Grade Level: Middle School

The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak

Lesson Plan: The Book Thief portrays everyday life in an extraordinarily terrible time, and depicts the small choices made by ordinary people that carry great ethical weight. Liesel Meminger is a child growing up in Nazi Germany, living in a town near Munich with foster parents Hans and Rosa Huberman. The narrator of The Book The Book Thief, by Marcus Zusak

The Day the Crayons Quit

The Day the Crayons Quit (Daywalt and Jeffers) offers a humorous foray into re-imagining the habitual roles we play in group activities. In this lesson, the class room teacher will mirror Duncan’s shift as the “artiste” to the “note-taker” and give the students the opportunity to shape how class activities could be run. By using The Day the Crayons Quit

Causation: To Accompany Frog and Toad “The Garden”

This lesson plan can be used on its own or as an accompaniment to the Arnold Lobel Frog and Toad story, “The Garden.” Divide students into groups of 3-4. Ask each group to come up with 2-3 examples of the following three cases: See Discussion Questions tab for discussion prompts.

Reconciliation #2 – Apologies and Forgiveness

This lesson plan can be read in conjunction with “Chapter 4. Reconciliation” (pp. 69-82) in the freely available teaching resource Coping: A Philosophical Guide (OpenBook Publishers, 2021) with discussion questions (pp. 124-5) and additional teaching materials (p. 119-20).  Accepting an Apology versus Forgiving Questions for Discussion: Here are some responses that the students might give: Reconciliation #2 – Apologies and Forgiveness

Reconciliation #3 – Reparations for Slavery

Before beginning this lesson plan, we recommend reading “Things to Think About Before Introducing Social Justice Topics.” This lesson plan can be read in conjunction with “Chapter 4. Reconciliation” (pp. 69-82) in the freely available teaching resource Coping: A Philosophical Guide (Open Book Publishers, 2021) with discussion questions (pp. 124–5) and additional teaching materials (p. Reconciliation #3 – Reparations for Slavery

Reconciliation #1 – Genuine and Disingenuous Apologies

This lesson plan can be read in conjunction with “Chapter 4. Reconciliation” (pp. 69-82) in the freely available teaching resource Coping: A Philosophical Guide (Open Book Publishers, 2021) with discussion questions (pp. 124–5) and additional teaching materials (p. 119–20).  1. Disingenuous Apologies Start with the Harley Schwadron cartoon in which a TV presenter says that Reconciliation #1 – Genuine and Disingenuous Apologies

What is Happiness?

Ask the students to rank, from 1 to 8, the following activities according to how important they think each is for their happiness (1 is the most important on the list and 8 is the least important on the list). It can be helpful to prepare this list before the session and make a copy What is Happiness?

Introduction to Paradoxes: Superhero, Sorites, and Zeno’s Dichotomy Paradox

Introduction to Lesson: Today we are going to talk about paradoxes, and we are going to discuss some examples together.   First, what is a paradox? Has anyone heard of paradoxes before? [Invite student responses]. A paradox is a special type of puzzle or riddle. It’s when two things seem to be true at the Introduction to Paradoxes: Superhero, Sorites, and Zeno’s Dichotomy Paradox

Media Ethics

Media ethics considers the code of ethics or moral rules that govern our media and communication practices. Conversations about media ethics can include what values or principles should guide our choices with respect to the communication of events and ideas. Facilitators or teachers can briefly discuss what media ethics is with their students, then go Media Ethics