 3–4 week blocks of daily double-period class sessions. In grades 6–8, mathematics and English studies are supplemented by skills classes meeting 2–4 times weekly.

History and Social Studies

ROMAN HISTORY; MIDDLE AGES; ISLAMIC GOLDEN AGE; Christianity; Islam

English

Grammar; note taking; literature; business letters; book reports; vocabulary. 

Mathematics

GEOMETRIC DRAWING; BUSINESS MATH; formulas; angle properties; protractor use; measurement; percentage; area and perimeter.

Sciences

ASTRONOMY; MINERALOGY; PHYSICS (sound, light, heat, magnetism, and static electricity).

Spanish

Conversation; reading; writing; geography of the Americas.

Fine and Applied Arts

Black and white drawing; calligraphy; watercolor painting; clay modeling; pastels

Music and Performing Arts

CLASS PLAY; orchestra; Grades 5 & 6 Chorus

Handwork

Hand sewing; creating patterns

Woodwork

Carving salad utensils

Eurythmy

Poetry; scales; rod exercises

Movement Education

Games; fencing; archery; circus arts; tumbling

Technology

Keyboarding; CyberCivics

Note: Each class teacher approaches this general curriculum guide with the freedom to shift and cater it to the particular group of students he or she is teaching.

Grade 7

Grade 7 student project

Capital letters indicate main lessons, which are taught in 3–4 week blocks of daily double-period class sessions. In grades 6–8, mathematics and English studies are supplemented by skills classes meeting 2–4 times weekly.

History and Social Studies 

RENAISSANCE; AGE OF EXPLORATION; geography of Europe and Africa

English

POETRY; grammar; short story writing; book/research reports; sentence diagramming; literature; editing and revising; vocabulary

Mathematics

ALGEBRA; signed numbers; statistics; powers and roots; order of operations; area; pi and circumference; metric conversions; Golden Mean

Sciences

PHYSICS (electricity, mechanics); HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY; INORGANIC CHEMISTRY.

Foreign Languages

Spanish or German.

Fine and Applied Arts

Perspective drawing; Renaissance Masters; portrait drawing; pastels and colored pencils; clay modeling

Music and Performing Arts

CLASS PLAY; Grades 7 & 8 orchestra, guitar; Grades 7 & 8 Chorus

Handwork 

Handmade dolls with biographies.

Woodwork

Wall clocks; plane craft 

Eurythmy

forms; poetry; stories; musical compositions; rods

Movement 

Games; basketball; soccer; relays; balance and coordination exercises

Active and Outdoor Education

Combined Grades 7 and 8; rock climbing, canoeing, biking, kayaking, hiking, and ice skating; outdoor camping and wilderness skills including edible plants, fires, and shelter building, first aid, orienteering; cotillion and folk dancing

Technology

Keyboarding; CyberCivics; computer research 

Note: Each class teacher approaches this general curriculum guide with the freedom to shift and cater it to the particular group of students he or she is teaching.

Grade 8

8th grade silk screening

Capital letters indicate main lessons, which are taught in 3–4 week blocks of daily double-period class sessions. In grades 6–8, mathematics and English studies are supplemented by skills classes meeting 2–3 times weekly.

History and Social Studies

AMERICAN AND OTHER REVOLUTIONS; 18th – 21st centuries; world geography; geography of Asia

English

Biographical reports; grammar; literature; composition; vocabulary.

Mathematics

PLATONIC SOLIDS; algebra; equations; laws of exponents; polynomials; graphing; ratio and proportion; geometry; Pythagorean Theorem; 

Sciences

METEOROLOGY; HUMAN ANATOMY; ORGANIC CHEMISTRY; AERODYNAMICS AND HYDRAULICS

Foreign Languages

Spanish or German.

Fine and Applied Arts

Printmaking; veil painting; color and black and white transformation; human figure; pastels; clay modeling 

Music and Performing Arts

CLASS PLAY; Grades 7 & 8 orchestra, guitar; Grades 7 & 8 Chorus

Handwork

Sewing machine projects

Woodwork

Three-legged stools

Eurythmy

forms; poetry; stories; musical compositions; rods

Movement

Games; basketball; soccer; relays; balance and coordination exercises

Active and Outdoor Education

Combined Grades 7 and 8; rock climbing, canoeing, biking, kayaking, hiking, and ice skating; outdoor camping and wilderness skills including edible plants, fires, and shelter building, first aid, orienteering; cotillion and folk dancing

Technology

CyberCivics 

Note: Each class teacher approaches this general curriculum guide with the freedom to shift and cater it to the particular group of students he or she is teaching.

How is this reflected in the curriculum?

Middle school is often a time of turbulent change and intense questioning for students. How does the WWS curriculum meet the students where they are amidst their personal challenges?
Throughout the middle school experience, students receive a broad education in science, humanities, math, handworking, woodworking, music, and physical education. A Hands-on, arts integrated curriculum deepens the students academic learning. Social studies and history lessons resonate with the growth and change the students are experiencing in their early teens. Science classes connect students to a growing understanding of the natural world. The students create woodworking and handworking projects that broaden their self awareness and hone skills and perseverance.

Our Middle School program is part of our the Lower School department. Learn more about Class Teachers who stay with the class multiple years, Morning Lessons that are deep dives into a subject with an arts integrated multidisciplinary approach, and more from our Lower School overview.

What kind of support is there for a student transferring into WWS from a different type of school environment?

In the transient DC Metro area we often welcome students who are new to Waldorf Education throughout the grades. We work carefully with the parents to make transitions as smooth as possible.

Read more about transitioning to WWS.