Grade 4

Because Fourth Grade children begin to experience more human trials, teachers use mythological stories to guide them in understanding the subtle and complex nature of the human heart—where both deceit and cunning as well as true loyalty in times of hardship exist. At this stage, team adventure stories like Journey to the West offer great inspiration to children, particularly through the varied characters and their reactions, which help students better understand themselves and others.

After hearing various stories, Fourth Graders practice selecting plots that resonate with them and adapting them into scripts. In this process, they learn to map out a chronological timeline while incorporating the spoken dialogue, actions, and background settings from their inner mental images of the characters. They also make extensive use of adjectives and adverbs to express their vivid inner images through writing. Through actual drama rehearsals, students not only boost their creative motivation but also bring language learning dynamically to life.

Fourth Grade mathematics introduces fractions and decimals. At first, teachers use games involving sharing food and running mock shops to familiarize children with abstract fractional notation, followed by the four basic arithmetic operations with fractions. Using vivid metaphors from language arts—such as gods and fairies shapeshifting—teachers guide students to master fractional operations through living mental imagery.

Decimals lead children to observe the microscopic world. As teachers guide students to measure and observe in finer detail, Fourth Graders experience a more mature inner transformation. Form drawing from earlier years gradually transforms at this stage into freehand geometry, where students understand circles, triangles, quadrilaterals, as well as points of tangency and tangent lines through practical drawing experiences.

四年級的地方探究主課程，主要目的在於讓孩子看到本地的人文風情

透過實際拜訪在地的耆老和老店，深入了解人與土地的關係，除了聽聞各種歷史典故之外，也會安排讓孩子親身參與這些文化活動，讓孩子能夠感受到學習如何轉化為實踐的過程，並且因為必須全身投入，而得面對並跨越各種技巧、溝通、協調的瓶頸。

Teachers guide Fourth Grade children to observe various animals, helping them distinguish unique physiological traits and behavioral patterns. Teachers ask children to draw animal forms with greater precision and use role-play so students can experience the special abilities, strengths, and limitations of different animals. As children build practical understanding and empathy for animals, they also use animals as rich themes for creative writing.

Fourth Graders have developed a grounded sensitivity to color and form, allowing lessons to introduce concrete inner impressions—such as the perceived temperature of colors and the expressive shades reflecting an animal’s unique nature, whether reserved or joyful and free-spirited. Through watercolor practice at this stage, children cultivate clearer personal experiences and internalize these qualities deeply.

Fourth Grade Clay Modeling goes beyond experiencing form transformation through clay—it teaches children how to respect and care for their own and others’ creations, as well as how to appreciate diverse artistic works. Students begin with clay kneading (pugging), learning how to recycle and reuse clay. They then progress to coils, spheres, and basic three-dimensional solids, eventually transforming these shapes into various animal forms to align with the Human and Animal Studies Main Lesson.

Fourth Grade Movement focuses on the element of four, using various rhythms and spatial forms to help children transform abstract numerical concepts into living experiences of time and space. Through extensive copper rod exercises, students develop bodily agility and coordination spanning from the shoulder blades, chest, elbows, and wrists down to their ten fingertips. Every exercise progressively increases in difficulty and complexity, harmonizing their hands and feet, left and right, top and bottom, front and back, as well as thinking and action.

The primary content of Fourth Grade Handwork is cross-stitch embroidery, enabling children to experience fine needle and thread work throughout the process. Depending on each student’s progress, they will complete projects such as tote bags, three-dimensional boxes, and handkerchiefs.

In Fourth Grade Music, the most important milestone is entering formal grand staff notation. Building on the pitch awareness established in Third Grade and integrating with the fraction concepts from the Grade 4 Mathematics Main Lesson, children create rhythm cards to assist their learning and experiencing of rhythm, meter, and note values. Children also begin practicing transcribing songs they know how to sing onto paper. Choral singing remains an essential ongoing discipline that requires deep listening to achieve vocal resonance.

At this stage, students practice more challenging recorder pieces, exploring how different breathing techniques produce variations in note lengths, as well as rapid finger slides to create embellishments and grace notes—all of which refine their ears to perceive finer acoustic nuances. For string ensemble, students continue with the Erhu and begin practicing reading sheet music for independent performance.

Fourth Grade children begin enhancing their literacy skills through reading and copying short passages. At this stage, students first read the texts aloud, providing opportunities to refine and correct their pronunciation, and then copy the passages down to bridge speaking and spelling abilities. For Fourth Graders, lessons encourage free-form English conversation, giving children opportunities to practice expressing their inner thoughts in English.

Waldorf schools typically introduce a Second Foreign Language during the middle school years (Grades 3–4), adapting the specific language offered based on faculty expertise and student needs. Currently, Tsiohai implements Japanese language instruction. Starting in Fourth Grade, the curriculum emphasizes conversation, guiding students to combine familiar vocabulary into short sentences while enriching listening comprehension through stories and folk songs. The teacher creates opportunities for children to express themselves in Japanese, expand their object vocabulary, and begin practicing the written Hiragana and Katakana alphabets (Gojuon).

Calligraphy practice helps children develop neat handwriting while serving as a discipline for cultivating inner character. Fourth Grade Calligraphy begins with pictorial symbols and totems, followed by an introduction to the evolution of Chinese characters, allowing children to observe the connections between Oracle Bone Script, Bronze Script, and Seal Script. Teachers also share stories from the lives of master calligraphers, helping children understand and appreciate different calligraphic styles.