Love's Origin In-depth Reading Lesson on Plato's Symposium Grades 10-12

What does love got to do with it? Have fun with this question in this inclusive lesson plan on human sexuality — brought to you by a close reading of “The Origin of Love,” from both Plato’s Symposium and Sigmund Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle. The resource includes a public-domain text of Plato’s myth. In this story, Plato reimagines the human origin story and suggests that we are all looking for our lost selves at the heart. 

This resource includes the following features:

• Includes PDF, Google Workspace (Slides, Forms)
• 1 Notes to the Teacher and Tips for Using this Educational Digital Download
• 1 Suggested Lesson and Pacing Calendar (for a 90-minute block)
• 2 text versions of the story are included in this resource
  • Plato’s Symposium and Sigmund Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle
  • Includes connections to the musical play Hedwig and the Angry Inch (Please note that this digital download does not contain copyrighted material. It is a supplement to a high school and higher ed philosophy unit on Plato and Myth).
  • The story is retold from the source material in easy-to-understand English. Great for a class read-and-share. Or, have students pair-read the text and then have a whole-class discussion.
• 1 Google Form Assessment — Easy-to-use link to collect data on your students’ understanding of the text.
• 1 Art & Literature Connection: “The Symposium of Plato” by Pietro Testa, 1648.
• Bonus Resource: Informational Text on Banquets in Ancient Greece
• 16 “In-the-Text” Questions and 14 Discussion Question Set for a Carousel Activity
• Customized Cornell Note-Taking Template for Students to Record Information and Write
• 2 Pairs of Half-Sheet Exits Ticket for a Formative Assessment at the End of Class
• Includes Answer Keys for Questions and Teacher’s Guide for Discussion
• Further Reading Guide for Students
  • I use the bibliography as a further reading resource for my students. Assign your curious scholars a research assignment or have students do projects based on books, links, and other material related to Plato they may find interesting or exciting.

Suggested Uses:

Supplements any Myth of Philosophy Unit in High School and in College

1. Humanities Course on Ancient Greece
2. World History Course on the History of Ideas
3. Literature Course
4. Introduction to Philosophy Course
5. Student Advisory Course on Human Sexuality
6. For LGBTQIA+ Infused Lessons or for a Gay-Straight Alliance Meeting

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