7th Grade Using Thales In Our Daily Life Lesson Plan (Math)

Topic: USING THALES IN OUR DAILY LIFE

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to explain the philosophy of Thales, and how it can be applied in everyday life.

Materials

• Short presentation on the life and philosophy of Thales
• Handouts with examples of how Thales' philosophy can be applied in daily life
• Access to the internet for research (optional)

Warm-up

• Ask students if they have heard of the Greek philosopher Thales. Ask them to describe what they know about him.
• Ask the students if they can think of any famous philosophers or philosophical schools. See if they can name any.
• Write the following names on the board: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cynics, Stoics, Epicureans. Ask the students if they can provide any basic facts about these philosophers and their philosophies.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce Thales and his philosophical approach. Explain that Thales believed that everything is made up of water, and that the world is ultimately governed by natural forces.
• Ask the students if they can think of any ways in which Thales' philosophy might be relevant to their daily lives. For example, if everything is made up of water, then we need to be mindful of how we use water and how we treat each other.
• Introduce the other philosophers and their approaches. Discuss how each of their philosophies might be relevant to our daily lives.

Guided Practice

• Have the students work in small groups to draw a picture or create a collage of something in their daily lives that illustrates one of the ancient Greek philosophical approaches. For example, a drawing of a person drinking water could illustrate Thales' philosophy, or a drawing of two people arguing could illustrate Socrates' skepticism.
• Have each group present their drawing or collage to the class and explain how it illustrates the ancient Greek philosophical approach they chose.

Independent Practice

• For their independent practice, have the students create a project that demonstrates how one of the ancient Greek philosophical approaches has influenced their own daily lives. This could be a written report, a presentation, a artwork, or any other type of project that they choose.

Closure

• Review the main points of the lesson, emphasizing how the approaches of the ancient Greek philosophers can still be applied to problems and questions in our own modern world.
• Ask the students to share their projects with the class, and discuss how their chosen approach has influenced their own daily lives.

Assessment

• Observe the students during their independent practice and provide feedback on their understanding of the material.
• Evaluate the students' presentations at the closure of the lesson for their ability to effectively apply the philosophy of Thales to a modern-day problem or question.