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Third Grade Package 3rd Grade Syllabus + Old Testament Stories Manual and Storybook Package price: $330 A fully integrated year with a hands-on and practical orientation. For further information about the Third Grade Syllabus (including sample pages) please see below. For more about the individual components, please see here: Old Testament Stories |
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Please note: Form Drawing for Beginners, Joyful Movement and Learning About the World Through Modeling (available separately and as part of the First Grade Curriculum) remain essential components of 3rd grade. |
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The above is the package for Christopherus 3rd grade. For those who already own some of the components (or wish to purchase the books that are part of the 1st grade package) here are the separate components:
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3rd Grade Syllabus by Donna Simmons A step-by-step guide to Waldorf third grade at home. 570 pages, in a 3-ring binder - $325.00 More information below... |
Third Grade Curriculum
Old Testament Stories: The manual contains 24 pages of text (including a short play, Joseph and His Brothers) plus full-page pictures, including 10 full-color reproductions of watercolor paintings. More information and excerpts here $35.00 |
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Joyful Movement A treasure trove of ideas and activities, songs and movement games 100+ pages, $25 Click here for more details and to view sample pages. |
Form Drawing
Fully-illustrated step-by-step instructions for beginning form drawing. An intrinsic part of the Christopherus Curriculum, grades 1 - 3. 41 pages, $22 |
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Learning About the World We loved this book so much that we made it an intrinsic part of our curriculum! 230 pages, $24 |
Not essential but recommended: From Nature Stories to Natural Science: A Holistic Approach to Science for Families
Also useful:
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The Third Grade Curriculum
Our third grade curriculum is a carefully woven whole, with the main theme of 'practical work' appearing again and again. The hands-on approach this year emphasizes practical construction projects, gardening, cooking, and making and doing in every aspect of the curriculum. Practical math centers on measurement and math instruction occurs not only in specific math main lessons and practice lessons, but during cooking, weather, farming and building lessons.
A Native American theme also runs through the year, with two 4 week main lessons devoted to gaining an experience of the lives of Peoples of the Desert, Woodlands, Rice, Rain and Mist, Ice and Snow, Swamps and Plains. Building projects, a Three Sisters Garden, cooking, crafts and handwork throughout the year tie the Native American and practical work themes together.
Our assumption this year, as in past years, is that you still have a 4 day week. This will change next year. We give the following main lessons which add up to a 34 week year – this gives you enough leeway to schedule in an extra week for this or that block; to add in a weeks’ camping trip or similar; and to generally ensure that life breathes and is not too hectic!
Language Arts
- Old Testament Stories - one 6 week block (already available - see Old Testament Stories)
- Stories of Wonder - one 3 week block
- Native Americans - two 4 week blocks (sample text, sample picture)
Math
- one review block
- one on time and money
- one on measurement
- one on consolidation and moving forward
Practical Projects
- two blocks - one of 3 weeks, the other 4, on gardening, farming and making various indoor and outdoor building projects
Science
- Three 1 week blocks on weather (sample page)
As always, our curriculum is designed to give step-by-step instruction with a clear progression of the year's lessons whilst also remaining flexible and open to meeting the needs of widely different children.
Aside from full and clear lessons, stories, crafts and other ideas for all main lessons, we provide instructions, advice and stories for lessons in music, form drawing, handwork, movement, painting, cooking, modeling and crafts. We give advice on how to include health and safety (sample page) and other lessons to meet legal requirements one might have.
Our curriculum is packed with realistic advice so you can make this year work! Our Practical Considerations include: a full schedule not only of main lessons but of all other lessons and advice on how to adjust the schedule and pacing of subjects to meet your needs; an in-depth look at the Nine Year Change; how the Waldorf curriculum meets the developmental stage and what parents can do to support this; advice, tips and strategies for teaching; meeting legal requirements.
As any Waldorf-inspired curriculum is, by definition, utterly holistic, it can be misleading to split main lessons into categories such as 'language arts' or 'science'. The Native American blocks, for instance, can be easily considered to meet requirements for language arts, science, social studies, art and more!
The Language Arts section of the Third Grade Syllabus discusses skill areas such as reading, writing, grammar, spelling and vocabulary and then gives ideas on how to work with these skill areas throughout the curriculum. There is also ample discussion and advice on telling and reading stories; handwriting and the pros and cons of cursive (script); and poetry as well as lists of readers and 3rd grade read-aloud books.
Painting, drawing and modeling appear throughout the year and there are plenty of step-by-step instructions and specific ideas for you to do with your child. Full handwork and crafts curricula are also included.
Science this year centers on an experiential, phenomena-based study of the weather where you live. Gardening as well as gaining an understanding of the way Native Americans traditionally lived in harmony with the environment are also science subjects in the 3rd grade curriculum.
We are excited to share this curriculum with you! Donna's lifelong experience with Waldorf education plus her experience of working on farms and in gardening make this an especially rich year's curriculum. We hope you and your child enjoy using it as much as we did in creating it!
The full Third Grade Curriculum includes
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The Third Grade Syllabus
These latter 3 titles (available separately and as part of the First Grade Curriculum) are essential components of 3rd grade.
Lastly, we would invite all people wishing to work with our Third Grade Curriculum to consider purchasing either or both our Waldorf Overview for Homeschoolers and From Nature Stories to Natural Science. These books will considerably broaden and enrich the homeschool parent's way of bringing Waldorf to her homeschool.
Please note: Charter schools or teachers wishing to use the Christopherus Curriculum must contact us to discuss terms.
For additional books required or recommended to accompany our Third Grade Curriculum, see our Amazon store: http://astore.amazon.com/christopherus-20
Customer Testimonials
"It was with great joy that I received your Third Grade Curriculum last week. An even greater joy was mine when I finished reading it! My husband and I feel tremendously blessed that you "guide" us on our homeschool journey. All of your manuals (well at least those we have yet purchased!) have become blessed advisers.
"Thank you kindly for your brilliant work! May you have a lovely summer in your garden. I would have liked to have sent you a sweat pea from ours, but they are just so fragile,
"With sincerest regards,"
Lynn from CT
"I've just finished reading the 3rd grade curriculum you so promptly sent us. It is absolutely amazing. It is so well laid out, easy to follow and enjoyable to read. I can hardly wait to start next year!
"Thank you, thank you, thank you for a job well done."
Mollie (New Jersey)
"Your third grade curriculum is wonderful. I was initially considering just using the shelf full of resources I accumulated after third with my daughter. But I'm so glad I purchased your materials. They're beautifully done, practical, and accessible.
"The only thing I tend to ignore are the suggested breaks. I get going and want to keep at it, but then find out we naturally slow down our pace and need that time off. I'm going to build in those times to rest and do other things from now on."
Kim (San Francisco)