Grades 6-8
1.5 hours/lesson
Meets once a week
1,250 per month
1-on-1
3 months
On-site (Mclean Office)
Weekdays (Mon–Fri)
Saturdays
Module I: What is Philosophy?
Week 1a: Defining “philosophy”—what is it?
Week 1b: The Socratic method—how to use it and why
Week 2a: Debate & discussion—how to form a logical response to an argument
Week 2b: Writing Task #1 and in-class evaluation/feedback
Week 3a: Defining “epistemology”—how do we know what we know?
Week 3b: Defining “ethics”—what is your personal code of ethics?
Week 4a: Ethical dilemmas—the Trolley Problem and the Prisoner’s Dilemma
Week 4b: Writing Tasks #2 and #3 and in-class evaluation/feedback
Week 5a: Distinguish between opinions, facts, premises, and conclusions.
Week 5b: Testing arguments—are they valid?
Week 6a: Inductive and deductive reasoning—what is the difference?
Week 6b: What are fallacies? Recognize and reproduce types of logical fallacies
Week 7a: Writing Task #1 and in-class evaluation/feedback
Week 7b: Practice developing counterarguments and learn how to introduce supportive evidence
Week 8a: Craft a philosophical thesis and learn how to logically organize your arguments
Week 8b: Writing Task #2 and in-class evaluation/feedback
Module III: Philosophical Works
Week 9a: Reading Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”—what is it?
Week 9b: Discussing the problems with “Allegory of the Cave”
Week 10a: Writing Task #5 and in-class evaluation and feedback
Week 10b: Reading Descartes’ “First Meditation”—what is it?
Week 11a: Proving and disproving “I think, therefore I am”—premises and conclusions
Week 11b: In-class debate: pretend to be a major philosopher
Week 12a: Final Writing Project #1
Week 12b: Evaluation/feedback
