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Discussion Questions for Doing Philosophy Using Literature
INTRODUCTION:
These discussion questions and activities are geared toward elementary school age students, some more particularly for younger elementary school students and some for older students. All of these stories can also be used with middle and high school students, with adaptations of the questions.
The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau by Jon Agee
The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
My Friend the Monster by Clyde Robert Bulla
Stellaluna by Jannell Cannon
“A Mad Tea Party” from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
Peach & Blue by Sarah S. Kilborne
A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
“Dragons and Giants” (in Frog and Toad Together) by Arnold Lobel
The Great Blueness and Other Predicaments by Arnold Lobel
"Owl and the Moon" (in Owl At Home) by Arnold Lobel
“Tear-Water Tea" (in Owl at Home) by Arnold Lobel
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
Yellow and Pink by William Steig
Albert’s Toothache by Barbara Williams
The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams
PrintThe Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau by Jon Agee
Discussion Questions:
WHAT MAKES SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL?A painting.
A smile.
A sunset.
A story.
A lamp.
A spider.
A flower.
A horse.
A potato.
A baby.
A cloud.
Music.
A tree.
A person.
CAN WE HAVE DIFFERENT IDEAS ABOUT WHAT BEAUTY IS?
What does something have to have to be beautiful? Anything?
What does it feel like when something is beautiful to us? Is this always true?
For something to be beautiful, does someone have to think it’s beautiful? Can something be beautiful if no one thinks it is?
If something is beautiful, is it always beautiful?
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The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
Discussion Questions:
IS SOMETHING STILL ITSELF IF IT CHANGES?Is a chair still a chair if its legs are broken?
Is a song still a song if everyone forgets the words?
Is a spoon still a spoon if it falls behind the stove and is never seen again?
Is a book still a book if some pages are torn out? All of its pages?
Is a morning still a morning if no one is awake to see it?
Is a clock still a clock if it stops and there is no one to wind it?
Are pencils still pencils if they are too short to use?
Is the sun still the sun if it doesn't shine?
HOW MUCH CAN A THING CHANGE BEFORE IT IS SOMETHING ELSE?
A dress.
A car.
A face.
A feeling.
An idea.
A friendship.
STAYING THE SAME AND BECOMING DIFFERENT
Are there some things that always stay the same no matter what?
Your size.
Your friends.
Your family.
Your house.
Your yard.
Your feelings.
Your friendships.
What you like to eat.
Your mind.
Your day.
GROWNUPS AND CHILDREN
How are grownups different from or the same as children?
Grownups are not children.
Grownups are still children.
Grownups are larger than children.
Grownups can do more things than children can.
Grownups know more than children.
Grownups know less than children.
Will you still be you when you grow up?
Which of the following will still be the same when you grow up?
You hair.
Your head.
Your mouth.
Your eyes.
Your feet.
Your feelings.
Your thoughts.
Your dreams.
WHAT MAKES YOU YOU?
Your family.
Where you live.
Your age.
Your clothes.
Your body.
Your mind.
Your dreams.
Your toys.
Your thoughts.
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My Friend the Monster by Clyde Robert Bulla
Chapters 1-3 Discussion Questions:
How do the king and queen feel about Prince Hal? Why?
Is a baby who’s not beautiful as valuable and important as one who is? Does that baby need to be smart or good at something to be as valuable as a beautiful baby?
Why do the king and queen say that Hal is “ordinary?”
What does it mean to be “ordinary?” What’s wrong with being ordinary?
In what ways is it good to be ordinary and in what ways is it not good? Is anyone ordinary? Everyone? Is everyone ordinary on some ways and special in others?
Why don’t the king and queen let Hal play with the children in the courtyard?
Do you think they are right?
Is treating people as “beneath” you wrong? Why/why not? If you think it is wrong, do you think that Hal should help the king and queen to understand this? How could he do that?
Do you think the king and queen treat Hal well? Why/why not?
Is Hal’s trade with the girl fair? If the shabby book were the girl’s favorite thing and the fancy book meant nothing to Hal, was the trade fair? How do you decide if something is fair?
Was it stealing for the girl to take Hal’s toys if she thought Hal didn’t care?
Was Hal’s mother wrong to burn the book? Why did she do it?
What does it mean to be “haunted?” How do you think Hal feels?
Chapters 4-6 Discussion Questions:
What do you think of Cousin Archer?
Does Cousin Archer have the right to do what he likes with his birds and animals? Is he wrong to treat them the way he does?
Do birds and animals have rights? If so, what rights?
What does Hal mean when he thinks that he had never felt so free as he did when walking in the outdoors? What does it mean to feel free?
