Once the child is ready to progress to the next class, which will be at around aged six, they will join the Willow Class. In this class, the child's learning stems from the introduction of the five Great Lessons detailed below.
These present many different ideas to the child, and from this will create sparks of interest which will determine the direction of the child's learning as well as maintaining their progression in Maths and Language. These lessons will also continue into later years and are presented in cycles. Children develop their own work plans in conjunction with the Class Manager and will work Monday-Thursday on completing the tasks they have set themselves.
Project work forms a large part of the curriculum, and themes are presented to the children on a rolling three yearly cycle, meaning that they will cover the same topics every three years, but in greater depth in the last cycle. Continent studies as well as Biology, the Animal and Plant Kingdoms, more in-depth scientific experiments, the Arts and many more are also undertaken.
| Great Lesson | Lessons covered |
| The Coming of the Universe and the Earth |
Astronomy: solar system, stars, galaxies, comets, constellations
Meteorology: wind, currents, weather, fronts, erosion, water cycle, clouds, glaciers
Chemistry: states of matter, changes, mixtures, reactions, elements, atoms, periodic table, compounds, molecules, chemical formulas, equations, lab work, experimentation
Physics: magnetism, electricity, gravity, energy, light, sound, heat, friction, motion, experimentation
Geology: types of rocks, minerals, land forms, volcanoes, earthquakes, plate tectonics, ice ages, eras of the earth
Geography: maps, globes, latitude/longitude, climates, land/water form names, continent and country research |
|
The Coming of Life |
Biology: cells, organized groups, five kingdoms, specimens, dissection, observation, use of microscope
Botany: study of plants, classification, functions, parts of plants (seed, fruit, leaf, stem, root, flower), types of plants
Habitats: location, characteristics, food chains/webs, symbiosis, adaptation, ecosystems, conservation
Ancient Life: eras of the earth, evolution, extinction, fossil records, excavation
Animals: classification, needs, similarities/differences, human systems, nutrition, hygiene
Monera, Protista, and Fungi Kingdoms: what they are, classification, observation |
| The Coming of Human Beings | History: timelines, prehistory, ancient civilizations, world history, history of specific countries and continents
Culture: art, artists, music, composers, dance, drama, architecture, design, philosophy, religion, grace and courtesy
Social Studies: current events, government, economics, commerce, volunteering & charity
Discovery & Invention: scientists, inventors, scientific method, inventions, simple machines |
| The Coming of Language |
Reading: literature, poetry, non-fiction, myths and folk tales, authors, reading comprehension, reading analysis, literary terms
Writing: elements of style, function, voice, composition, letter writing, research, study skills
Language: origins of spoken language, foreign languages, history of languages, speech, drama
Structure: alphabets, bookmaking, grammar, punctuation, sentence analysis, word study, figures of speech |
| The Story of Numbers |
Mathematics: operations, fractions, decimals, multiples, squares, cubes, percentages, ratio, probability, intro to algebra
Numbers: origins of numbers and systems, bases, types of numbers, scientific notation, mathematicians
Geometry: congruency, similarity, nomenclature of lines, angles, shapes, solids, measurement, theorems
Application: story problems, measurement, estimation, graphs, patterning, rounding, money concepts |
