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SOPHIAMUNDI

Primary School Program

Creative and imaginative education

When children enter primary school they are eager to learn. However they are not yet ready for the conceptual academic intellect that develops later on. What is ready to be exercised is a new capacity for memory, one that is nourished by a rich pictorial, feeling style of thinking. Children of this age learn through what they feel. They need to feel both the laughter and the tears of life each day. For this reason the primary years of education are characterised by an artistically rich story-based curriculum that gives the child a harmoniously balanced day.The more academic features are introduced at the beginning of each day, integrated with movement, music, poetry and art in the main lesson. The focus of this period is to awaken a living creative activity in the developing thought life. Each main lesson lasts 3-4 weeks, then is left to rest. This provides for maximum development of the theme, concentration and understanding. The breathing space in between – the forgetting – is part of the “digestion” of education. Subjects such as a foreign language, practice lessons in maths and English, music and eurythmy are best taught in the middle lessons and active subjects such as games, sport, gardening, cooking and woodwork are best in the afternoons. The focus of these afternoon lessons is to bring direction and form into the world of practical work. At Class One, the children meet a class teacher with whom they will work in the same class group throughout the primary years. This allows a strong connection between teacher and child that sustains their development during these years. The children quickly come to love their teacher and to experience the partnership between parents and school, which

underpins also their social development. Being with the same group of children in their voyage from Prep to the end of high school is a remarkably strong aspect of the education.Specialist teachers are involved in subjects such as French, eurythmy, music, craft and physical education.During the primary years the curriculum - which is linked to the National Steiner Curriculum - supports the unfolding feeling life through the different themes and stories that accompany each year. From fairy stories and folk tales that capture and inspire the imagination in Class One through stories such as the Norse myths that engage the will so strongly in Class Four to Roman stories in Class Six where the sense of the emerging personality with a need for law and justice meets the inner world of the child at that age, the soul of the child is richly stimulated and awakened. In Class Seven, history brings the child through stories of the renaissance and explorers who opened up the new world to the brink of modern times.This phase of development, where the heart and soul of childhood is cultivated, continues for around seven years. Around the age of twelve, (Class Six), there is an emerging style of thinking that often manifests in the classroom (and at home) in many questions. Now their emerging intellect demands a new approach. This is the normal age for the beginning of the abstract conceptual thinking that characterises our adult way of seeing the world. Now we must create a way of educating that supports this capacity that blossoms during the high school as the ability for discerning thinking and independent judgment.

Overview of the Primary Years

MusicThroughout the Primary classes music is interwoven into the daily flow of each class through song, rhyme, musical games and recorder playing. In Class 3 all students take up the violin, viola or cello. Playing a stringed instrument at this time in a child’s life develops neural pathways connecting to fine and gross motor skills. Ear, hand, eye coordination is refined as they learn to sense, feel, hear and observe the correct pitch of each note on an unfretted instrument. The quality of sound production is a major focus as students learn to move the bow across the strings with grace and flow to produce a rich,warm and appealing tone. Students are essentially learning to fine tune and resonate themselves as much as the instruments they are playing. Students in classes 3-6 also take part in class orchestras, held on a weekly basis.

EurythmyThe movement art of Eurythmy supports the harmonious development of the child. Eurythmy uses a ‘language’ of gestures to deepen the experience of speech and music through movement. Choreography follows a variety of principles

related to the structures of language and music such as rhythm, story, poetry, music, coordination, dexterity and more. Eurythmy works to support other subjects through the kinesthetic experience of meaningful movement. The exercises and practice in movement supports the development of a healthy physical foundation for learning (muscle tone, gross and fine motor skill, overcoming retained reflexes, balance, posture and laterality).

Outdoor EducationThe Outdoor Education camps for the Primary School cover a wide range of locations - coastal environments, bushlands, box-ironbark forests, granite landscapes, rivers lakes and seas. Activities vary over dfferent seasons and durations, and activities include day walks, swimming in the ocean, horse riding, canoeing, bike riding, visiting caves and skiing. The Outdoor Education programme has been designed to sequentially offer the students a steadily progressive and curriculum based challenge. Each camp draws on the learning from the previous trip, enabling the children to achieve extraordinary levels of life skills, knowledge and wisdom.

Curriculum Guide

Class ENGLISH MATHEMATICS

Class 1 BEGINNING OF WRITING & READING

Form drawing

Folk tales , Nature tales Aboriginal myths

Informal Class play

INTRODUCTION TO NUMERALS

The 4 processes +, - , x, -

Number patterns 1’s, 2’s, 5’s, 10’s

Horizontal operations

Class 2 INTRODUCTION TO GRAMMAR

Saints and animal tales Aboriginal legends

Celtic stories - King of Ireland’s Son

Informal Class Play

TIMES TABLES

Column algorithms

Time Money

Four processes

Class 3 CREATION AND OLD TESTAMENT STORIES

Shelter

Informal Play

MEASUREMENT

Four processes

Class 4 LETTER WRITING, GRAMMAR

Norse myths

Story of writing

Drama Animal stories

FRACTIONS

Long multiplication Long division

Number patterns

Problem solving

Graphs

Class 5 MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF ANCIENT CIVILISATIONS

