We've come to that point in the summer when it's time to plan your coming year. But where do you begin? One of the first things you want to do is to create your block rotation. Our greatest teacher, Experience, and our mentors and colleagues have given us a number of excellent ideas for developing a yearly plan that supports a healthy academic rhythm while supporting us teachers with extra time when and where we need it.
For example we highly recommend starting off the school year with a BANG! Too often, teachers begin the year with the "signature" history block, which can send a message of "Here we are again, next chapter…"
Instead choose a theme of your literature stories in grades 1-3 or a certain subject in grades 4-8 that will inspire and enthuse your students. I began one of my Grade 2 years with stories of dragons from all around the world which added a spirit of adventure and excitement to our practice of our Michaelmas play.
More ideas like this one can be found in our "How To" section, especially this pdf - http://www.waldorfinspirations.com/images/HowTo/plan_main_lesson_block/Planning-Your-Yearly-Block-Rotation.pdf.