| Grade Four | Grade Five | Grade Six | Physical Education |

Eurythmy

Grade Four

Greater independence of movement is expected in fourth grade. In connection with Norse mythology, the poetry that fourth graders work with is alliterative. Kinesthetic concentration exercises become more difficult, and the forms and rhythms are increasingly complex.

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Grade Five

The themes of fifth-grade eurythmy are taken from ancient mythology. By working with different qualities of movement, the students gain a greater sense for the consciousness of different cultures. The concepts of performance and presentation are now considered, and students begin to move in relation to the presence of an observer.

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Grade Six

Sixth-grade students begin to explore the elements of dramatic gesture and artistic interpretation of music and poetry while striving for precision in their movements. The harmony of the group is contrasted with individual expression. Wooden poles may be used in the work as a dramatic focus.

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Physical Education

In grades four through six, classes are bussed to the two gyms at the 92 nd Street Y for a full physical education program. They participate in the following sports and activities, taught in two-week intervals: aerobic fitness, yoga, strength training, step aerobics, dance aerobics, volleyball, soccer, tumbling, gymnastics, jumping rope, juggling, wiffle-ball, badminton, team handball, basketball, floor polo, and floor hockey. Classes are designed to introduce various sports and activities and to promote cardiovascular fitness. Whenever possible, gym classes also include exercises based on Bothmer Gymnastics, a form of exercise developed by Count Fritz von Bothmer in collaboration with Rudolf Steiner that focuses on the relationship of movement to the space in which it is taking place. Beginning with the experience of the polarity of levity and gravity, Bothmer exercises foster the students’ spatial awareness in accord with Waldorf principles of age-appropriate education.

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