GENERAL PRINCIPLES ABOUT TEACHING IN GRADES 1-8
1. Rhythm replaces strength
2. Less Is More
3. Economy of Teaching: How to Leverage Your Time
4. Your Striving Counts
5. Teach through the imagination and story
6. Thinking in the morning/Artistic Activities in the afternoon
7. Circle doesn’t need to be very long
8. Plan out every detail, especially the transitions
9. Have a set of chimes; you can use it for so many things
10. Each activity has a purpose
11. The times are guidelines: Rhythm is important as you are working to strengthen their
physical through a strong rhythm.
12. Set up a notebook for taking notes throughout the day or at the end of the day
STORY TELLING
What is your relationship to story telling?
 Did you hear stories as a child?
 Do you have a favorite story?
 Do you remember a story that you wanted to hear over again
 Do you consider yourself a good storyteller?
 Do you shy away from talking in a group?
 What elements do you think make an engaging story?
 Why do you feel that stories might be important?
What are the benefits of story telling?
Through stories children learn about
o Social relationships: what would the do in that situation
o History and the biography of human beings
o Themselves: At a certain age they begin to notice their own inner reactions to
stories being told
o Other points of view
 Story telling is a powerful and some may say a lost art?
 With the advent of media there is a lot of story telling and listening to virtual stories
being told, which are often very captivating and engaging, but are missing the human
element.
 Stories are the language of the SOUL
o Educational
o Entertaining
o Fun
[Document Title]
Anne Cleveland
[Company Name]
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o Engaging
o Powerful
o Comforting
o Transformational
o Stimulate creativity and the imagination
Stories that are passed down from generation give a child a sense of the social fabric of
their own family, which also serves as a foundation for understanding the world around
The ask the children to create inner pictures, which help to develop the inner life of the
soul
Stories are a great way to deliver information during the time between 7-14 children are
taking in the world through their feeling life.
Before 7 children also love stories, and during these earlier years one notices how much a
child loves to hear the same story again and again.
What is the role of story telling in Waldorf?
 They are the perfect form of delivering lessons, information and values
 Children are able to live into the stories in such a way that they can be transformative
 Stories reach the feeling life of the child
 The whole curriculum of the Waldorf school is based upon the art of telling a good story?
Exactly where does story telling fit into the curriculum?
 Circle time
 Main lesson
 Specialty classes
 Transitions
 Games
 Music
 Snack & Lunch
 When your child asks a question about how the world works
What types of stories do I tell in which grades?
 1st Grade: Poetry, Plays, Fairytales, Nature Stories, Animal Stories
 2nd Grade: Poetry, Plays, Fairytales, Fables, Saint Stories, Nature Stories, Animal Stories
 3rd Grade: Poetry, Plays, Stories of Creation, Old Testament, Native American Tales
 4th Grade: Poetry, Plays, Mythology, Biography
 5th Grade: Poetry, Plays, Mythology & Ancient History, Biography
 6th Grade: Poetry, Plays, History, Biography
 7th Grade: Poetry, Plays, History, Biography
 8th Grade: Poetry, Plays, Short Stories, History, Biography
How do I choose a story?
 Transition time: a short anecdote or fable
 Be clear on what is developmentally appropriate and the archetypal imagery being
expressed
 Have a sense of the overview of what you are teaching in a main lesson block
 Map out the journey for the children that you want to present
 Find stories that not only match you intended curriculum, but that also touch your heart
and soul
 Notice if the story lends itself to further activities
 Think about what issues or struggles your child is having and match the story to their
situation
 Do you want this to be a recurring story that you can add on to or a one-time tale.
How do I prepare a story in the best way for the children?
 Memorize it so that it is more of a direct experience for the children
o Children are also engaged when listening to you read, but it’s not the same
o Experiment with both and see if you can tell the difference in the quality of their
listening
 Experiment with different ways of getting the story into your body and your etheric
o Practice telling the story out loud
o Find some friends who might be interested in listening to a well-told story
o If you are shy about telling stories, practice in social situation telling a joke or
relating a humorous or interesting situation
 Keep in mind the use of polarity as a way to work with the soul and feeling life of the
children
 Make sure it breathes between the different temperaments
o Expansion/Contraction
o Loud/Soft
o Fast/Slow
o Center/Periphery
o Simple/Complex
o Light/Heavy
 Economy of teaching: Consider how can you use this story as the seed for future lessons
later in the year or in future grades.
o Poetry
o Rhyming words, word families
o Poems from the story that are illustrated
o Painting
o Sculpture
o Drawing
o Crafts
o Academic work: letters, words, sentences, grammar
The Presentation
Be present
o Leave any concerns behind,
o It’s a nice way for you to take a break from your day-to-day concerns
o Be clear on your intention for the story
 Be expressive, but let the story speak for itself
 Vary the tempo, intonation and timing as a way to create drama and engage the children
 Have the pictures in mind as you are telling the story
 Use all the senses: see the colors, smell the roses, feel the temperature of the air, hear the
sounds
 Try not to give them the conclusion: describe and let them come to their own conclusions
 Speak clearly and slowly; it will help the children to settle
 Be aware of the pitch of your voice: use the full range and resonance
 Move deliberately and consciously
 Notice the difference in the quality of listening whether you are reading/telling the story
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Observations
 Have a journal or other way of writing down you initial impressions
 Choose a time of the day that works best
 Write about your own story telling and anything you would like to improve
 Write about how the children reacted, was there anything that peaked their interest
 Notice afterwards during the review, when it’s part of a main lesson, what they remember
Creating Your Own Stories
 Realize that the stories that you create are some of the most powerful
 If you are insecure about making up your own begin with a simple bedtime story
 You could even create a story that continues on through several nights or even weeks
 Pedagogical stories are very powerful: You take an issue an create story where the
characters are disguised in some way, where they can work through an issue