Primary School
Primary School
The Primary years are the optimal time for nurturing imagination. Curriculum content, cognitive development and skill building are approached through pictorial and imaginative presentation, embodying narrative, creative writing, visual arts, music, drama and movement.
Developing imagination enables students to engage with academic material and forms the foundation for future creativity, problem solving and innovation. Timing of curriculum content and lessons is matched to child developmental and emotional needs. Teaching all subjects through an arts-based curriculum develops the capacity to appreciate beauty in the world.
Class 1
Developmental Stage
Class 1 marks a gradual transition into a new way of learning, facilitated by awakening the feeling of life through stories, rhythm, pictures and songs. Children are turning seven years of age in Class 1.
Curriculum Themes
With the Class Teacher’s guidance, the rhythms of classroom life are established, and a cohesive group is formed. Fairy tales, folk tales and nature stories permeate the curriculum and the imaginative introduction of the alphabet and numbers begins. Music, painting, drawing, German, games, form drawing, gardening and craft are introduced and will continue throughout your child’s six-year primary school journey. A love and joy for learning is founded during this year.
Class 2
Developmental Stage
The Class 2 child begins to sense the duel aspect of human nature, so different from the early childhood experience of being one with the world. Children are turning eight years of age in Class 2.
Curriculum Themes
The Class 2 curriculum is enlivened with tales from Celtic mythology, stories of Saints from around the world and fables. Writing and mathematical skills continue to develop, and the natural world is explored in depth through nature stories, providing a foundation for later science Main Lessons.
Class 3
Developmental Stage
The Class 3 child enters a new phase and noticeable physiological, psychological and cognitive changes take place. Children at this age love to go out into nature and are capable of more sustained physical effort, whether working in the garden or going on longer bushwalks. Children are turning nine years of age in Class 3.
Curriculum Themes
Caring for planet Earth is a focus during this year through gardening, farming and building Main Lessons. Creation stories and stories from the Hebrew scriptures are told and children are immersed in practical mathematics, exploring measurement, time and money.
Class 4
Developmental Stage
Class 4 marks a year of new-found confidence, with children having boundless energy and an eagerness to look at the world and learn. Children are turning 10 years of age.
Curriculum Themes
Children study the myths of Northern Europe, immersing themselves in a world of robust resilience. The animal kingdom and local geography are explored with particular focus on Aboriginal stories of the Dreaming. Mathematical lessons continue to expand and deepen, with the first introduction to fractions. At Silver Tree, Class 4 marks the year that string instrumental lessons are introduced to all children, with a choice of violin, viola and cello. All children join the strings ensemble and sing in the school choir, continuing into Class 5 and 6.
Class 5
Developmental Stage
The Class 5 child experiences a growth in their sense of self, with new cognitive and reasoning faculties developing. Physically, the Class 5 child attains a sense of harmony, balance and coordination, mirrored in the rich games and physical education curriculum. Children are turning eleven years of age.
Curriculum Themes
In Class 5 the curriculum transitions from a focus on mythology to one of recorded history, geography and biography, with tales from Ancient India, Persia, Egypt and Greece. The year culminates in the Greek Olympics, where Silver Tree students join other Western Australian Steiner schools to engage and celebrate sportsmanship and social connections. In mathematics Main Lessons, decimals are introduced, and the children explore the beauty of geometry.
Class 6
Developmental Stage
In Class 6 children begin the last phase of childhood, with a firm step into the outer world. Cognitive faculties of intellectual thoughts are now emerging and changes in physical development are beginning. Children are turning twelve years of age.
Curriculum Themes
In Class 6 studies of both heaven and earth are explored, with a focus on astronomy, geology, geography and physics. The history of Rome is a major theme of the year and percentages and interest are explored through business mathematics. Class 6 marks a culmination of the primary school journey at Silver Tree, with children experiencing a wonderfully rich and creative curriculum, which develops the whole child.