The Symposium teacher pack
Five weeks of lessons on The Symposium for ages 14 to 18: a plan, a worksheet and the answers for each week, a final essay with a marking guide, and a reading certificate to print. Free to use in class.
- Ages 14 to 18
- 5 weeks, one 60-minute lesson plan each
- Worksheets with answers
- Essay with a four-band marking guide
- PDF and Word
Give your class the book
A free class page
One link for your students to read the 15-minute summary and, as each opens, the eBook and audiobook. No student accounts, no names kept; a free teacher sign-up.
Make a classA class set in print
Printed class sets of this book are not on sale yet. We write once, on the day they can be ordered.
Email me when it's printedFor the whole school
Every student and teacher gets the 15-minute summaries and study guides of 200,000+ classics, the eBooks and audiobooks as each opens, and print and large print at cost; we send a quote, take a purchase order and invoice the school.
School plansFive weeks, week by week
- Week 1Parts 1 to 2
Callias’s dinner brings beauty, comedy, and performance together, while Socrates examines training and the place of restraint in pleasure.
See the plan, worksheet and answers
The full plan, the worksheet questions and the answers for this week are in the pack (PDF).
- Week 2Parts 3 to 4
The diners name and defend their sources of pride, opening a discussion of personal worth, possessions, contentment, and useful relationships.
See the plan, worksheet and answers
The full plan, the worksheet questions and the answers for this week are in the pack (PDF).
- Week 3Parts 5 to 5
Socrates and Critobulus compete in a beauty contest that tests the gap between useful features and the judges’ actual choices.
See the plan, worksheet and answers
The full plan, the worksheet questions and the answers for this week are in the pack (PDF).
- Week 4Parts 6 to 7
Competition between conversation and performance leads to mockery, while Socrates sets limits on verbal harm and dangerous entertainment.
See the plan, worksheet and answers
The full plan, the worksheet questions and the answers for this week are in the pack (PDF).
- Week 5Parts 8 to 9
Socrates links love with character and public service before a bridal performance turns the guests’ attention toward marriage.
See the plan, worksheet and answers
The full plan, the worksheet questions and the answers for this week are in the pack (PDF).
Assessment
Final essay
Three questions to choose from, 800 to 1,200 words, with a marking guide in four bands.
Quiz bank
The 30 questions and 40 flashcards online, for homework or a quick check in class. Open the quiz
Discussion
Questions for small groups, meeting by meeting. The book club kit
Reading certificate
Certificate of reading
Student's name
has read
The Symposium
by Xenophon
Teacher and class
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of The Symposium, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
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