My memories of social studies during my years in public school are few and far between. In 7th grade, I had to memorize the state capitals. In junior high, my government teacher wore denim patchwork bell bottoms for some kind of school spirit or dress-up day, and he taught us about the three branches of government. In high school, I had to memorize facts for American History. I remember nothing else.
I hated learning about history. Then I took Ohio history in college, and what a difference that made. The professor had only recently moved to Ohio, but he knew story after story of people, places, and events. It all came alive to me, and I suddenly loved learning history.
Whether you love social studies or hate it, the Waldorf education sequence will help you gently ease into it.
In kindergarten, as for other subjects, there is no formal education for social studies.
In 1st grade, the Grimm fairy tales are told. These stories were created as a way to convey deep truths, and since they arose out of the human experience, they can be considered part of the humanities branch of social studies. They help shape a child’s moral understanding and are also used to teach the letters of the alphabet.
Here is a quick overview of the rest of the social studies subjects taught up through eighth grade. There are developmental reasons for the topics being taught at each grade level.
Keep in mind that the creator of Waldorf was a German who lived in the early 1900s. The Grimm fairy tales and many other stories included in the sequence were part of the history of that culture. It is definitely encouraged to choose fairy tales and stories from your own family’s cultural history if it is not Western European.
Social studies sequence for 2nd through 8th grade:
2nd grade – Fables and legends
3rd grade – Old Testament stories; types of shelters/houses throughout history, which some people might categorize as science; some educators might teach local and state history in this grade
4th grade – Norse and Greek mythologies
5th grade – Stories from India and Persia; Greek history
6th grade – Roman history
7th grade – Renaissance and Reformation; American history
8th grade – 17th century to modern day; American history