Plato’s Allegory of the Cave Lesson | IB MYP & ELA Resource

Educational non-profits like the International Baccalaureate and others do a good job of standardizing practices that teachers have been using for decades — perhaps even generations. I made a lesson resource on teaching Plato's Allegory of the Cave. And it has served me well as an educator. However, I wondered if it would hold up to IB standards for the Middle Years Program and beyond. Let's see.

— Greig from Stones of Erasmus

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I wondered aloud: Does "The Cave" lesson align with MYP by linking communication, perspective, and inquiry on truth? It does. Let’s break it down using International Baccalaureate language.

Image Credit: Stefano Pollio

IB Middle Years Program (Language & Literature)

Let’s think about how the Cave lesson ties to the IB’s scope: The IB MYP spans ~Grades 6–10 (Years 1–5). While I think it does a good job aligning standards to this grade band, it also works really well with Grades 11–12; Check out the end of this post — I include an optional IB Diploma Program bridge at the end.

Unit framing (ready to paste into the International Baccalaureate proprietary learning management system ManageBac/Atlas)

• Subject group: Language & Literature (since IB schools use scores of other resources, please know that this lesson on the Cave can co-badge with Individuals & Societies)
  

• Key concept: Communication (how representations convey/shape meaning)

• Related concepts: Perspective, Representation, Intertextuality

• Global context: Personal & cultural expression (how ideas of truth/reality are expressed)

• Statement of inquiry: Representations of reality shape what we accept as truth.

• Inquiry questions

• Factual: What is an allegory? What happens in Plato’s cave?

• Conceptual: How do perspectives and media filter our perception of reality?

• Debatable: Are images and stories reliable ways to know what is “real”?

Approaches to Learning Skills (explicit teach/track)

• Thinking: critical & creative (evaluate claims; generate analogies), transfer (text-to-world/media).

• Research/Media literacy: source purpose, bias, provenance (incl. film clips, diagrams).

• Communication: organizing ideas for oral seminar; crafting clear analytical paragraphs.

• Self-management: goal setting for seminar roles; exit tickets for metacognition.

Learning experiences (adapting the Stones of Erasmus flow to the IB MYP)

1. Hook/Do-Now (5–7 min). Quick write to Essential Q (How do I know what’s real?)—keep. Tie to SOI/inquiry questions.
   

2. Close reading (15–20). Read the plain-language text of The Cave; annotate symbols and shifts (chains/shadows/fire/sun/return). Pair-share a gist paragraph. Note — all of these resources are turn-key and ready to go in the Stones of Erasmus learning resource.

3. Guided discussion (15). Use Qs 1–3; introduce Two Worlds chart with a Socratic “hot seat”: defend/critique Plato’s hierarchy (knowledge vs. opinion/images).

4. Intertextual link (10). Matrix/Truman Show clips; students record claim-evidence-reasoning on an organizer (media as “cave”).
   

5. Exit ticket (3–5). One way the allegory appears in their world (social media, VR, advertising).

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Summative Assessment Ideas (MYP Years 2–5)

Task A — Literary analysis paragraph/mini-essay

Prompt: Explain how one symbol in the allegory develops Plato’s claim about reality and knowledge. Use precise textual evidence.

• Assesses: Criterion A (Analysing) & D (Using language)
  
  

• Success criteria (adapted from levels 5–8):
  
  

• Adept selection of evidence; clear explanation of how form (allegory/symbol) creates meaning; coherent argument; accurate, sophisticated language.

Task B — Socratic seminar with media comparison

Prompt: To what extent is the “cave” a useful metaphor for today’s media environments? Bring one outside example.

• Assesses: Criterion A (Analysing) & C (Producing text—spoken)
  
  

• Products: Pre-seminar position card (organized notes), 10–15 min seminar, reflective paragraph on shifts in your view.
  
  

• Criteria emphasis: Organization for purpose/audience; development and synthesis of ideas; clear oral expression and active listening.

