whom do you pet & whom do you eat? · elephants weep" and "the pig who sang to the...

WHOM DO YOU PET &

WHOM DO YOU EAT?

by Marsha Rakestraw, IHE graduate

PURPOSE

Lead students in an activity which explores why we treat different types

of animals differently, and how we can learn to view them with different

eyes.

GRADES

5 and up

TIME

60 minutes

MATERIALS

• 10 sheets of paper, each with a different label and image of animal

use

• 10 copies each of laminated photos of 18 or so different animals

• several rolls of tape to secure photos under categories

• a method for temporarily covering the category sheets

• sample stories of animals seen in non-traditional roles or

behaviors

SUBJECT AREAS

Language Arts, Science and Social Studies/History

COMMON CORE STANDARDS

Common Core for grades 5-8: http://bit.ly/1bSdOVr

Common Core for grades 9-12: http://bit.ly/1clqbEn

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IHhumaneeducation.org

© Institute for Humane Education

WHOM DO YOU PET?

2. Create and laminate 10 sets of photos of 18 or so different animals

which are representative of multiple categories of “uses.” Note: It’s

important to include animals that may fit categories that students

may not be used to (such as gorillas for food or pigs for pets). (See

four sample photos at the end of the activity.) Examples might

include:

Alligator Elephant Snake

Ant Fish (shark) Spider

Bear Gorilla Tiger

Cat Horse Wolf

Chicken Owl Cow

Pig Dog Raccoon

3. Tape up the category signs in a row (leaving about two feet between

each) on a wall of the room, leaving space underneath to place the

photos.

PREPARATION

1. Create 8 ½” x 11” sized category signs that are labeled as follows and that

include an appropriate image on each sign (See two samples at the end of

the activity.):

Eat Have as Pet Wear/Use Parts

Hunt/Kill for Sport Experiment On Watch/Observe

Exterminate as Pest Protect Use for Entertainment

Leave Alone

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WHOM DO YOU PET?

PROCEDURE

1. Ask: “Who likes animals? What kinds of animals do you like best?

Where are some of the places that you’ve encountered animals?”

(Facilitate a brief discussion to get students thinking about their

experiences with animals.)

2. Let students know that you're going to look at the kinds of

relationships we have with different kinds of animals. (Unveil the

categories.) Point out the 10 categories of relationships on the wall

that we might have with different kinds of animals. (Note: There may

be more that could be identified, but 10 is sufficient for this

exploration.)

3. Have students work alone, in pairs, or in small groups (depending on

class size and time available). Give each person/pair/group 10 copies

of a photo of an animal and a roll of tape. Have them tape a photo of

their animal under each category they feel is appropriate (pet, eat,

entertainment, etc.), focusing on the question:

“What kind of relationship do humans have with this animal?”

Emphasize to students that even though you've given them 10 copies

of their animal's photo, they are to tape a copy of the photo only

under the category(ies) that they feel accurately answers the

question.

4. When students finish, have everyone look at the choices that were

made and ask them to briefly share why they made the decisions they

did.

5. Lead an age-appropriate discussion focused on sparking students to

think critically about how and why humans' relationships with

different kinds and species of animals differ and how the choices we

make in those relationships are primarily based on tradition, habit,

profit, and/or culture. Examples might include:

• Some cultures eat dogs, cats, insects, snakes, guinea pigs, etc..

• Some people protect gorillas and other primates, but others eat

them or use them for parts or experiments.

• Some people protect wolves, while others consider them pests.

• Cows are sacred and protected in some cultures but eaten in

others.

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WHOM DO YOU PET?

• In the U.S. dogs are considered pets, but they are also used in

experiments, abused, neglected, used as “tools” in the military and

with police, etc., and regularly killed for a variety of reasons

(overpopulation, “dangerous,” etc.).

• Animals like rats and rabbits can be pets, pests, and/or laboratory

subjects

6. Expand the discussion to focus on questions such as:

• What kind of relationship should humans have with animals?

• Why do we treat different types of animals differently? Is that

okay? Why/why not?

• What can we as individuals do to expand our circle of concern and

compassion to include animals?

• What can we as individuals do to rectify some of the

inconsistencies in how different species and kinds of animals are

treated?

7. Share sample stories of animals seen in other (non-exploitive) roles

(chickens as pets, etc.) and with more positive relationships with

humans, to give students another perspective on the lives of animals.

A few excellent resources include Jeffrey Masson’s books "When

Elephants Weep" and "The Pig Who Sang to the Moon," as well as

"The Emotional Lives of Animals" by Marc Bekoff and "Pleasurable

Kingdom" by Jonathan Balcombe.

EXTENSIONS

1. Hold a Council of All Beings (another humane education activity),

having students choose to “become” one of the animals discussed in

class and write or speak about their experiences as that animal.

2. For older students, have them choose an animal and research the

different ways that species of animal is used/treated around the

world. Also encourage them to find out in what ways humans are

changing their relationships with that animal (in a positive way) and

what individuals or groups are working to help protect that species.

3. Invite older students to choose a current human-animal conflict,

research it, and develop a solution that benefits both the people and

animals involved (in a way that doesn't exploit the animals).

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WHOM DO YOU PET?

USE FOR

ENTERTAINMENT

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WHOM DO YOU PET?

EXPERIMENT ON

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WHOM DO YOU PET?

SAMPLE ANIMAL

IMAGES

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