The Art of Living
Learning Sequence 1
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Introduction - The Importance of Trust
This week, children will delve into the life of Socrates, learning valuable lessons on trust and honesty from ancient Athens. They will watch a video that introduces these concepts through a story, fostering an understanding of how trust shaped communities in the past.
Using this knowledge, students will create a comic strip in Canva, creatively illustrating Socrates’ teachings. Finally, they will design a 9-point checklist on building trust, applying ancient wisdom to modern relationships. This activity encourages critical thinking, creativity, and a deeper appreciation for lessons from history, all while honing their design skills in Canva.
This week we’ll explore the life and wisdom of the great philosopher Socrates. We’ll start by watching a video about trust, featuring an Icelandic village where people don’t even lock their doors because they trust one another. As you watch, think about how trust helps a community thrive, just like it did in Socrates’ ancient Athens.
Next, you’ll learn more about Socrates and his belief that honesty is key to a happy society. He used simple questions to help others see the importance of telling the truth.
Then, you’ll bring Socrates’ story to life by creating a comic strip. In your comic, show how Socrates helped a market seller realise that honesty makes life better for everyone. You’ll use Canva to design your comic and make it engaging and fun.
Finally, you’ll create your own 9-point checklist on how to build trust with others. This checklist will help you apply Socrates’ lessons to your own life, making your relationships stronger and more honest.
Important - Download Your Workbook Template
Over the next ten weeks, students will design a 28-page booklet on “The Art of Living,” using a provided workbook to ensure everything stays organised and properly formatted. It’s crucial that teachers emphasize the importance of keeping content within the safe zone (dotted line) to avoid any issues during printing. This project not only allows students to express creativity but also serves as a structured reflection of their learning journey. The final product will be a meaningful keepsake, potentially ordered as a printed booklet, so attention to detail is vital.
Over the next ten weeks, you will be designing a 32-page booklet on “The Art of Living.” All the designs and information will be gathered by you, but we’ve put together a workbook to help you keep everything organised and in the right order.
Feel free to change the colours and some of the designs to make the booklet unique to you, but be sure to keep all content within the safe zone (the dotted line). This is important because, once your book is uploaded to the Upschool library, you might want to order a printed copy, and we don’t want any important information to be cut off during printing.
You’ll be using this booklet each week, so please make sure to download it today and return to it each week to add new pages. This booklet will be a reflection of your learning journey and a beautiful keepsake of your work on “The Art of Living.”
Weekly Keywords
In this activity, students will review a list of keywords related to Socrates’ teachings on trust and honesty. They’ll be asked to simplify these concepts into easy-to-understand terms, helping them to grasp and communicate complex philosophical ideas effectively. This exercise enhances critical thinking and comprehension skills.
On the task card provided, you’ll find a list of keywords connected to Socrates and his teachings on trust and honesty.
Your challenge is to review these words and explain their meanings in the simplest terms possible. This activity is designed to help you break down complex philosophical ideas into easy-to-understand components, which is an important skill for all future learning and discussions.
Quote of the Week - Socrates
This week, we’ll draw inspiration from Socrates and his profound teachings on trust and honesty. Students will explore one of his key quotes, interpreting its significance from their own perspectives, perhaps through art or a multimedia presentation.
The core of this activity is deep reflection and meaningful conversation. It encourages students to connect with Socrates’ wisdom, considering how it influences their personal choices and impacts broader societal interactions.
This approach fosters critical thinking and open discussion, helping students understand how powerful ideas can shape their views and actions. It promotes a commitment to ethical living and community building, aligning with Socrates’ enduring legacy of philosophical inquiry.
Each week, we will share an inspirational quote from the great philosopher Socrates, known for his wisdom and teachings on ethics and self-reflection.
We encourage you to write down the quote, print it, or even create a drawing inspired by his words.
After you’ve completed this, take some time to reflect on and discuss the meaning of the quote. Consider what it teaches us about living a good and honest life, and how we can use Socrates’ wisdom to improve ourselves and our community.
Design Your Information Card - Socrates
In this activity, students will research the life of Socrates, focusing on key facts like his lifespan, location, and death. They will then use AI tools to create an image of Socrates, combining research with design. The final product will be part of a comprehensive booklet on eight philosophers.
