All About Animals: Secondary Teachers: Lesson Plan 3: Animals and Us
Teachers’ Note: Different religions give a variety of views about animals and their role in our world. Some believe that animals deserve consideration and respect just as humans do. Others believe that animals were put on this planet for human use and while most exhort followers to treat animals with kindness this is often left open to interpretation.
Lead a discussion with your class about animals and whether, and to what extent, it is acceptable for animals to be used by humans. You can steer the discussion to cover topics such as animal experiments, factory farming, hunting and other aspects of animal welfare and rights.
Allow the pupils to speak their views freely and try to include every member of the class. At the end of the debate ask the pupils to think about their own viewpoint and what world religion they feel most closely represents their views of animals.