India, Persia, Mesopotamia, Greece

Greek epics

Grammar

Drama

GEOMETRY

Maths in history

Decimal fractions

Consolidation of basic processes

Class 6 AUSTRALIAN LITERATURE

Ancient Rome Medieval times

Study of Latin

Grammar - phrases/clauses

Letter writing

Drama

BUSINESS MATHS

Profit and loss

Appreciation/depreciation

Simple interest

History of money

Geometry

Class THE HUMANITIES SCIENCE

Class 1 HOME ENVIRONMENT

The animals and plants in our environment

Nature walks

NATURE STUDY

The four seasons , The elements

Nature table

Simple gardening

Class 2 SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT

Nature stories Plants and animals

GARDENING

Cooking

Care of pets

Four seasons, The elements

Class 3 THE BUILDER

THE FARMER

BUILDING SCIENCE

GARDENING/FARMING SCIENCE

Class 4 GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY OF LOCAL AREA

Simple mapping

Aboriginal dreaming stories

Native North American stories

HUMAN BEING AND ANIMAL

Class 5 HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF VICTORIA

Aboriginal legends Aboriginal history and culture

BOTANY

The social insects and /or the higher mammals

Class 6 EXPLORATION OF AUSTRALIA

Geography of Australia

Plant and animal life in the different regions of the world

Aboriginal stories

PHYSICS - SOUND, LIGHT, HEAT

Astronomy Geology Electricity and magnetism

Classes 1-6 Highlights

CraftA great emphasis in a Steiner school is placed on the experience of doing and making. The handwork of the primary school provides the basis for design and technology of the secondary school. Working with our hands stimulates the development of our thinking. What is learned only in the mind may be quickly forgotten. What is learned with the body is there for always, as we know from riding a bike, for example. The creative and imaginative use of natural materials, wool, silk, wood, and pure clear coloured threads encourage the development of a love for beauty and quality. Care and respect for materials leads to moral and social responsibility. We foster gratitude for the gifts of the earth. Fine motor skills are developed early through activities such as weaving, knitting, threading needles, sewing, crochet and modelling in beeswax. Gross motor skills are involved in kneading in clay, felting, sawing and hammering. The students learn specific technical skills in using different materials and tools. An integrated curriculum of soft craft activities moves from sewing and knitting to the creation of hats, vests, slippers, dyeing, weaving and felting in upper primary. The emphasis is always on practical, beautiful objects.

WK CLASS 1 CLASS 2 CLASS 4

1 Literacy Mathematics Literacy

2 Scribes Journey Katina Kondos Literacy Geography

3 Consonants The Gods of Asgard

4 Literacy Norse legends

5 Maths

6 Short & Long Vowels Numeracy

7 Numeracy Mathematics

8 Home Surroundings

9 Autumn Vertical Maths

1 Literacy Literacy Geography

2 Capatol Letters Home surroundings

3 Our Place

4 Numeracy

5 Numerals Numeracy Numeracy

6 Introduction to

7 Fractions

8 Home Surroundings

9 Winter Wonderland Home Literacy

10 (Winter Festival) Surroundings Odin the Wanderer

11 Pets and Plants

1 Literacy Literacy Literacy

2 Angel Letters History of Writing

3

4 Numeracy Numeracy Numeracy

5 Fractions

6

7 Home Surroundings

8 Norse Play

9

1 Numeracy Numeracy Mathematics

2 Four Process Geometry

3 Number Patterns

4 Literacy Home Surroundings Human Being

5 Sentence Structure Science and Animal

6 Celebrating Spring Spring Flora & Fauna

7 Home

8 Surroundings Literacy Geography

9 Christmas Spirit "Nutcracker" Indigenous legends

10Introduction to cursive

writing

In the beginning

English

Astronomy Music Indian Ramayana

CLASS 3 CLASS 5 CLASS 6

Literacy Greek History

Indian Mythology

TERM 1

GeometryLinear Measurement -

Noah's Ark

Maths Indian Epoch Camp

Deciamls Mathematics

Ancient Persia Illiad

Maths

English

Cursive Writing EnglishEarly Civilisation

Zarathustra

Measurement - Time Botany Science

Physics

Camp Sound, Light & Heat

Mid Winter History of Money

Andestors

Looking back Being Present

Farming Australian History

Mathematics

Building Our Earth

Land of the Nile

Eygpt -Literacy Geology

Seven Kings

English Science

Moses Botany English Play

Maths Numeracy Camp

Money Ancient RomeDecimals - Measurement

Main Lesson Timetable - Example (2013)

TERM 2

TERM 3

TERM 4

Numberland Kingdom

Advent Geometry Birth of Christ

Family Tree History Turning Point of Time

English Roman History

Measurement - Weight Ancient Greece Geometry

Home Surroundings

Maths

Roman Comedy

PLEASE NOTE: Each Class will cover the Main Lessons listed, however the order will vary from year to year

Factors, Long multiplication and

division

Four Processes - Introduction

Months of the Year & Two digit Numbers

Home Surroundings Ancient Tales

Indigenous Stories

From Drawing King of Ireland's Son

Blends - Aesops Fable's

Farmer Friends Apple Orchard

Celtaic Tales to Saints

Revision Four Processes

Play (St Christopher)

Greek Mythology Mathematics

Magaticism & Electricity

English - Play Science / Physics

Class Play Camp

Main Lesson Timetable for Classes 1 to 6 (Example)

SOPHIA MUNDI LimitedSt Mary’s, Abbotsford Convent 1 St Heliers Street, Abbotsford Victoria 3067 AustraliaT 03 9419 9229 F 03 9419 0835 E enquiries@sophiamundi.vic.edu.au www.sophiamundi.vic.edu.auA.B.N. 44 006 411 016