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Middle school student engaging in focused learning at Nevada Sage Waldorf School, practicing independent study in an outdoor classroom setting.

Middle School

Welcome to the Waldorf Middle School!

Rising to the Challenges Ahead

Pre-adolescence can be a challenging time, as many of us may remember, but rather than resisting the inner struggles that middle school students face, the Waldorf middle school curriculum is designed to support each stage of their development—from the order-seeking, emotional sixth-grader, to the curious, boundary-pushing seventh-grader, to the self-reliant, helpful, and maturing eighth-grader.

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As students progress, they engage with increasingly rigorous subject matter, including business math, geometry, physics, astronomy, chemistry, ancient and medieval history, the Renaissance, scientific and historical revolutions, form drawing, strings, and athletics. These subjects are designed to help students develop critical thinking skills, strengthen their self-identity, and foster their growing independence, all while preparing them for the challenges of high school and laying the foundation for success in the world ahead.

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Middle school science experiment at Nevada Sage Waldorf School, featuring a student using safety goggles and exploring chemical reactions with a candle.

Middle School Overview

Waldorf education stands out for its unique approach to teaching, where teachers bring learning to life in a way that sparks students' curiosity and engages them both intellectually and emotionally. This approach fosters a genuine inner enthusiasm for learning. The curriculum is diverse, encompassing a broad range of subjects, including:

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  • Mathematics

  • Science

  • Languages Arts

  • Foreign Language (Spanish)

  • Instrumental Music (flute, recorder and strings)

  • Choir

  • Handwork (knitting, sewing, etc.)

  • Woodworking

  • Watercolor Painting

  • Drama

  • Games & Movement (physical education)

Key Highlights of our
Middle School Program

Waldorf education is unique in the way that children are taught. The teachers bring learning alive to cultivate students’ curiosity and to engage them both intellectually and emotionally.

Math

The Waldorf math curriculum in middle school includes a range of topics such as geometry, pre-algebra, algebra, fractions, decimals, percentages, graphing, ratios, and business math. These subjects are approached through creative and experiential methods, fostering a deep understanding of mathematical concepts. Benefits: In the upper grades, Waldorf students develop a strong number sense, enabling them to understand, relate, and connect numbers. This strong foundation allows them to think fluently about numbers and confidently approach problems with flexibility and creativity.

Humanities

Our humanities curriculum in middle school builds on a foundation of diverse cultural sources. Students explore Norse mythology, and the ancient cultures of India, Persia, Egypt, and Greece. By the end of 8th grade, they have studied Roman and Medieval history, the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Age of Exploration, the Industrial Revolution, and up to the present day.

Music & Performing Arts

In middle school, music continues to play a vital role in our school community. Students have the opportunity to explore music through singing, learning the flute, recorder, or a stringed instrument (violin, viola, or cello), and performing at assemblies and concerts. Benefits: Music instruction supports academic success by engaging both the left and right brain, which enhances memory, language skills, executive functioning, and social-emotional development. Benefits: We believe that music instruction is a direct contributor to academic success. Music activates both the left and right brain at the same time which increases memory, language skills, executive functioning, and social-emotional capacities.

Physical Education

Spatial awareness, strength and coordination, healthy social interaction, and a joy in movement are the goals of classes in movement and spatial dynamics. These activities focus on teamwork rather than competition. Benefits: Students gain enhanced mind-body connection, social sensitivity, and a heightened awareness of each other’s place in the group. Our program lays the foundation for improved life-long health and well-being.

Science

Zoology, botany, mineralogy, astronomy, chemistry, environmental studies, anatomy, physiology, nutrition and basic physics are all covered in the grade school science curriculum. Students are immersed in the scientific method of observation, measurement, experimentation, and testing and modifying hypotheses. Benefits 42% of Waldorf high school graduates go on to major in science and math. Our science program helps students develop logical reasoning and analytical thinking by providing the opportunity to experience scientific phenomena in meaningful ways through the arts and experiments, and hands-on activities.

Foreign Language

In middle school, our foreign language program focuses on Spanish, where students engage in speaking, writing, songs, and games. This approach deepens their understanding of the language and enhances their ability to communicate. Benefits: Students strengthen their language, listening, and memory skills while developing a greater appreciation for other cultures. Benefits: Students develop an understanding and appreciation for other cultures, as well as build language, listening, and memory skills.

Visual Arts

Artistic activity is an integral part of the Waldorf curriculum, and every artistic assignment has an academic and developmental component. For example, knitting is a fun method to engage children in math skills while developing concentration and memory skills. Every student learns to knit, crochet, cross stitch, embroider and sew (by hand and machine). Students have many opportunities for creative expression through watercolor painting, drawing, modeling with clay and working with wood. Benefits: Our visual arts program supports students’ brain development while teaching patience, perseverance, and emotional awareness and regulation. Students expand their creative capacities, develop better hand-eye coordination, and fine motor skills.

Special Subjects

Arts, Handwork, Movement & Music - While our school is not an art school, art is brought into every subject. The arts are woven into just about every minute of every day in every grade, from early childhood all the way through middle school.

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Program Info

CURRICULUM | 6th Grade

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Art: Painting, Form drawing, Clay modeling

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Language Arts: Reading, writing, grammar, and composition

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Mathematics: Geometry, business mathematics, percentages, interest 

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Science:  Physics, mineralogy, astronomy

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Social Studies/Humanities:  History and literature of Rome and the Middle Ages, South America

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Subject Classes: 

  • Handwork: pattern making, sewing animals

  • Music: choir, strings

  • Foreign Language: Spanish

  • Movement & Games

  • Drama & Speech: class play

Student painting outdoors in a nature conservation area, using watercolors on a canvas, showcasing a
Group of students conducting water quality experiments, wearing NASA-themed shirts, promoting STEM a
Students and an instructor collecting water samples from a pond for biology and ecosystem study, emp
Kids engaged in pottery-making and clay crafts during an indoor creative art workshop, highlighting
Young student conducting a science experiment with a Bunsen burner in a chemistry lab, illustrating
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