This download is useful for any teachers who are hoping to foster critical thinking skills in KS2 or KS3 students. This resource pack contains: A double-sided A3 poster/table that identifies, describes and exemplifies 32 common logical fallacies A 32 question ‘Logical Fallacy Quiz’ (with a teacher’s answer key) An ‘analysing and evaluating philosophical arguments’ activity’ The A3 poster/table is an excellent resource in and of itself and can be used for other activities in the teaching of critical thinking skills. The quiz is designed to be used alongside the table: students work in pairs or teams to identify examples of logical fallacies. There are 32 questions - which should be ample for a long lesson. This activity can be differentiated by changing team sizes and/or shortening the quiz (allowing for more reflection time). A smaller activity is also included: it introduces the idea of ‘philosophical arguments’, soundness, validity - and provides examples of simple philosophical arguments for young learners to analyse and evaluate. This resource is designed with KS2 and KS3 students in mind.

This resource includes a colourful double-sided A3 worksheet (or poster) outlining the 32 most common logical fallacies. Each logical fallacy is briefly outlined and is accompanied by at least one example to illustrate it. It includes two versions - one is slightly simplified, with the background removed, so as to save printer ink and be more black & white printer friendly. This resource was designed with KS2 and KS3 students in mind.

This multi-use interactive learning session explores the greatest questions in philosophy. This lesson is a great way to inspire a love of philosophy; we’ve carefully selected the most significant philosophical questions so that young learners can engage in fun philosophical discussions and debates. This session explores topics such as: The nature and significance of philosophical questions The importance of questioning skills, benefits of critical thinking and ‘questioning everything’ How philosophers go about answering philosophical questions The big question asked in this session is “What is the single most important philosophical question?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as To what extent can we trust our senses? What is the size and location of the mind? To what extent is it possible to directly perceive reality? Since the focus of this session is ‘ultimate philosophical questions’ we’ve aimed to provide a comprehensive range of deep philosophical questions so that students understand the scope of philosophy as a field of intellectual enquiry. Students will also analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims such as: “Human beings are not free and free-will is an illusion.” “Claims about ‘good’ and ‘evil’ are not claims about reality: they are just subjective opinions.” “It is better to be born into a remote tribe in a jungle than to be born into modern society.” This session uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities. With a massive selection of activities designed to trigger philosophical discussions, debates and reflections: you can re-use the resource numerous times with the same group. Aside from a wide range of debate and discussion activities, teachers can also choose from a variety of more substantial activities such as essay writing, poetry writing, and speech writing tasks. This resource is suitable for teachers of all school subjects who are looking to introduce philosophy, philosophical thinking and critical thinking. As with all our resources, this session will help students to develop vital communication, social and interpersonal skills: healthy debates will help learners to practice ‘disagreeing in an agreeable fashion’. This resource is suitable for students aged 8-16; due to the flexible nature of the sessions design it can be used for multiple hour-long sessions or as a short stimulating tutor-group activity. The file is a PowerPoint Show: no planning or preparation is required, just run the file and the intuitive menu system will make delivering a powerful philosophy session very easy!

This flexible interactive philosophy lesson focuses on epistemology: the field of philosophy concerned with the nature of knowledge, different potential sources of knowledge, the difference between knowledge and opinion, and the different ways in which beliefs can be evaluated. The download includes a free bonus resource: a comprehensive teaching pack focused on logical fallacies and critical thinking. This session is ideal for teachers who want to explore philosophy with students and, aside from referring to more conventional epistemological issues, it also explores to the importance of critical-thinking and how students can detect misinformation online and discern between reliable and unreliable sources of information; we’ve carefully selected the most significant epistemological issues and questions so that young learners can engage in fun philosophical discussions and debates. This session explores topics such as: The nature of knowledge The difference between knowledge and belief Different ways of evaluating knowledge claims Intellectual virtues Obstacles that arise in the pursuit of truth This philosophy teaching resource also outlines and explains different epistemological views (such as empiricism, rationalism, fideism and scepticism). The big question asked in this session is “Is it possible to know anything with absolute certainty?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as: To what extent can we rely on the senses as a source of knowledge? How do we evaluate the validity of different beliefs? and What drives the spread misinformation and how can we detect it? Students will also analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims such as: “It is impossible to know anything with 100% certainty" “We should always be sceptical about what others claim to be true” and “One should never believe in something until one has experienced it personally” This session uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities. Aside from a wide range of debate and discussion activities, teachers can also choose from a variety of more substantial activities such as essay writing, poetry writing, and speech writing tasks. This resource is suitable for teachers of all school subjects who are looking to introduce philosophy, philosophical thinking and critical thinking.

