The If Odyssey: A Philosophical Journey Through Greek Myth and Storytelling for 8-16 Year-Olds

by Peter Worley

The If Odyssey draws out the philosophy that lies behind each story in Homer's epic tale to introduce children not only to the exciting fables of Odysseus, but also to that other great Ancient Greek tradition, philosophy. Explore with Odysseus the value of happiness, non-existent entities, moral dilemmas, the philosophy of prophecy, and the nature of love among many other philosophical issues. From the author of The If Machine, this book offers stories and session plans suitable for use across the curriculum with children aged 8-16. Online you'll find maps of Odysseus' journey, The Words of Tiresias that provides clues for the children as to Odysseus' progress and an Ancient Greek language workshop with accompanying worksheets. You can use the 'Storykit' section, which provides hints and tips on storytelling skills, to bring the tales of The Odyssey to life and stimulate independent, critical thinking with your class.

Genres: Philosophy

Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Peter Worley BA MA FRSA was born in the Midlands but grew up in the West Country. He failed at school the first time around and so had to do it all again later. He worked as a guitar teacher for many years before completing a philosophy degree in 2000 at UCL an MA in 2002 at Birkbeck and beginning a PhD at KCL in 2010. His interest in philosophy and teaching brought him to the world of philosophy with children and he developed his own approach to doing philosophical enquiry in the classroom called the PhiE method and this is described in his first book 'The If Machine' (Bloomsbury 2011). The book has been well received and has proved to be a must-have resource for teachers wanting to philosophise with their classes. Peter is also the author and/or editor of three other books 'The If Odyssey' (Bloomsbury 2012), 'The Philosophy Shop' (Crown House 2012), both have been short listed for the Educational Resources Awards and The Philosophy Shop won first prize in the anthology category at The New England Book Festival; he co-authored 'Thoughtings' (Crown House 2012) with Andrew Day a collection of philosophical poetry, and Peter's next book 'Once Upon an If: Storytelling for Thinking' (Bloomsbury) will be out in 2014. He has featured on television and Radio 4's The Today Programme talking about philosophy in schools and has been published in a number of educational and philosophical journals as well as lecturing on philosophy in schools at St. Mary's University in West London. He currently lives and works in South East London with his wife Emma, who helps him run the charity The Philosophy Foundation, and their daughter Katie.

Reviews

[Théo d'Or]

It was raining like hell, I had to take shelter somewhere. Two steps next to me - divine miracle - Bibliothèque Mazarine. " A clean, well-lighted place," as Hemingway would say.
I enter. An old man, with some big, but incredibly expressionless eyes stares at me. I feel the need to explain myself - " I'm not robbing today, sir, I'm on my day off " - I say, trying to reassure him.
He becomes even more agitated. I also get agitated. I dissapear on the first aisle. As I pushed open the first heavy wooden door, a scent of ancient parchment enveloped me. Rows upon rows of leather-bound tomes stood like sentinels, guarding knowledge... Who would steal knowledge ?
And then , suddenly I felt a penetrating gaze on the back of my head. I turn around, and there, behind the polished mahogany desk, sat the Librarian, fixing me with killer eyes, standing cross-legged, a perfect copy of Sharon in Basic Instinct...
" Bonjour", I said, a tad too dramatic. " I seek... I seek....I seek.." Sharon save me, fortunately . " Enlightment ? "
" That's it ! ", I say, relieved. " Perhaps something by Spinoza " ? I make a first try...
Sharon arched an eyebrow..." Can I recommend you something more..unconventional ? " she say.
" Sure, sure, sure, anything ! I say , and , in that very moment, I knew God exists.
" The If Odyssey ", m-sieur. It's for age 8 to 16, but trust me , it's a révélation. "
I'm intrigued... " A picture book ? "Spinoza is passé, m-sieur. ", she say, in an arrogant tone.
" The If Odyssey " - That's where the real metaphysical gymnastics happen. " , she continue.

[ three days later ]

I returned to Sharon, my beret slightly askew, I couldn't contain my disappointment.
" Madame, there's nothing philosophical here, just colorful illustrations and mythical creatures. "
Sharon fix me , with those eyes that would kill a buffalo...
" Are you sure, m-sieur ?Look at the glass half full...You're here. Isn't that something purely existential ? "

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection. This book, unlike SO MANY books about education, fully lives up to and even exceeds the promise made on the cover. I've been reading another book that is supposed to be the huge answer to motivation and excellence in the classroom, and while I agree with all the theories in that other book, so far it's just SO MUCH THEORY. I have great conceptual ideas and theories, but what I need help with is putting the ideas into action. Peter Worley does exactly that: The If Odyssey promises to turn The Odyssey into an intriguing philosophical journey, and it does!

He understands that teaching interesting stories raises really interesting questions. This book offers clear, guided lessons to get through the major events of The Odyssey. He offers scripted storytelling (which I likely won't use as we read the full text) and then suggests the appropriate moment to pause the story to ask a profound question that will generate great philosophical reasoning. For example, in the middle of the story about The Sirens, Worley interrupts the plot to ask the students: Who is the most free? Odysseus, lashed to the mast but able to listen to The Sirens? The men, their ears plugged so that they can't hear the Sirens, but physically free? Or the men who listened to the Sirens' song and then swam ashore, only to die on the island? Worley suggests some of the sub-questions that might come up and offers some sample student responses. The discussion might eventually lead to distinguishing between mental and physical freedom, the burdens of free will, and beyond. It's delightful. It's exactly what I wanted to find from a book to help me with teaching.

This is worth more than any of the books on theory that stay in the theoretical realm. I'd much prefer a glimpse inside of a class that works or a script from a teacher who is at the top of his or her game. Once I see your theory in action, I will certainly make adjustments before it gets into my classroom, but at least I'll have a guide!

[Joeri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was of tremendous help and a great inspiration to making philosophy lessons on this ancient Greek myth.

The philosophical readings of these stories, and the questions the author suggests asking are of great educational quality. There was also enough room to tweak with things a bit, so after a while I developed my own style for facilitating these lessons.

[Monique · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book in my classroom, and found useful tips to engage my students. (I enjoyed the storytelling aspect of this book)
This easier version of Homer's epic is well written and presented.
I personally enjoyed it, too.