Plato Was Wrong!

David A. Shapiro is a full time faculty member in philosophy at Cascadia Community College and Education Director of the Northwest Center for Philosophy for Children at the University of Washington. He has been doing philosophy with young people in kindergarten through high-school classrooms since he was a graduate student back in the 20th century.

Plato Was Wrong is full of stimulating activities that can help philosophy come alive for students from elementary school to college. With clear and easy-to-follow descriptions of how to implement each activity, the book is a valuable resource for active ways to engage young people in thinking about the large questions of philosophy.

• Introduction: Why Do Philosophy With Young People?3Why Use Philosophical Exercises?7How Are the Philosophical Exercises Organized?11How Are the Philosophical Exercises Used?16Tips for Successful Pre-College Philosophy Sessions19Lesson Plans20Topic One: What Is Philosophy?21Lesson Plan: Are You a Philosopher?23Lesson Plan: One Rule Game33Lesson Plan: The Three Questions40Lesson Plan: Energizer Activity—Word Association44Lesson Plan: Blind Painter48Lesson Plan: Keep the Question Going53Lesson Plan: Sense and Nonsense56Topic Two: What is Good Thinking?58Lesson Plan: Good News, Bad News58Lesson Plan: A Little Logic63Lesson Plan: How Many of These Do You Know?70Topic Three: What Do I Know?74Lesson Plan: “What’s Your Reason?” Game74Lesson Plan: Two Trues, One False79Lesson Plan: The Egg Drop Game86Lesson Plan: Assassin Game92Lesson Plan: Hypothesis Generation Exercise98Lesson Plan: Which Story Is True?102Lesson Plan: What Do I Know (About this Strawberry?) Exercise107Lesson Plan: Confirmation Bias Exercise110Topic Four: What is Real?114Lesson Plan: Reality Scavenger Hunt114Lesson Plan: “What Makes the Team the Team?” Exercise119Lesson Plan: What Makes Me Me?123Lesson Plan: Could Anything Else Have Happened?131Lesson Plan: Got a Minute?136Topic Five: What is Art?140Lesson Plan: Aesthetics Scavenger Hunt141Lesson Plan: “Smoke”144Lesson Plan: Art Market147Topic Six: What is the Right Thing to Do?152Lesson Plan: Ring of Gyges Diary153Lesson Plan: Life Boat Exercise157Lesson Plan: What Do Rights Look Like? Exercise166Lesson Plan: The Red/Green Game173Lesson Plan: “Hand Dealt”179Lesson Plan: Fair or Equal?190Lesson Plan: Ants and Chocolate195Lesson Plan: Fish and Candy200Topic Seven: What is the Meaning of Life?203Lesson Plan: What’s Worth Doing?203Lesson Plan: “What Is the Meaning of Life?” Game206Lesson Plan: Why?209Ten Recommended Readings for Exploring Philosophy with Children211Reading: Williams, Margery, The Velvetine Rabbit220Reading: Wiseman, B., Morris the Moose220Reading: L’Engle, Madeline, A Wrinkle In Time222Reading: Koss, Amy Goldman, The Ashwater Experiment223Reading: Rowling, J.K., Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them223Reading: Baum, Frank L., selection from The Tin Woodsman of Oz224Reading: Tashlin, Frank, The Bear That Wasn’t225Reading: Steig, William, Yellow and Pink226Reading: Lewis, C.S., The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe227Reading: Mills, Claudia, Dinah Forever227Bibliography229