{"id":14220,"date":"2019-07-03T15:01:54","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T22:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.philosophyforchildren.org\/?post_type=lessonplans&p=3305"},"modified":"2025-02-12T15:07:21","modified_gmt":"2025-02-12T23:07:21","slug":"imagining-new-realities","status":"publish","type":"teachertoolkit","link":"https:\/\/plato-philosophy.org\/teachertoolkit\/imagining-new-realities\/","title":{"rendered":"Imagining New Realities"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cImagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.\u201d<\/strong>
– Lewis Carroll<\/p>\n

Materials needed<\/strong>: Computer (and projector if possible) to show video clip, paper and writing utensil, white board and dry erase marker or chalkboard and chalk<\/p>\n

Activity<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

Part 1<\/strong>: Ask students to write a list of 5 things that they can imagine and wish to see in the world that don\u2019t already exist.<\/p>\n

1.1<\/strong>: Then ask them to make another list of 5 things that at one point did not exist, but through creative thinking, eventually did (give a few ideas or suggestions such as inventions, social changes, personal changes, etc.).<\/p>\n

1.2<\/strong>: Then ask students to break into groups of 3 and discuss:
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 A<\/strong>. Did their thinking change from the first question to the next? How so?
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 B<\/strong>. How might they draw a connection between what they can imagine and what is real, and how those things can potentially change over time?<\/p>\n

Part 2<\/strong>: Ask students to share out to the whole group some of the ideas they came up with from the second list and write them on the board. After 5 are listed, ask if students have any questions about this (i.e. if they don\u2019t understand how something which at one point wasn\u2019t \u201creal\u201d or existing, came to be etc.)<\/p>\n

Part 3<\/strong>: Ask students to get back into their groups of 3 and come up with a current issue they experience in school, or in the world more generally, for which they wish they could imagine a solution, but haven\u2019t yet seen one.<\/p>\n

Part 4<\/strong>: Ask students to share some of their ideas with the whole group. Write them on the white board. After 5 or so are listed, ask students to take a vote on which one they would like to collectively explore further. Conduct a silent vote with students’ eyes closed, and tally the votes.<\/p>\n

Part 5<\/strong>: Have an open-ended full group discussion on how we might imagine solutions to the proposed topic and how those steps might lead us to see a shift from what they can imagine to reality.<\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cImagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.\u201d – Lewis Carroll Materials needed: Computer (and projector if possible) to show video clip, paper and writing utensil, white board and dry erase marker or chalkboard and chalk Activity: Part 1: Ask students to write a list of 5 things that they can imagine and … Imagining New Realities<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":15777,"template":"","toolkitcategory":[29,758],"gradelevel":[48,47,46],"topics":[],"class_list":["post-14220","teachertoolkit","type-teachertoolkit","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","toolkitcategory-history-social-studies","toolkitcategory-metaphysics","gradelevel-high-school-and-beyond","gradelevel-middle-school","gradelevel-primary-elementary"],"yoast_head":"\nImagining New Realities - PLATO - Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Imagining New Realities - PLATO - Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cImagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.\u201d – Lewis Carroll Materials needed: Computer (and projector if possible) to show video clip, paper and writing utensil, white board and dry erase marker or chalkboard and chalk Activity: Part 1: Ask students to write a list of 5 things that they can imagine and ... 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