These lectures were given by Eugene Schwartz at Essential Conferences in Mancos, CO, or 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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502: Greek History in Grade Five$20.00The teaching of Ancient Greek History in Grade Five is essential for the healthy development of the eleven year-old child, yet it is one of the most neglected subjects in the Waldorf curriculum. Eugene discusses why it is crucial that teachers do not end Greek History with the mythic world Odyssey, but extend their reach all the way to the Persian Wars and such truly historical figures as the Pre-Socratics, the playwrights, the philosophers, and the artists. Eugene points to Greece as the foundation tone of Western culture and one of the most important experiences for the fifth grader.
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503: Grade Five Geography$20.00Is "Geography of the Native Land" still a valid concept in our global times, or is it too xenophobic for modern children? This lecture explores a multiplicity of approaches to this important subject, and emphasizes the central theme of "cultural geography" -- the interplay of the human and nature -- that is often given short shrift today. Eugene presents a strong case against assigning reports on states or provinces, arguing that such busywork actually works counter to the underlying meaning of this subject.
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504: The Heart of Grade Five - Parent Work & Child Observation$20.00Fifth grade is the last school year in which the class teacher can still work out of the bonds created in the primary grades. For this reason, it is essential that the teacher also look forward, preparing the ground for the very different types of parent relationships that will need to be fostered in the upper grades. It is also essential that the teacher learn to observe students in a far deeper and more dynamic way than heretofore. Eugene gives helpful advice on parent work and child observation - two pillars upon which a teacher's career may stand or fall.
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506: Grade Five Mathematics & Language Arts$20.00The relative ease with which decimal fractions can be taught opens the possibility for a year of valuable review in mathematics, and Eugene describes ways in which teachers can utilize this opportunity. As students learn about figures like Thales and Pythagoras, the relationship of Form and Number may become manifest in the study of Geometry. Fifth Grade can be a year of exciting awakening in the domain of Language Arts, as the rich Ancient History curriculum awakens students to their capacities for imaginative retelling of myths and epochal events.
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507: A Culture of Untruth - Media & the Fifth Grader$20.00Waldorf education is well known for its "zero tolerance" of media in the home, and most Waldorf schools pride themselves on the tough wording of the strict codes presented in their handbooks. Yet, throughout the scores of Waldorf schools that Eugene visits across North America, parents complain bitterly about the rampant presence of video games and iPods, digital movies and social networks among Waldorf children fourth grade and up (if not younger!). What has gone wrong? Are Waldorf schools fighting a losing battle, or are they fighting the wrong battle? And why do so many schools continue to pretend that the media is not a problem for their families? Eugene asks some challenging questions -- and offers some stimulating answers.
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508: Multitasking as Spiritual Activity - The Teacher's Path$20.00The multifarious nature of the Waldorf curriculum makes greater demands on the class teacher with every new grade, while the increasingly complex needs of today's children call for an ever-greater reserve of ingenuity and patience. Is this why so few teachers find it possible to remain with a class for eight years? Because Grade Five is often the year in which teachers decide to step back, Eugene takes special pains in this lecture to point to Rudolf Steiner as the progenitor of a path of spiritual development that allows a teacher to be present in two (or more) places at once, and to meet the challenge of multitasking by cultivating the multiplicity of her own nature. An essential lecture!
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