This multi-use interactive learning session is an ideal way to introduce philosophy to young learners. This session uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities. With a massive selection of activities designed to trigger philosophical discussions, debates and reflections: you can re-use the resource numerous times with the same group. We designed this lesson not only to introduce philosophy as an intellectual discipline but to inspire a love of philosophical thinking. To this end this session explores topics such as: The nature of philosophy The different fields of philosophy (epistemology, metaphysics, ethics etc.) The philosophical method (of reasoned argumentation) The difference between knowledge and mere belief The big question asked in this session is “What is Philosophy?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a range of other philosophical questions such as Why is it important to think deeply about things? To what extent is it important to question and challenge the assumptions we live by? What is the difference between intelligence and wisdom? To what extent is certain knowledge possible? Students will analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims that have been chosen to represent the extensive range of philosophical enquiry such as: “We should not trust our senses as they are too limited, easy to trick and unreliable” “It’s important to be a sceptic and to doubt claims we hear and read on the internet” “The biggest moral problem of our age is how we treat animals” Aside from a wide range of debate and discussion activities, teachers can also choose from a variety of more substantial activities such as essay writing, poetry writing, and speech writing tasks. This resource is suitable for teachers of all school subjects who are looking to introduce philosophy, philosophical thinking and critical thinking. As with all our resources, this session will help students to develop vital communication, social and interpersonal skills: healthy debates will help learners to practice ‘disagreeing in an agreeable fashion’. This resource is suitable for students aged 8-16; due to the flexible nature of the sessions design it can be used for multiple hour-long sessions or as a stimulating tutor-group activity. The file is a PowerPoint Show: no planning or preparation is required.

This multi-use interactive philosophy lesson explores ‘Philosophy of Mind’: the field of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind and how it is linked to the body. The session will also trigger fascinating discussions about ‘the problem of other minds’, how we know whether or not something has a mind, solipsism, how to study the mind, and the possibilities of generating artificial consciousness. This session is ideal for teachers who want to explore philosophy with students aged 8-16; we’ve carefully selected the most significant issues and questions relating to philosophy of mind so that young learners can engage in fun philosophical discussions and debates. This session explores topics such as: The nature of the mind Qualities and properties associated with the mind The manner in which the mind can be said to exist The relationship between the brain and the mind It outlines and explores the fundamental debate at the core of philosophy of mind surrounding mind-body dualism, physicalism, idealism as well as classic philosophical problems such as the problem of other minds and ‘The Hard Problem of Consciousness’. The big question asked in this session is “Do we ever experience anything other than our own mind?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as What is the mind made of? Do plants have minds? What is the size, shape, and location of the mind? How could you prove to someone else that you have a mind? and What is ‘the external world’ like beyond our mental representations of it? Students will also analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims such as: “There is no ‘mental stuff’ in reality: only physical stuff exists” “The mind does not have a size” “One day humans will create a computer that has a mind or a conscious experience of existence” and “The colour red doesn’t actually exist in the world: it’s a mental quality that only exists in the mind” This resource is suitable for students aged 8-16; due to the flexible nature of the sessions design it can be used for multiple hour-long sessions or as a short stimulating tutor-group activity. This session uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities. The file is a PowerPoint Show: no planning or preparation is required, just run the file and the intuitive menu system will make delivering a powerful philosophy session very easy!

