Animals in Sports and Entertainment
Focus Question: How should animals be treated, and who speaks for their welfare?
Photo credit: Own by Ninha Morandini is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The learners assess the role of animals in sports and entertainment. The learners differentiate between animal cruelty and the humane treatment of animals. They plan advocacy as a way to promote the humane treatment of all animals.
This lesson helps students explore how animals are used in sports and entertainment. They will explore the concepts of animal welfare and animal cruelty, and how they relate to the manner in which animals are trained and treated. The learners will explore, formulate, and articulate personal opinions concerning the use of animals and their welfare.
The purpose of this lesson is to expose the learners to beliefs and attitudes about the treatment of animals, especially applied to sports and entertainment. In this lesson the learners will understand how laws, and attitudes and beliefs concerning animal welfare, affect personal responses to animal treatment. They will determine how these laws, attitudes and beliefs affect the manner in which performing animals are trained and treated.
In this lesson the learners will identify state and national laws that provide for the humane treatment of animals. They will share their findings concerning the laws that regulate the use and treatment of animals and grow in their understanding of and appreciation for the role of advocacy in promoting change. They will write essays or letters advocating for animal welfare.