Philosophy for Children through interactive story telling
Chapter 1
The Trial of Socrates
“I think…” she began, nervously, but her voice was loud and clear. “You’re the cleverest man in all of Athens.”
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Socrates looked at her curiously.
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“My girl, the only thing I know is that I don’t know anything at all.”
Delphi and Plato sneak into the trial of Plato's teacher, Socrates. They manage to sneak past the guards and catch a glimpse - but it doesn't look like it's going well. Maybe they can at least find out what he's supposed to have done wrong...
Big Questions:
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What's important about asking questions?
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Why should Socrates be freed?
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Can you know that you know nothing?
Skills focus:
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Asking questions to find out more
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Using 'because' to justify your ideas
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Recognising when you don't know yet
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Lesson Overview
This lesson continues to develop the children’s basic skills for philosophy lessons. The main focus is on the need to use ‘because’ to justify our ideas. The first sentence stems are introduced and the importance of why we need to disagree with one another, and identify when we’re not sure, are looked at explicitly. The chapter also completes the overall introduction to the story of Delphi the Philosopher and gives some context to future lessons.