Are we free if no one tells us how to live? Are we free if we make our own rules and follow them for how to live? Are we free if we think we’re free? Are we free when we can do what we think best? Are we free when we can do whatever we want to do?
Why does the monster boy call Hal a “Small-Eyes?”
Hal says, “How could I hate you? I don’t even know you.” Could Hal hate the monster boy even though he doesn’t know him?
Why does the monster boy start to believe Hal? Does he trust Hal?
Why does Hal go to find a black fir twig for Humbert?
Have Hal and Humbert become friends?
What does it mean to be “someone good?” Is Hal someone good? Humbert?
How do we know?
Chapters 7-10 Discussion Questions:
Why did the people think Hal stole the gold buttons?
Why do people think that they know things about other people because of the way they look?
How might a person who looks poor have something valuable?
If people thought that Hal stole the gold buttons, was it right for them to accept the buttons from him anyway?
Why did Archer capture Humbert?
Why would people pay to see Humbert?
Was it right for Hal to let Archer’s birds and animals out?
Should Humbert’s mother help Hal? What is she worried about?
Is Hal their enemy? Should you help someone who is “different” from you?
Chapters 11-12 Discussion Questions:
Why does Humbert’s mother say, “Do you think that he would ever say of you, ‘This is my friend the monster?’” Would Hal say this?
Are Hal and Humbert friends? What is a friend?
Is Humbert’s mother nice to Hal? Does she help him? Can you help someone without being nice to them?
Why do Humbert’s neighbors throw stones? Why do they chase Hal and Humbert?
Is the doctor right? Has Hal “been under a spell?”
Why do Hal’s parents change their opinion of him? Is this a good reason?
Is it better to be nice to someone for a silly reason than not to be nice at all? Why/why not?
If someone is nice for a bad or silly reason, what problems could this cause? What good things might result?
Why didn’t Hal explain everything to Humbert right away? Do you agree with Hal? Is not telling someone everything the same as lying to them?
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Discussion Questions:
WHAT MAKES A . . .Duck a duck?
Cat a cat?
Man a man?
Woman a woman?
Parent a parent?
Car a car?
Bird a bird?
Smile a smile?
Feeling a feeling?
Thought a thought?
WHAT DOES A THING NEED TO. . .
What does a kite need to fly?
What does a tree need to grow?
What does a car need to drive?
What does a bat need to fly?
What does a person need to live?
What does a person need to be happy?
What does a person need to dream at night?
COULD A . . . AND HOW DO YOU KNOW?
A duck catch mice?
A bat write a letter?
A television eat grass?
A person fly?
A dog purr?
A teddy bear talk?
A person turn into a lion?
A painter plant a garden?
A child drive a car?
A doctor play the piano?
A book talk to you?
WHAT DOES FRIENDSHIP MEAN?
WHAT CAN YOU BE FRIENDS WITH?
Can you be friends with any of the following?
The moon.
A car.
A stone.
A pair of shoes.
A book.
A movie.
A cat.
A plant.
A bird.
A house.
A piece of land.
An idea.
A dream.
A song.
A painting.
A tree.
A parent.
WHAT IS A FRIEND?
If someone is a friend, is the following true?
I play with him or her a lot.
I talk to him or her a lot.
We share thoughts with each other.
We share feelings with each other.
I share my toys with him or her.
I like him or her.
I want to be near him or her.
We help each other.
She or he thinks that I am their friend.
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“A Mad Tea Party” from Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Discussion Questions and Activities:
- Alice notices that the Dormouse is being used as a cushion by the March Hare and the Hatter. She thinks to herself, “Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse, only, as it’s asleep, I suppose it doesn’t mind.” Can you be uncomfortable when you are asleep? Can things bother you when you are asleep?
- Does what happens to you matter if you can’t feel it?
- Does what happens to you matter if you don’t know about it?
- Is there a difference between meaning what you say and saying what you mean? Why or why not?
- What can you do with time? (Think of all the terms we use: waste it, spend it, kill it, etc.). Are there better or worse things to do with it?
- Complete this sentence: “My favorite way to spend time is to …, and the reason why is ….”
- Can you take “more tea” if you’ve had none? Isn’t it easy to take “more” than nothing?
- Alice starts to say, I don’t think . . .” and the Hatter interrupts her, “Then you shouldn’t talk.” Can you talk without thinking? Can you notice something without thinking about it? Can you stop thinking?
- Is the Hatter being rude? What is rudeness?
- Finish the Dormouse’s story about Elsie, Lacie and Tillie.
