10/10/2026
A Peek Inside First Grade
When children step into first grade at Anchorage Waldorf School, the whole world of learning opens up. Here is a look at what a first grader's year holds.
In math, they meet the four operations of arithmetic through stories and daily mental math, and they practice addition and subtraction facts up to 10. Language arts comes alive through fairy tales from around the world, with letters, sounds, phonics, spelling, and early writing all growing out of the stories they hear. In science, they observe the garden and head out on nature walks.
Then there is everything else. First graders sing and learn the pentatonic flute. They move to music and poetry in eurythmy, and they play cooperative games, jump rope, ice skate, and cross country ski in Movement class. They practice form drawing, paint with watercolors, and model with beeswax. They learn Russian through songs, poetry, games, and counting. Their hands are busy with finger crocheting, French knitting, sewing, knots, garter stitch knitting, and wet felting, and they even make their own knitting needles. They hear multicultural stories and the stories of Native peoples in history and social studies, and the year ends with a class play based on the stories they have lived.
This is a full curriculum, and it is meant to be. First grade is the bridge between kindergarten and the grades, and we move at a gentle pace so that every subject reaches children through their hands, their voices, and their whole bodies. Academics, art, music, movement, and community are woven together, so children do not just learn to read, write, and count. They fall in love with learning.