Task C — Creative representation + rationale

Prompt: Redesign the cave metaphor for a modern context (comic strip, infographic, micro-fiction, short video) and write a 300–500 word rationale justifying your choices using allegory terminology.

• Assesses: Criterion C (Producing text) & D (Using language)
  
  

• Criteria emphasis: Purposeful structure, stylistic choices, vocabulary control, explanation of creative decisions using subject language.

Optional extension (Year 5): Comparative analysis of Plato and a contemporary thinker on reality/representation (e.g., Baudrillard excerpt), meeting A & D at higher sophistication.

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MYP Criterion for The Allegory of the Cave in Plain Language

Stones of Erasmus resource element	MYP objective(s) it best serves	Notes / quick tweaks
Plain-language reading & gist	A (identify explicit/implicit ideas); D (accurate vocabulary)	Keep gist but add a one-pager of tiered vocabulary with sentence frames.
Comprehension Qs 1–15	A	Convert some to text-dependent “how/why” prompts to push analysis (Aiii).
Discussion Qs 1–6	A, C, D	Add discussion norms & roles for equitable talk.
Two Worlds chart	A	Add a mini-task: students critique or revise the hierarchy (does art only belong “below the line”?).
Suggested lesson plan	All (formative sequence)	Insert explicit ATL callouts and success criteria per activity.
Sample student visuals/notes	C, D	Keep creative outputs; add a required rationale paragraph (Cii/iii).

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Quick MYP-ready Rubrics Ready-to-Use

• Criterion A (Analysing)
  
  

• 7–8: Perceptive analysis of content/technique/context; well-chosen evidence; insightful conclusions.
  
  

• 5–6: Effective analysis with relevant evidence; clear conclusions.
  
  

• 3–4: Some analysis; uneven evidence.
  
  

• 1–2: Limited comprehension/description.
  
  

• Criterion B (Organizing) (use for essay tasks where structure is assessed)
  
  

• 7–8: Purposeful organization; cohesive paragraphs; effective referencing.
  
  

• ... (scale down similarly)
  
  

• Criterion C (Producing text)
  
  

• 7–8: Sophisticated choices for purpose/audience; coherent development; engaging style.
  
  

• ...
  
  

• Criterion D (Using language)
  
  

• 7–8: Precise, varied vocabulary; accurate grammar; subject-specific terms used effectively.
  
  

• ...

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Differentiation & inclusion (MYP-aligned)

• Scaffolds: dual-coding (images + text), guided annotations, sentence starters for claims/rebuttals, glossary for allegory, epistemology, empirical, abstract.
  

• Extensions: add a primary-source excerpt from Republic Book VII for close reading; student-led colloquy on whether art belongs “below the line.”
  

• Wellbeing: pre-teach the “killing the freed man” as allegorical; offer opt-out from that specific detail if needed.

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Strengths & Suggestions and Growth Areas

Strengths

• Clear essential question and high-interest, accessible retelling—excellent for mixed-readiness classes.
  
  

• Ready-to-use discussion/comprehension sets + answer keys; strong entry into philosophical thinking for ELA.
  
  

• Authentic classroom provenance with student artifacts and teacher reflections (credibility + practicality).

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Optional bridge to Grades 11–12 (IB DP)

• TOK: Knowledge question—To what extent are sense perceptions reliable ways of knowing? Link Areas of Knowledge: The Arts vs Human Sciences using the cave as metaphor

• Language A: Literature: Paper-2 style comparative prompt on representation vs. reality across texts/films.

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Brief Philosophical Thought: On Everydayness and How to Live One's Life to the Zaniest

In this post, I tussle with Martin Heidegger's concept of "everydayness," — all the while having fun in the town of Catskill, New York (Why, not?!).

Put your feet in the air!

Wag your tongue.

