Curriculum: Grade 1 – 8
Curriculum Overview
Our holistic teaching principles recognise that artistic work in music, poetry, drawing, painting and sculpture are an essential part of becoming a well-rounded human being. Whilst your child will learn practical skills through artistic activities in our curriculum, the creative freedom experienced will go deeper and speak to their soul.
Developing the heart through imagination
At Straitswaldorf school, our teachers introduce traditional subjects like numeracy and maths. English, Mandarin, science, history and geography through a creative approach using storytelling, art, drama, music and movement.
We introduce a new learning topic each lunar month, which we call a main lesson block. By engaging your child’s feelings and stirring their imagination, we empower them to relate the school work to their own experiences. In turn, this helps them to remember and learn.
Using visual art to explore maths
Your child will regularly take part in form drawing, which not only connects them to the natural forms of waves, curves and straight lines, but also teaches patience, focus and resilience, and helps develop spatial awareness to lay the foundations for learning geometry.
Using drama to connect theory with reality
Storytelling is the backbone of our Straitswaldorf school curriculum. We prefer to tell stories rather than read them from books. This way the teacher speaks from their heart to your child’s heart. Our teachers may also deepen the content of the lesson block by using drama, music and movement to present a play.
By hearing and joining in the recall and understanding of the story, your child is free to develop their own imagination and to connect the content, for example historical events and literature, with their own living experiences.
We use music to organise our day, learn facts and discover new cultures
Music is everywhere at Straitswaldorf school! We sing at the beginning and the end of the day, to mark transitions from one activity to the next, to mark lunchtime or clean-up time. We sing to remember our times tables, countries and capitals, words in Mandarin, and English grammar. We sing seasonal and festive songs to connect with the turning of the year.
Your child will study music through group recitation, ensemble singing and playing instruments, and will develop careful attention to listening and general musicianship. As they grow, your child will deepen their sing-reading and sight-reading skills.
By working cooperatively and collaboratively, your child will develop social awareness. By taking part in regular performances, they will grow in confidence. By experiencing songs, music and festivals in different languages and from different cultures, they will be more culturally literate.
Becoming aware of their bodies in space
All children are primed to move their bodies. They love to run, jump and climb. At Straitswaldorf school, we regularly visit local spaces and play areas so that your child has the opportunity to be a playful human being, to play tag, to chase after their friends, and to rest in the shade of the tree, either in the branches or under them. We regularly cycle to East Coast Park and hike in nearby nature spaces, like Bedok Reservoir and Pasir Ris, not only to spot the local wildlife, but also to move our bodies amongst the elements.
We present physical exercise and games in a fun and joyful way so that your child feels empowered to go out into the world as the boundaries expand, and to return to the comfort and reassurance of the huddle as the games come to a close.
There are no winners or losers, only experiences. In the huddle, your child will have a chance to share their favourite escape from a tag, or congratulate a classmate for an excellent chase. We provide time and space for the children to learn social conduct, become aware of their bodies, and develop the roots for graceful and controlled movement.
