Lesson Plan: The Real Thief raises questions about friendship and loyalty, as well as the meaning of justice. The book also includes an argument that students can analyze. In the story, Gawain, a goose and the Chief Guard of the Royal Treasury, is blamed when jewels from the Royal Treasury go missing. The Prime Minister, … The Real Thief, by William Steig
Unmasking Political Persuasion: Logical Fallacies in Government Campaigns Materials Needed Video clips of political campaign commercials, Logical Fallacies Definitions Handout, Graphic organizer for commercial analysis. Steps Involved Fallacy Breakdown (15 minutes): Pick segments from these videos to explore different fallacies: Fallacies: Discuss real-world examples of each fallacy. Application to Political Commercials (30–45 minutes): Show political … Unmasking Political Persuasion
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.
This lesson plan is accessible using the Lesson Attachment above.
In this middle school philosophy lesson plan, students express the degree of confidence they have in the truth of various statements.
Introduction to Philosophy/Making Arguments Materials: True/False handout for each student (see “Handout” below for specifics) Two signs, “True” and “False,” placed on opposite sides of the room At the start of class, ask students what they know about philosophy already. Call on a few students. If students need prompting, ask “Do you know any philosophers? … What is Philosophy?
An introduction to argumentation that uses comedic skits from Monty Python to support understanding the components of an argument and how to evaluate an argument.
High school logic lesson in which students identify the premises and conclusions of arguments. Then they creatively enact their own deductive arguments.
Introduction What is an argument? An argument consists of a set of reasons that are given with the intention of persuading someone else that a particular action or idea is right or wrong, good or bad, desirable or undesirable, etc. It is a method of trying to convince another person (or persons) that your position … Convince your Teacher/Principal
This game involves students generating questions collaboratively. The exercise runs easily for about ten minutes and can go for a half hour or more with discussion. It is often a good exercise to use early in the year, as it helps students listen to each other and gets them thinking about what makes a question … Activity: Keep the Question Going
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.
This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
If you would like to change or adapt any of PLATO's work for public use, please feel free to contact us for permission at info@plato-philosophy.org.
Connect With Us!