These lectures were given by Eugene Schwartz at Essential Conferences in Kimberton, PA. They are addressed, first and foremost, to Waldorf teachers about to embark on teaching this grade, but they have been applied to home schooling situations with equal success. Although each lecture is meant to be of immediate practical help to teachers in real-life classrooms, they also emphasize the importance of permeating lessons with a firm anthroposophical foundation. The motto of the Essential Conferences is "Know What. Know How. Know Why" and we believe that these three imperatives live in these lectures.
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We strongly recommend that you also order CD # 311 "The Elements of Grade Two," to view examples of student work from Grade Two.
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280: The Nature of the Second Grader$18.50Steiner had a great deal to say about the nature of the child in Grades One and Three, but relatively little to say about the Second Grader. Eugene Schwartz points to the subtle, but important developmental steps taken by the child at this time.
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281: Learning Challenges and Behavior Problems$18.50Every year, growing numbers of students evince learning and behavioral problems that challenge parents and teachers. Eugene points to particular problems that may arise in Grade Two, and provides some developmental, psychological, and spiritual principles to help children and their teachers.
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282: Reading & Writing in Grade Two$18.50Although parents may have patiently tolerated the slow approach to reading that characterizes Grade One, their patience may be tried by the seemingly glacial pace of Grade Two. Will their child every learn to read? Eugene gives a balanced picture of the pressures felt by parents, teachers, and, yes, even children in this grade, as some rapidly attain literacy, while others . . . wait. What is a teacher to do?
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283: Saints and Sinners in Second Grade$18.50Second Grade is unique in that two distinctly different types of stories are told to the students. On the one hand, they hear about the lives of saints, or "legends of good people." On the other hand, they hear many fables, stories of mischievous animals who embody the foibles of mankind. Eugene points to this polarity as exemplifying the dual nature of the Second Grader. He presents the fable as a story that grew popular in the 6th century BCE, as human consciousness changed profoundly, and he discusses the saint story in relation to the cultural forces of medieval Europe. This stimulating lecture should be of help to the teacher struggling to work with these stories.
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284: Arithmetic in Grade Two$18.50The simplicity of the Second Grade arithmetic curriculum -- the introduction of place value -- allows the teacher time for intensive review of the four operations and mental arithmetic. Eugene describes the importance of bringing children "up to speed," and working with children who struggle to relate to numbers.
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285: The Inner Life of the Teacher$18.50Waldorf education is quite unique in the emphasis that it places on the teacher's inner life as a foundation for all that happens in the classroom. Fortunately, Rudolf Steiner gave simple, but powerful exercises to help teachers awaken the faculties that they would need, year by year, to unfold along with their students. Eugene discusses these exercises and their salutary effect on the life of the teacher.
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286: Sooner Than You Think! The 9-Year Change and Grade Two$18.50Growing numbers of teachers experience children acting very much like third graders -- while they are still in Grade Two. Eugene describes the way in which encroaching astral forces inculcate themselves into children at an ever-younger age, and how the second grade curriculum can meet this challenge. He also gives advice to teachers concerning ways to introduce the 9-year change to parents proactively in the spring of Grade Two.
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