Philosophers and sages have reflected on the nature and significance of death and mortality since ancient times whilst reflecting on the possibility of an afterlife in the face of the mystery of death. According to many philosophers and psychologists: a healthy appreciation of one’s own finitude is essential for living a full life and for striving to live without regrets. Speaking about death and dying is a taboo in our society and yet by failing to speak openly about it we can often exacerbate the fear of death in young minds and feed their anxieties around death. This interactive philosophy lesson allows for open and reasonable discussions about death, mortality, and the possibility (or impossibility) of an afterlife. It is created without a religious or cultural bias or an agenda to persuade or convert students to a particular viewpoint in relation to the afterlife. This session is ideal for teachers who want to explore these deep matters of life and death with students aged 8-16; we’ve carefully selected the most significant issues and questions relating to death and the afterlife so that young learners can engage in fun philosophical discussions and debates. This session explores topics such as: The nature of the death The benefits of contemplating one’s own mortality Different views about the afterlife Whether or believing in ghosts is justified The value of funerals and honouring the dead Existential psychology Please be careful to time your use of this resource carefully and to deliver it with due sensitivity as some young people might struggle to wrestle with these issues. Please note: this resource discusses a variety of afterlife beliefs (i.e. the possibility of reincarnation, Heaven, Hell and nothingness) and, therefore, will probably involve the analysis and evaluation of religious beliefs. The big question asked in this session is “What are the benefits of thinking deeply about our own mortality?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical questions such as: Why do you think people are reluctant to talk about death and dying and that such topics are a taboo in our society? To what extent can thinking about death help us to appreciate and value those around us more? Many people have reported seeing ghosts: to what extent does this prove that ghosts exist? What do you think people experience after they die? How should we live our lives in such a way that we are always ready to die? and To what extent do Near Death Experiences (NDEs) prove that life after death is definitely true?

This fun philosophy lesson is focused on ‘Animal Ethics’: the branch of ethics which examines human-animal relationships, the moral consideration of animals and how nonhuman animals ought to be treated. Animal ethics explores topics such as animal rights, animal welfare, animal law, speciesism, animal cognition, wildlife conservation, wild animal suffering, the moral status of nonhuman animals, the concept of nonhuman personhood, human exceptionalism, the history of animal use, and theories of justice. This philosophy session is of interest to teachers of all school subjects who are hoping to explore ethics with young learners; since it explores moral issues in depth the resource is a great contribution to your schools SMSC remit. This session explores topics such as: Our moral duties towards animals The ethics of eating meat Animal testing Blood-sports and Utilitarian theories of animal ethics The big question asked in this session is “When (if ever) is it morally acceptable to cause an animal to suffer?”. Using a variety of engaging activities students will discuss and debate a wide range of other philosophical and ethical questions such as: What does the term ‘animal rights’ mean? To what extent is it morally wrong to eat animals such as cats and dogs? To what extent is it morally wrong to test cosmetics on animals? and To what extent is hunting wild animals a moral hobby? Students will also analyse and evaluate an eclectic mix of philosophical claims such as: “Humans are inherently superior & valuable to all other animals” “Animal testing is morally acceptable if the animals are being used to create new medicines” “All species go extinct eventually: protecting endangered species is a waste of time" and “An insect does not have an experience of living and cannot feel pain” This session uses our unique format for philosophy teaching resources and features an integrated menu that allows teachers to select from a variety of starter, main, plenary, assessment and end-of-lesson reflection activities. With a massive selection of activities designed to trigger philosophical discussions, debates and reflections: you can re-use the resource numerous times with the same group. This resource is suitable for students aged 8-16; due to the flexible nature of the sessions design it can be used for multiple hour-long sessions or as a short stimulating tutor-group activity. The file is a PowerPoint Show: no planning or preparation is required, just run the file and the intuitive menu system will make delivering a powerful philosophy session very easy!