Martin Heidegger has this idea he calls everydayness. It’s a complex idea to explain, but somehow it has been on my mind. Everydayness is a condition of being in the world — with its routines, habits, conventions, etc. Let’s call them societal norms. And let’s further say societal norms were constructed to form a modicum of order and stability in living with others. Please don’t take my fish sticks, or I’ll murder you and all your kin. No one has time for that foolishness. So everydayness has its merits. But, then, it’s a tricky business when those same societal norms constructed to protect and carve out stability can also have the light effect of destroying freedom of self. Everydayness is being in a world where one is so caught up in the mundane busyness of living that one forgets how to live. For me — I feel a break from everydayness when I travel. When I’m not plugged into the typical 9 to 5 life. But something is terrifying about breaking away from everydayness. Because to break away from everydayness is to be authentic. And authenticity is most terrifying for one when one doesn’t know how to live outside the habits and conventions laid out for one. To wake up with nothing on one’s schedule, no one calling, no emails to answer, nothing demanding conformity — what’s left is the empty well of the self where authenticity is carved out. So I stick out my tongue. Get caught in the rain. Sit by the river. And feel the ache. The terror of being alive. Because life is so damn limited. A quick breath of air. Poof. You’re gone. What am I to do? And no — the answer is not in any advice or life coach’s guidance. I don’t know the answer. But at least let’s try.

Catskill, New York populates its street corners with quirky cat sculptures.

Cosmic Cat

Kiss me, Kate!

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A Lesson in Opposing Viewpoints: On Appearances and First Impressions

Don't trust too much in appearances.

Quintillian, Ancient Roman Teacher and Writer (c. 35 - c. 100 C.E.) 

Clothes make the man.

Recorded by Erasmus, Counter-Reformation Writer, and Scholar (1466 - 1536 C.E.) 

N.B. The phrase is found in Multiple Babylonian, Greek, and Latin Sources. Even Polonius in William Shakespeare's Hamlet says it: "The apparel doth oft proclaim the man."

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Two Ideas About How One Ought To Present Oneself

     Here is a set of dueling philosophies — one based on suspicion of outward appearance — and the other, an appraisal of appearance's worth in civilized society. Which one rings more true?

     I want to trust in the idea that appearances do not tell the entire story of a person. However, I read once that the average person takes X seconds to make a judgment about a person they just met. Do I think you should dress appropriately for a job interview? Yes. But getting the job, keeping it, excelling at it, and growing as a person — will take more than appearances. So maybe the lesson is that you show the world what they want to see and hope they can see who you really are once you get your foot in the door. However, I am tickled by this notion that if we did not judge by appearances — as much — wouldn't the world be a better place. I am thinking of internalized racism — the idea that society is infused with systematic racist beliefs that undermine everyday people's ability to be successful. I had a boss that said, "Dress for success" and "Fake it till you make it," but I think she also told us in a work meeting that she says those things because we live in a world that does judge by appearances. One has to rise up to the occasion — but what about when we meet oppression and resistance to our goals because of our appearance?

The Moral Dilemma of the Two Television News Anchors  

     I think of a dilemma I once read: two television news anchors apply for a competitive job at a cable news station. The job requires facetime on-air every day during primetime television. The first candidate has a degree in media broadcasting, but they have a missing front tooth. The second candidate has a degree in English, but they score well on visual appeal (according to an internal poll). Is there a moral problem in hiring the second candidate based on visual appearance, only? This dilemma bothers me because most people I present this problem to will say, "Hire the candidate with the most experience and the best background for the job" — but I see on social media how people will degrade media personalities for the way they look. There is cognitive dissonance in our society.

Can We Have Our Cake and Eat It Too?

     On the one hand, we want to celebrate ability and prop up a meritorious system based on skill and aptitude — but we are held back by our biases and what we deem "normal." How do we break the cycle? Let me know in the comments. 

Sources: 

• Erasmus, Desiderius, and Barker, William Watson. The Adages of Erasmus. Canada, University of Toronto Press, 2001.
• Stone, Jon R. The Routledge Dictionary of Latin Quotations: The Illiterati's Guide to Latin Maxims, Mottoes, Proverbs, and Sayings. The United Kingdom, Routledge, 2005.

Download this educational digital download for free on Teachers Pay Teachers, and Made by Teachers.

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