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 group would like to discuss first. Think together about what the point is of the thing in question. Might it … What’s the Point?
Many 4th, 5th, and 6th graders have read the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio and will be familiar with Mr. Brown’s monthly precepts. These are inspirational sayings the teacher, Mr. Brown, puts on his board monthly for his students. For example, the precept for September is “When given a choice between being right or being … Mr. Brown’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? Can it be dessert if it is … Is it Dessert?
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?
Guardian: New Fake News Dilemma Karl Bergstrom Guardian: 10 Alternative Facts for a Post-truth World critical reasoning Sonoma State Calling bullshit in the age of big data #11
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
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 in cases where someone is called on to defend the legitimacy of … Demands for Argument and Civility in Douglass’ 1852 Fourth of July Oration
Have you ever dedicated the time to sit through a piece of music and simply listen to it? No distractions, no multitasking, just you and the music. Whether we’re aware of it or not, music is constantly around us, but quite often we don’t take the time to sit and listen. All music tells a … How Does Music Make a Character?
Are We Living in a Simulation, and What Would it Mean if the Answer is Yes? The purpose of this lesson is to explore the nature of reality and how we know whether or not anything is real Begin the lesson with the two short embedded videos to get the students thinking and engaged in … Are We Living in a Simulation?
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
PLATO is part of a global UNESCO network that encourages children to participate in philosophical inquiry. As a partner in the UNESCO Chair on the Practice of Philosophy with Children, based at the Université de Nantes in France, PLATO is connected to other educational leaders around the world.
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