Donna
07-16-2007, 09:22 AM
Dear All,
Exciting news, exciting news! I want to share with you the news that Christopherus is going in a new direction and that we will be putting out a full curriculum (even fuller than our present First Grade Syllabus which will be revamped and extended) over the next couple of years.
Ever since we created our First Grade Syllabus people have been asking us for more - when will we write a second grade curriculum? I have written long and complicated reasons for not doing this - the gist is that (especially in second grade) children are at such different places in terms of ability and skill that how could one create a meaningful curriculum which would bridge this gap? We thought instead that we would continue to focus on our unit studies (like Saints & Heroes and Roman History) and also subject books, like Living Language.
And so I had promised you all a math curriculum for grades 1 through 5. Well.... I started writing it but it just wasn't gelling. I fussed and rewrote and rejigged it in a way I had never had to do with my other books.
Then I had a series of meetings with Someone (can't tell you who yet - but I will when negotiations are complete) about writing a full Waldorf curriculum - something that really comes out of Waldorf and anthroposophy (unlike Oak Meadow) and was fuller and less daunting than Live Ed. In the midst of these conversations I realized that I actually could do this whilst still remaining true to the core of Christopherus - the flexibility and "not school at home" ethos that is so important to us. I suddenly realized that if I wrote something that was in sections that pieces could be sold separately and thus people could still choose what level and subjects they wanted for their children. I didn't have to write a carved-in-stone curriculum after all!
So - that's what I am doing. I am very sorry that those of you who have been expecting a 1 - 5 math curriculum will be disappointed. But.... the math section from the Second Grade curriculum as well as a second language arts main lesson (the first being Saints & Heroes) will be available by the end of this summer.
Our intention is to ensure that for each year there are some sections of the curriculum that can be sold separately. However, one of the reasons that I became so frustrated with trying to create this math book was because I couldn't "take out the math" and stay true to the integrated Waldorf curriculum which is so important for me. This is especially true for third and fifth grade - both of those years contain material that is completely woven together.
Our plan is to have the full second and third grade curriculums available next summer (and I will let you all know if and when various pieces become available). The following year (2009) I plan to have to fourth and fifth grades available. Then there might be a little pause - the middle school years are very different than the earlier years and I need to really think through a number of issues. But the plan is definitely to have all 8 years.
Then I will turn back to kindergarten and though I would never write anything like a curriculum for kindergarten, I might fatten up the existing K book and make it just that fuller.
Somewhere in here I will also be working on high school materials - I won't say more right now but the Someone I was talking to might be the key to that....
Lastly.... I plan on putting out a nice fat Waldorf At Home book - a nice fat book all about how to bring Waldorf's healing impulse into the home. This book is for everyone interested in Waldorf - homeschoolers, Waldorf parents - people with babies, people with teens. I think this will be extremely popular. As soon as I get this second grade math out of the way (later this week) I will turn my attention to the homemakers book and probably ask you all for ideas and feedback.
For now, I would be interested in any ideas about this curriculum. What would you like to see? What would be most helpful? It will be strongly modeled on our First Grade Syllabus but will be quite a bit larger and also, as I said, in sections.
Anyway - thank you all for being my inspiration and laboratory!!:)
Exciting news, exciting news! I want to share with you the news that Christopherus is going in a new direction and that we will be putting out a full curriculum (even fuller than our present First Grade Syllabus which will be revamped and extended) over the next couple of years.
Ever since we created our First Grade Syllabus people have been asking us for more - when will we write a second grade curriculum? I have written long and complicated reasons for not doing this - the gist is that (especially in second grade) children are at such different places in terms of ability and skill that how could one create a meaningful curriculum which would bridge this gap? We thought instead that we would continue to focus on our unit studies (like Saints & Heroes and Roman History) and also subject books, like Living Language.
And so I had promised you all a math curriculum for grades 1 through 5. Well.... I started writing it but it just wasn't gelling. I fussed and rewrote and rejigged it in a way I had never had to do with my other books.
Then I had a series of meetings with Someone (can't tell you who yet - but I will when negotiations are complete) about writing a full Waldorf curriculum - something that really comes out of Waldorf and anthroposophy (unlike Oak Meadow) and was fuller and less daunting than Live Ed. In the midst of these conversations I realized that I actually could do this whilst still remaining true to the core of Christopherus - the flexibility and "not school at home" ethos that is so important to us. I suddenly realized that if I wrote something that was in sections that pieces could be sold separately and thus people could still choose what level and subjects they wanted for their children. I didn't have to write a carved-in-stone curriculum after all!
So - that's what I am doing. I am very sorry that those of you who have been expecting a 1 - 5 math curriculum will be disappointed. But.... the math section from the Second Grade curriculum as well as a second language arts main lesson (the first being Saints & Heroes) will be available by the end of this summer.
Our intention is to ensure that for each year there are some sections of the curriculum that can be sold separately. However, one of the reasons that I became so frustrated with trying to create this math book was because I couldn't "take out the math" and stay true to the integrated Waldorf curriculum which is so important for me. This is especially true for third and fifth grade - both of those years contain material that is completely woven together.
Our plan is to have the full second and third grade curriculums available next summer (and I will let you all know if and when various pieces become available). The following year (2009) I plan to have to fourth and fifth grades available. Then there might be a little pause - the middle school years are very different than the earlier years and I need to really think through a number of issues. But the plan is definitely to have all 8 years.
Then I will turn back to kindergarten and though I would never write anything like a curriculum for kindergarten, I might fatten up the existing K book and make it just that fuller.
Somewhere in here I will also be working on high school materials - I won't say more right now but the Someone I was talking to might be the key to that....
Lastly.... I plan on putting out a nice fat Waldorf At Home book - a nice fat book all about how to bring Waldorf's healing impulse into the home. This book is for everyone interested in Waldorf - homeschoolers, Waldorf parents - people with babies, people with teens. I think this will be extremely popular. As soon as I get this second grade math out of the way (later this week) I will turn my attention to the homemakers book and probably ask you all for ideas and feedback.
For now, I would be interested in any ideas about this curriculum. What would you like to see? What would be most helpful? It will be strongly modeled on our First Grade Syllabus but will be quite a bit larger and also, as I said, in sections.
Anyway - thank you all for being my inspiration and laboratory!!:)