- At some point the Hatter says something and Alice thinks to herself that the remark had “not sort of meaning in it, and yet it was certainly English.” Can a sentence have “no sort of meaning” at all in it? Make up a nonsense sentence. We’ll write them all down and see if we can come up with some context in which the sentence is not nonsense.
- What was the strangest thing that ever happened to you? What made it strange? Is there anything in the world that isn’t strange?
- Imagine the most “curious party” you can. Who would you invite? What would you do? What would make it curious?
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The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
Chapters 1-2 – Discussion Questions:
• How did Peggy and Maddie “have fun” with Wanda? What was it they thought was fun? Why?
• Why do you think that Wanda didn’t have any friends?
• Why do you think that Wanda said that she had one hundred dresses in her closet? Was she lying? Why?
• Was this a cruel way to treat Wanda?
• Why was how they were treating Wanda bothering Maddie?
Chapters 3-5 – Discussion Questions:
• Was there anything Maddie could have done about Peggy “having fun with Wanda? Why was she afraid to speak to Peggy about her feelings about making fun of Wanda? (pp.34-35)
• Maddie thinks to herself that standing by silently while Peggy teased Wanda was worse than Peggy’s teasing. She thinks she was a coward because she had known that teasing Wanda was wrong and had not done anything to stop it. Was she a coward? Why didn’t she do anything? (pp. 48-49)
• How do you think Peggy and Maddie felt when they saw Wanda’s drawings?
• Why did Wanda move away?
• Are Peggy and Maddie friends? What is a friend? Go around the circle and ask if these statements about friends are true or not true:
A friend is someone you see all the time.A friend is someone you talk to a lot.
A friend is someone you share your thoughts with.
A friend is someone you trust.
A friend is someone you share your toys with.
A friend is someone who always agrees with you.
A friend is someone who helps you when you need help.
A friend is someone who is always nice to you.
A friend is someone you like to be around.
A friend is someone who lives in the same town that you do.
A friend is someone you like.
A friend is someone you think about a lot.
A friend is someone you can say anything to.
A friend is someone who likes the same things you do.
Chapters 6-7 – Discussion Questions:
• Maddie says that nothing will ever seem good to her again because she’d always know that she made Wanda move away. (p. 61) Do you think she is right?
• Peggy says that teasing Wanda about the hundred dresses probably gave her good ideas for her drawings, and maybe she wouldn’t have won the drawing contest otherwise. Do you think that this makes sense? (p. 62)
• Maddie decides that she is never going to stand by and say nothing again. (p. 63) Do you think that this is a good rule?
• When Maddie and Peggy get the drawings Wanda made, Peggy concludes that Wanda really liked them and that everything was all right. Maddie isn’t so sure about that. (p. 76) What do you think? Why was Maddie still sad?
• Was writing a letter to Wanda the right thing to do? Go around the circle and ask whether these sentences are right or wrong, and why:
There will be no summer this year.
You are a teenager.
Dogs have no feelings.
Bicycles have two wheels.
People with blue eyes are mean.
You live on Vashon Island.
It is ok to eat ice cream.
Trees are alive.
It is ok to hurt an animal.
All people with red hair are nice.
Some people with red hair are nice.
Peggy and Maddie writing Wanda a friendly note.
Peggy and Maddie saying they were sorry to Wanda.
• What would be better: to write a friendly letter to Wanda, as Maddie and Peggy did, or to write a real apology letter? Why?
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Peach & Blue by Sarah S. Kilborne
Discussion Questions:WHAT DOES FRIENDSHIP MEAN?
WHAT CAN YOU BE FRIENDS WITH?
Can you be friends with any of the following?
The moon.
A car.
A stone.
A pair of shoes.
A book.
A movie.
A cat.
A plant.
A bird.
A house.
A piece of land.
An idea.
A dream.
A song.
A painting.
A tree.
A parent.
WHAT IS A FRIEND?
If someone is a friend, is the following true?
I play with him or her a lot.
I talk to him or her a lot.
We share thoughts with each other.
We share feelings with each other.
I share my toys with him or her.
I like him or her.
I want to be near him or her.
We help each other.
She or he thinks that I am their friend.
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A Color of His Own by Leo Lionni
Discussion Questions:What would it be like to change colors? Would you feel different each time you turned a new color?
What things come in different colors? Say if the following things come in different colors and then, if they do, say what colors they come in.
Dogs.
Ice cream.
The sky.
Flowers.
Grass.
Water.
Fire.
People.
Footballs.
Winter.
Sadness.
Roller blades.
Laughter.
Fall.
What things in the classroom are:
blue
green
red
purple
yellow
Are there things that have no color? Example? (Light)
Are there things that have many colors? Example?
