This exercise can lead to discussion in nearly all areas of philosophy, depending on what the students are wondering about. Have students answer the prompt: “I am wondering, what’s the point of _______?” with as many responses as they can think of. Make a list of their answers and then vote for which ones the … What’s the Point?
In the book Click, Clack, Moo Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, a group of animals refuse to produce for a farmer until he meets their demands. Read the story together (or watch a read aloud of the book online), then ask the students to make their own list of demands. Give them full freedom … What Are Your Demands?
Many upper elementary and middle school students have read the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio and will be familiar with Mr. Browne’s monthly precepts. These are inspirational sayings the teacher, Mr. Browne, puts on his board monthly for his students. For example, the precept for September is “When given a choice between being right or … Mr. Browne’s Precepts
Using whatever piece of fruit you have available, ask if that fruit is dessert. With this simple prompt, a rich discussion about the nature of dessert will develop. Is anything you eat after a meal dessert? Is it dessert if you ate it without eating a meal first? Does something need to be done to … Is it Dessert?
This is an activity that works best with younger children (7-8 years old is ideal). There are several books that can prompt thinking about imaginary friends. You might try: These books can be used alone or one after another for a series of conversations about imaginary friends. You can read the book(s) and then ask … Thinking about Imaginary Friends
Philosophers question what others take for granted. Asking young people whether they know they have hands (or feet, eyes, or ears) can be a wonderful way to have fun while practicing careful thinking. Start by asking “Do you know you have hands?” If the child responds, “Of course I know I have hands!” you can … Do You Know You Have Hands?
Stimulus: Play the short film ‘Alike’ (found in the Video Tab above) as the stimulus for the lesson Sharing: Generate concepts/questions/ideas that come from the film. These can be anything at this stage. They might include: why did they change colours? It was about feeling sad. It was about how bad school is. Younger children … Philosophy of Emotion in “Alike”
Introduction: Have students draw up a page with two columns. Title one side ‘kind’ and the other side ‘unkind’. Get them to list actions or behaviours that they have done themselves, had done to them, or witnessed being done to others into each column. This introduction gets them working on their prior knowledge of the … Philosophy of Kindness
See the Lesson Attachment link above for a PDF of this lesson plan. Stimulus: Introduce Scenario 1:1 1:1: You are a train driver. As you are driving you look ahead and see 5 people trapped on the tracks. There is no way that you will be able to stop the train before running them over … Trolley Problem Ethics
Demands for Argument and Civility in Douglass’ 1852 Fourth of July Oration Introduction: Calls for civility are common features of contemporary political discourse, and teaching high school students how to engage in civil discourse over contentious issues is of obvious importance. Calls for civility, however, do not always distribute burdens equally. This is particularly true … Frederick Douglass’ 4th of July Oration