Main Lesson is integral to Journey School’s educational program.
So, what exactly is Main Lesson, anyway? The instructional day begins with Main Lesson–an interdisciplinary study of a selected subject which lasts two hours each morning, five days a week, for approximately one month. Academic subjects covered in Main Lesson are carefully chosen based on the school’s curricular co-alignment which aligns Waldorf standards to the Common Core.
What takes place during Main Lesson?
There are three primary parts to Main Lesson:
- The teacher first inspires student engagement through poetry, speech work, movement, mental math, and music.
- Then, the teacher presents new content with an emphasis on promoting deep understanding at the conceptual level. This is achieved through the use of pedagogical stories, artistic representations, critical thinking strategies, science experiments, historical simulations, and a host of other learning techniques appropriate to the material at hand.
- Along the way, students summarize key understandings through written and artistic expression.
What are Main Lesson Books?
Each student creates a learning portfolio, or Main Lesson Book, for every instructional block. This authentic form of assessment allows students to demonstrate understanding through essays, poems, illustrations, math equations, results from lab experiments, and much more. The Main Lesson Book is an object of student pride, serves as an important learning tool for future study, and enables the teacher to monitor student progress accurately.
The photos in this post are from an 8th grade student who completed her studies of the Revolutionary era. Click here to see the complete slideshow. All parents are encouraged to speak with children about Main Lesson, and to enjoy their book work!