If something is red, can it also be blue? Can it be pink? Maroon?
Is the color green made up of blue and yellow? If so, is all green is blue and yellow? Or is it something in itself?
Do all green things look alike?
Do all things that are blue feel the same way (Ex: the sky and a blue blanket)
Is color real?
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“Dragons and Giants” (in Frog and Toad Together) by Arnold Lobel
Discussion Questions:Are Frog and Toad brave?
Frog says trying to climb a mountain should tell them whether they’re brave.
Does doing something hard to do show that you’re brave? How?
Does doing something that’s dangerous show you are brave? What if someone has made you do it?
Is it brave to do any of the following?
Save someone's life.
Try something new.
Run away from something dangerous.
Eat dinner.
Learn how to swim.
Sing a song.
Make a friend.
Run outside in the rain.
Climb a mountain.
What is the difference between feeling brave and being brave?
Can you be brave and not feel brave?
Can the following be brave? Why or why not?
Babies. Ducks.
Cats. Books.
Chairs. Birds.
Plants. Paintings.
Cars. Ideas.
Feelings. Songs.
In the story Frog and Toad say that they are not afraid. How do they know?
What can make you afraid?
A movie.
A song.
A lion.
Wind.
A person.
The dark.
Water.
A picture.
A thought.
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The Great Blueness and Other Predicaments by Arnold Lobel
Discussion Questions:- Do you think that there was a time when there was no color in the world?
- How did color come to be?
- Is color real?
- Do we see the same colors? Does the color red look the same to everyone? How would we know?
- If something is red, can it also be blue? Can it be pink? Maroon?
- Is the color green made up of blue and yellow? If so, is all green is blue and yellow? Or is it something in itself?
- Are things different colors at night? Think about what colors the following things are during the day and at night:
Daytime Night
Grass
The sky
A tulip
The rug in your room
Your hair
The blanket on your bed
A tree
Snow - If you get out a flashlight and shine it on the grass, and it looks green, does that mean that the grass stayed green in the dark?
- Would the world be different if it were made up of different colors? Draw a world with colors unlike the ones in our world.
- Does color make you feel a certain way? How?
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"Owl and the Moon" (in Owl At Home) by Arnold Lobel
Discussion Questions:WHAT IS IT TO BE ALIVE?
How can we tell if something is alive or not?
It moves.
It has a face.
It eats.
It sleeps.
It talks.
It grows.
It dies.
It feels.
It thinks.
It communicates.
Are the following alive? Why or why not?
Rocks.
Water.
Cars.
Bees.
Toasters.
Books.
Light.
Rain.
Feelings.
Animals.
Movies.
The sun.
Trees.
WHAT GOES TO SLEEP?
Do the following things go to sleep, don't go to sleep, or you don't know?
Grass.
Light.
The moon.
A bear.
A river.
A fish.
The rain.
A tree.
A door.
A television.
The world.
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"Tear-Water Tea" (in Owl at Home) by Arnold Lobel
Discussion Questions:
WHAT IS SADNESS?
What can make you feel sad?
A song.
A word.
A sunset.
A picture.
An animal.
The moon.
Food.
A trip somewhere.
A story.
When can you cry?
When you're happy.
When you're angry.
When you love someone a lot.
When you lose a game.
When you break a toy.
When you spill a drink.
When you fight with your brother or sister.
When you are proud of someone.
When can you laugh?
When you see a movie.
When you read a book.
When it snows.
When you hear a funny story.
When you're happy.
When you're nervous.
When you see your friends.
What can laugh or cry?
Birds.
The sky.
The ocean.
Dogs.
Worms.
The wind.
The sun.
A baby.
Discussion:
What is the difference between happy and sad?
Can you be both happy and sad at once?
Can you be neither happy nor sad?
Can fish be happy or sad?
Can trees be happy or sad?
Can the sky be happy or sad?
Can you be happy or sad and not know it?
Is everyone happy or sad in the same way?
What makes you happy or sad?
CAN YOU MAKE YOURSELF. . .
| start crying | >stop crying | keep crying |
| laugh | stop laughing | talk |
| stop talking | walk | sit |
| eat | not eat | fly |
| dream | not dream | wake up |
| not wake up | think | not think |
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The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Discussion Questions:WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND BAD?
Is Peter behaving badly?
Is the mouse carrying the seeds out of the garden behaving badly?
Is the cat behaving badly?
Was Mr. McGregor behaving badly when he killed Peter's father?
Are the following things good or bad?
A hammer.
An ice cream cone.
A friendship.
