Waldorf Grade 4

Youngsters in grade four are now ten years old and have past the nine-year-old shift in consciousness but are still smoothing this out in their understanding of the world. Their new independence means a bit of separation from parents and teachers and some cantankerousness as this adjustment settles. The curriculum brings fractions in math class to help in understanding how to break things into pieces and then put them back together to make a whole. Norse mythology is the literature of the year, bringing strong pictures of a different sort of creation from The Old Testament Adam and Eve of the previous year, and pictures of powerful forces of darkness. These pictures help the young to know the world without being confronted too soon with “issues” meant for adults.
Download a PDF of the Grade 4 Book Recommendations.

For Curriculum Development in Waldorf Grade 4

Active Arithmetic Henning Andersen
An English Manual Dorothy Harrer
Children and Nature, Making Connections George Russell
Immersion Learning: A Travelogue Frans Lutters
Math Lessons for Elementary Grades Dorothy Harrer
D’Aulaire’s Book of Norse Myths  Ingri D’aulaire
Norse Mythology and the Modern Human Being Ernst Uehli
Spelling by Hand Jeremy Herrmann
Teaching Science through the Grades David Mitchell, ed.
The Bee Book Jakob Streit
The Waldorf Main Lesson Eric G. Müller
To Grow and Become Rudolf Copple, ed.
What Animals Say to Each Other Jakob Streit
Verses and Poems and Stories to Tell Dorothy Harrer
Voyage in Song and Story Jeannette Resnick

For Artistic Work in Waldorf Grade 4

A Garden of Songs Arnold Logan
A Hawthorne Valley Harvest William Ward, ed.
At Home in Harmony Meg Chittenden
Bare Hand Knitting Aleshanee Akin
Basic Sculptural Modeling Hela Lowe
Creative Form Drawing Rudolf Kutzli
Creative Pathways Elizabeth Auer
Exploring Shapes Creatively Arthur Auer
Learning about the World through Modeling Arthur Auer
Learning to See the World through Drawing Elizabeth Auer
Painting at School Dick Bruin
Pedagogical Theater Arthur Pittis
25 Plays David Mitchell, ed.
Five Plays for Waldorf Festivals Richard Moore
Three Plays for Small Classes Vivian Jones-Schmidt
Will Developed Intelligence Patricia Livingston and David Mitchell
Xavier Sings of His Alphabet Friends Mary Lynn Channer

For Meeting Children’s Needs in the Grade 4 Waldorf Classroom

A Healing Education Michaela Glöckler
Child Development and Pedagogical Issues David Mitchell, ed.
Developmental Signatures David Mitchell, ed.
Difficult Children: There Is No Such Thing Henning Koehler and Joseph Bailey
Educating the Will Michael Howard
From Images to Thinking David Mitchell, ed.
Growing Up Healthy in a World of Digital Media Michaela Glöckler
Helping Children on Their Way Elizabeth Auer
Helping Children to Overcome Fear Hawthorne Press
Learning about the World through Modeling Arthur Auer
Raphael and the Mysteries of Illness and Healing Michaela Glöckler, M.D.
The Four Temperaments Helmuth Eller
The Temperaments and the Arts Magda Lissau
Will-Developed Intelligence Patricia Livingston and David Mitchell
Working with Anxious, Nervous, and Depressed Children Henning Koehler and Joseph Baily

Readers for Waldorf Fourth Graders

As My Heart Awakes Arthur Pittis
Columban Jakob Streit
Jonathan and the Tree Gilad Goldschmidt
Little Bee Sunbeam Jakob Streit
Little House on the Prairie series Laura Ingalls Wilder
Matt McFlack and His Flyaway Kite Kyra Robinov
Puck the Gnome Jakob Streit
Rukia Goes to School Susan Cook
Sun So Hot I Froze to Death Arthur Pittis
Tatatuck’s Journey to Crystal Mountain Jakob Streit
The Cricket and the Shepherd Boy, A Christmas Tale Reg Down
The Invisible Boat  Eric G. Müller
The Invisible Boat and the Molten Dragon Eric G. Müller
We Will Build a Temple Jakob Streit
When I Hear My Heart Wonder Arthur Pittis

Read Aloud Books for Waldorf Fourth Graders

A Donsey of Gnomes Sieglinde De Francesca
At the Back of the North Wind George MacDonald
Bambi Felix Salten
Jonathan and the Tree Gilad Goldschmidt
Little Bee Sunbeam Jakob Streit Mary’s Little Donkey Gunhild Sehlin
Old Yeller Fred Gipson
The Invisible Boat Eric G. Müller
The Invisible Boat and the Molten Dragon Eric G. Müller
The Little House on the Prairie Laura Ingalls Wilder (and all in this series)
The Old Shepherd’s Tale Christopher Nye
The Redwall Series Brian Jacques (22 in this series)
The Star Rider and Anna McLoon Jakob Streit
The Star Trilogy (Dragon Boy Series) Donald Samson
The Way of Gnome Sieglinde De Francesca
Where the Red Fern Grows Wilson Rawls

 Festivals in Waldorf Grade 4

Michaelmas David Mitchell, ed.
Traditions: Integrating the Days of Awe and Wonder into the Waldorf Grades Curriculum Erica Jayasuriya
Gazing into the Eyes of the Future: The Enactment of Saint Nicholas in the Waldorf School David Tresemer
Waldorf Education: A Family Guide Pamela Fenner, ed.