Sunbridge Summer Series Approaching the Grades courses are designed for Waldorf class teachers looking ahead to the coming school year. Our focus is on building skills, and deepening knowledge of child development. Each week includes a daily in-depth look at child development in light of anthroposophy, focusing specifically on the age group you will be teaching. This is intended to serve as the wellspring of inspiration for the guiding thoughts and themes that will support your teaching throughout the year.

Throughout the course of the week, under the guidance of an experienced class teacher you and your parallel colleagues from across the country will have an opportunity to journey through your grade’s subjects. Together, you will explore ways to approach the blocks so that they can be imbued with depth and meaning. There will be daily periods of exploration in movement and the arts, and time and space to consider and hone your skills in practical matters, including main lesson books, circle activities, classroom management, block planning, and projects.

In addition to inspiration and guidance for your upcoming year, you’ll have many opportunities to build connections among a community of colleagues to carry with you into your year ahead.

A highly-useful grade-specific Resource Notebook, including poems, songs, stories, and main lesson book ideas, will be provided to you when you arrive on campus.

Approaching Grade Four offers you an invaluable opportunity to focus entirely on your upcoming fourth grade school year, in a week filled with discussions, lectures, practical activities, and the arts. With the insights of anthroposophy, you will get to know the fourth grade child as he or she steps into a more objective relationship to learning. In addition to child development, you’ll discover ways to enliven your teaching so that it meets the fourth grader in a meaningful and lively way. Your week will be filled with key fourth grade topics, including the telling of Norse myths, teaching local geography, building skills in language arts, and discovering the world of fractions. These subjects will be supported by explorations in art, movement, and singing, giving you practical tools to take into your school year.

Instructor:  Kevin Kilb of  Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School

This course includes movement with Will Crane of Green Meadow Waldorf School, music with Jana Hawley of Sunbridge Institute and Green Meadow Waldorf School, and art (art instructor tba).

Please go to our Course List and Registration page for further information and to register.

Sunbridge Institute reserves the right to cancel any offering at any time. If Sunbridge cancels, all registrants will be notified and will receive a full refund. If the registrant cancels, he or she will receive a full refund less the non-refundable registration fee.  Sunbridge reserves the right to make faculty substitutions when necessary.