Hi everyone,
How does your school build children's oracy skills? There is a growing consensus that developing children’s speaking and listening skills should be a high priority for educators. Whether it’s the ability to listen, question, reason, persuade, debate or present, it is becoming increasingly accepted that children need to learn these crucial skills to make progress in any other subject. Both the UK Education Secretary and Leader of the Opposition have clearly stated that oracy education should be at the heart of a school’s curriculum.
Of course, we knew that already!
Teaching philosophy for children is a fantastic way to develop these skills – and Delphi Philosophy was put together specifically to help children make clear and measurable progress in their ability to use talk in their learning. We have been developing this project for over five years now – and our resources have been used all around the world. Not only does Delphi help children’s learning – they often tell us that it is one of their favourite learning experiences in school!
Want to introduce your children to Delphi? We have all sorts of resources for you to explore:
Ideal for: Introducing primary-aged children to oracy and philosophy for children
The original novel and scheme of work, Delphi the Philosopher tells the story of how our young hero learns about ethics and tries to rescue Socrates, her best friend Plato’s teacher. The scheme of work includes eleven fully illustrated stories, with detailed lesson plans, slideshows, activities, resources and teaching guides. The whole story is written so that children develop their listening, questioning, reasoning and explaining skills as they follow along. You can see all the lessons in action through our series of lessons blogs on our website. Or you can download the Home Version if you just want the story – or get it on Kindle – or watch it on YouTube!
Ideal for: Children continuing to build their skills, for older primary or secondary children
Our second full novel and scheme of work, Delphi the Dreamer contains even more mind-bending stories and beautiful illustrations, as Delphi takes on big questions about reality and identity. This scheme of work contains ten more stories with all the resources you need to deliver it in the classroom. Just like our first story, this scheme of work is underpinned by a clear progression in listening, questioning, reasoning and explaining, allowing you to teach clear learning intentions and monitor children’s progress – all through an exciting and surprising story! You can get a taste of the story by watching the first chapter, The Dream, on YouTube here.
Ideal for: Storytimes, short discussions, research, Ancient Greece topics and much more!
Our freely available website for children is an interactive adventure around Athens, featuring short stories, illustrations, photographs, information and discussion questions. Explore around 40 locations around the city, from the Acropolis to Plato’s Academy – and even talk to the pantheon of Greek gods as you explore! This incredibly popular website has been described by prominent headteacher Ashley Booth as “amazing” and that you “could get a million lessons out of it!” You can find out about all the different activities the site can be used for here – or simply set your child up on their tablet and begin their adventure for themselves here!
Ideal for: Single lessons, short activities or trying out our resources
All of our stories from Delphi the Philosopher and Delphi the Dreamer are available as Enquiry Packs – over 20 downloadable packs containing the individual story and resources to teach any one of our stories. Popular choices include the Prologue and Trial of Socrates (a perfect introduction to philosophy for children), The Ring (where Delphi explores ethical ideas she discovers a ring which makes her invisible), The Perfect Bedroom (where Delphi learns to think about abstract ideas about freedom and happiness) and The Dream (a mind-bending adventure into the idea of reality). We also have Best Teacher Ever – a three part enquiry about metacognition and learning to learn, as Delphi meets three famous teachers from the history of philosophy.
Ideal for: Getting everything for the lowest price!
Can’t choose? Become a Delphi Philosophy member and you can get access to EVERYTHING – that’s 2 full schemes of work, around 25 lessons, around 60 enquiries and around 500 illustrations! It also gives you the full set of printable resources from Delphi’s Guide to Athens – and access to the Member’s Area of our site where you can download everything, read our guides, trial new resources and ask any questions you have. Set your school up with a full suite of oracy resources in one complete package.
Children need the power of oracy education now more than ever – and teaching Delphi Philosophy has been the way we, as teachers in our own schools, have been teaching it for years. Want to find out more or hear what our children make of it? Visit our home page and watch our introduction video here.
Thanks so much for all your support and wishing you great adventures ahead!
Dave and Rosie
Delphi Philosophy
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