During this activity, your goal is to conduct basic research on the life of Socrates. You’ll need to document key facts such as the years he was alive, where he lived, and how he died. Keep the information general and concise, but ensure you include the essential and important details.
Once you’ve completed this, find an image of Socrates. Since many of the philosophers we are studying lived a very long time ago, before cameras existed, you may want to use AI to help you create this image.
When finished, this will be added to your booklet, which will eventually become a specialised collection about all eight philosophers we are studying in this course.
Design Your Comic Strip - Socrates
In this activity, students will design a comic strip using Canva, focusing on conveying Socrates’ message through both visual design and dialogue. The task encourages students to think critically about how speech and context can deliver meaning effectively. By choosing the right words and images, they will create a simple yet powerful depiction of Socrates’ teachings on honesty and trust. This activity develops their skills in storytelling, visual design, and understanding the importance of language in communicating ideas
In this activity, your task is to use the story of Socrates that you’ve learned to create your very own comic strip. The goal is to illustrate Socrates’ message in a single, simple but beautiful image. You’ll be using Canva to design your comic, bringing Socrates’ ideas to life through art.
Think about how Socrates taught about honesty and trust. Try to capture the essence of his message in your comic strip. You can use the tools in Canva to choose colours, shapes, and layouts that best express the story and message.
When finished, your comic strip will be added to your booklet, which will eventually become a special collection featuring all eight philosophers we are studying in this course.
Design Your Trust Page - Nine Ways to Build Trust
In this activity, students will create a booklet page on building trust, reflecting on values such as kindness, honesty, and compassion.
By researching and designing their own page, they engage in meaningful reflection on how these values strengthen community bonds. This exercise fosters a deeper understanding of trust and its role in creating compassionate communities.
In this activity, your task is to create a page in your booklet about the nine ways we can build trust with others. You’ll start by looking at a list of suggested ways to build trust, such as showing kindness, being honest, and respecting others’ opinions.
Using the template provided, you will design your very own information page on what you think are the best nine ways to develop trust. While you can use the template and some ideas provided, it’s important that you do your own research to find additional ways to build trust.
Think carefully about how you present your ideas—both in design and in content. Your goal is to create a page that is both informative and visually appealing, helping others understand the importance of trust in relationships.
When finished, this page will be added to your booklet, which will eventually become a specialised collection of your work throughout the course.
What if Wheel of Possibilities - Our Weekly Discussion
Spin the wheel and let it come to a stop. When the wheel lands, ask yourself the question it points to and discuss it with the people around you.
When we think about big questions like these, we gain a deeper understanding of the world and can appreciate how fortunate we are to live in it today.
You only need to spin the wheel once. If you land on a question you’ve already discussed, simply spin again until you’ve explored all 7 questions.
Poetry In Action - Haiku
In this activity, students will explore Haiku, a Japanese poetry style that uses a 5-7-5 syllable structure. By drawing inspiration from Socrates’ teachings on trust, students will craft their own Haikus, blending creativity with precise sentence structure. This exercise encourages them to distill complex ideas into simple, evocative language while experimenting with poetic form. Adding imagery further enhances their creative expression, making the learning experience both artistic and intellectually stimulating.
As you are about to add a page to your book about food in your chosen culture or civilization, we are providing you with a series of research questions that may help you gather the information you need.
Take a look at the task card opposite and use these research questions to help you gather enough information to add a a page on food to your book.
Quiz and Your Certificate
Students will take a weekly quiz on a different philosopher’s life, reinforcing their understanding after rewatching the video. Each quiz includes ten questions, and scoring 80% or higher earns them a certificate. There are 17 certificates to collect, motivating ongoing engagement and learning. This activity encourages retention and provides a tangible reward for their efforts.
Each week, you’ll be invited to take a quiz focused on the life of Socrates. After rewatching the video, your task is to correctly answer ten questions about his life and teachings. Achieving a score of 80% or more will earn you a certificate, which will be sent directly to your email.
There are 8 certificates in total for you to collect.
Best of luck!