A song.
A word.
A person.
A thought.
A day.
A year.
WHAT ARE ACCIDENTS?
Were the following accidents?
Peter going into Mr. McGregor's garden?
Peter eating from Mr. McGregor's garden?
Peter losing his coat and shoes?
Peter getting caught in the gooseberry net?
How can you tell if something is an accident?
How can you tell if something is on purpose?
Do the following things happen by accident or on purpose?
The sun comes up.
The sun sets.
A train crashes.
Someone gets angry.
It starts raining.
You were born.
A tree grows.
WHAT IS STEALING?
Are these things stealing?
Peter taking vegetables from Mr. McGregor's garden.
The mouse taking vegetables from Mr. McGregor's garden.
Getting in a stranger's car and driving it away.
Eating a grape in the grocery store.
Finding a toy in the street and keeping it.
Taking food from a store when you are starving.
Taking a cookie at home when you aren't supposed to have one.
Taking a toy from a baby who doesn't care.
Taking a toy from a friend who does care.
GOOD RULES OR BAD RULES?
Don't hurt other people's feelings.
Don't laugh at other people.
Always say please.
Don't wear your shoes in the house.
Never speak to people you don't know.
Eat with your fingers.
No ice cream before dinner.
Go to sleep at 8:00.
Don't lie.
Don't hit other people.
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Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
Discussion Questions:WHAT IS MAGIC?
Is magic real?
What kinds of things are magic?
MAKING THINGS HAPPEN (CAUSE AND EFFECT)
Can you make these things happen?
The sun come out.
Rain fall.
A plant grow.
Someone laugh.
Someone cry.
Someone read you a story.
The stars shine.
A rock move.
CHANGING INTO SOMETHING ELSE
Could you change into a different thing by wishing?
If you could change into anything else, what would it be? Why?
What would be a good reason to change into something else?
Can anything you imagine really exist?
If you found a magic pebble, what would you wish for?
What other ways could you get your wish?
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Yellow and Pink by William Steig
Discussion Questions:WHAT IS IT TO CREATE SOMETHING?
Have the following things been created? If so, how?
Trees.
Children.
Stories.
Pizza.
Clouds.
Ideas.
Bananas.
Leaves.
Rivers.
Paintings.
Gardens.
Colors.
HOW DID THE WORLD BEGIN?
What was the very first thing that was created?
Did anything come before that?
WHEN/WHERE
Where is the top of the sky?
Where is the end of the world?
When is the end of time?
Where is the end of a book?
When was the beginning of your life?
WHAT IS REAL?
If you can touch something, is it real? Give an example.
If you can see something, is it real? Give an example.
If you can smell something, is it real? Give an example.
If you can hear something, is it real? GIve an example.
If you can taste something, is it real? Give an example.
If you dream about something, is it real? Give an example.
If you read about something, is it real? Give an example.
Are colors real?
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Albert’s Toothache by Barbara Williams
Discussion Questions:
How do we know we understand each other?
Do we mean the same things when we say the following words:
Happiness. Dog.
Friend. Tree.
Lake. Green.
Sweet. Scary.
Beautiful. Book.
Baby. Earth.
Toy. Love.
What is the difference between telling the truth and lying?
Was Albert telling the truth?
Could Albert have forgotten that he was a turtle?
Could Albert have forgotten that he didn’t have teeth?
Could you forget who you are?
Why do we believe someone is telling the truth or not?
Can you be saying something that is not true and not be lying?
Do you have to know something is not true for it to be a lie? Can you tell a lie if you don’t know it’s a lie?
Would it be true if I said the following things?Can you think of something you’ve said that wasn’t true but wasn’t a lie either?
That I believed I was a cat, if I did believe it?
That I was a cat, if I believed it?
That it was raining out, if it was?
That it was raining out, if I thought it was but it wasn’t?
That it would be sunny tomorrow?
That I was a daddy?
That my hair was purple?
That I was angry?
Why do we tell the truth?
To make friends?
To be fair to others?
To have fun?
To stay out of trouble?
To make adults happy?
Because we don’t like lies?
To be happy with ourselves?
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The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery WilliamsDiscussion Questions:
What does it mean to be real?
How do you know something is real?
Is real how you are made, or is it something that happens to you?
Can loving something make it real?
If you can touch something, is it real? Give an example.
If you can see something, is it real? Give an example.
If you can smell something, is it real? Give an example.
If you can hear something, is it real? Give an example.
If you can taste something, is it real? Give an example.
If you dream about something, is it real? Give an example.
If you read about something, is it real? Give an example.
Are colors real?
Are some things more real than others?