Animalessons. Teacher Newsletter of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Transcription

1 Animalessons Teacher Newsletter of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Working Animals WORKING ANIMALS, especially horses, didn t always have the best life. In 1866 in New York City, Henry Bergh, a wealthy, well-connected American diplomat, took up the fight against the poor treatment of working horses. Struck by the sight of hardworking horses being beaten into submission while pulling overloaded carriages, and the general apathy toward our working animal partners by citizens, he was inspired to form America s first humane organization, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). For most of our history, animals have been our partners, working by our sides. Often when we think of working animals, farm animals come to mind. Indeed, animals have always been an integral part of farm life horses pull equipment to plow fields, oxen haul water, goats pull carts, and chickens lay eggs. But as our country began the shift, from an agrarian to an industrialized society, the work power of horses also began to shift, from the all-duty farm helper to the working city horse. Industrialization allowed the rapid manufacture of more goods, and the strong, obedient horse was pressed into service pulling wagons filled with materials to distribute far and wide. DOGS, although mainly thought of as our companions, have a long history of working with humans. Archeological evidence suggests that dogs have been domesticated for over 12,000 years! As recently as the mid-1800 s, dogs were pressed into service pulling carts the poor man s alternative to a horse and carriage until local laws were enacted banning the practice. CATS, too, have a working history. For thousand of years cats provided people with effective rodent and pest control, as well as companionship. In ancient Egypt, cats provided rodent control and protected the granaries. They achieved important status in ancient Egyptian society, living much as our pet cats do today as an integral part of the family. Fast forward 140 years, and you will see that animals still perform many and varied jobs. HORSES still exist in American cities, not for transportation or drayage but rather for recreation pulling hansom cabs for rides in the parks, or as a partner to a police officer. The carriage horse industry today is regulated and watchdog groups are continually lobbying for even more stringent regulations regarding horses working conditions. Police horses have a very important job to do. They work with their police officer partners, providing transportation and helping to keep our cities and towns safe. Horses are more agile than cars; they can turn quickly, squeeze into spaces cars cannot and most importantly, their great height provides a perfect perch for their police officer partner to see all around. Police horses are excellent in crowd control situations, as well as providing opportunities for good will between the public and the police. A polite request to pet a police horse will probably be rewarded with a yes, and a positive encounter with a member of the police department. DOGS, too, have continued to play a role in our society as workers. There are many opportunities for canines in the field of law enforcement. Dogs, because of their keen sense of smell and desire to please, can be successfully trained to sniff out narcotics, explosives and even human beings. Law enforcement agencies as varied as the FBI, US Customs, Homeland Security and local police departments, all depend on dogs to help them perform their jobs. Dogs are also used in search and rescue operations. Tornados, earthquakes, building collapses, cave-ins and avalanches are all emergency situations where search and rescue dogs may be called upon to help locate survivors. Service animals, like seeing-eye dogs for the blind or hearing/signal dogs for the deaf, are extremely well trained to work with their human partners. A service dog provides his owner with the opportunity for a more independent lifestyle. Dogs can be trained to work with people who use wheelchairs or have 1 ASPCA Animalessons, 424 East 92nd Street, New York, New York 10128, (212) ,

2 limited arm movement. They can learn to retrieve dropped objects as small as a dime. They are able to pull and push wheelchairs, and turn switches on and off. Service dogs usually begin training when they re puppies, and after 8-12 months of intense training may graduate to be partnered with a human. THERAPY ANIMALS also have an important job to do. Along with their human partners, they visit nursing home residents, hospital patients, and classroom students. Therapy animals work together with their human partners as part of a team. They must be patient and tolerant with new people and places as well as unfamiliar smells and sounds. The work is so rewarding! Sometimes cuddling with a warm, friendly animal is just what s needed to help a sick child, or a shut-in elderly person feel happy. Teams also visit classrooms to teach humane education programs such as pet care and bite prevention. Organizations like the Delta Society provide training programs, testing and registration for pet-partner teams. A registered therapy animal has proven that he or she is more than up for the task a lot of work goes into training. Some therapy animals are dogs, yet there are pet-partner teams consisting of humans with cats, rabbits, and even horses. Another field of work where animals have an important job is in the ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. All types of animals work in films, television and live theatre. Training for acting work is as intense for an animal actor as it is for a human actor sometimes even more so! Animal actors are not limited to companion animals like dogs and cats. Wild animals like bears, big cats and apes appear in film and television productions and must be highly trained to answer commands and stay focused on the task at hand. Animal trainers for the entertainment industry choose animals who have the right tendencies for success in the field. Calm, patient and intelligent animals do well in the entertainment industry, provided they ve been properly trained. There are even talent agencies that represent strictly four-legged clients. The American Humane Association (AHA), a national animal welfare organization, provides oversight on film and television locations in the United States to ensure the proper and humane treatment of animal actors. And, yes, animal actors do get paid to perform! ANIMALS ARE MORE THAN JUST OUR PETS. JUST AS THEY HELPED HUMANS IN THE PAST BY PLOWING OUR FIELDS, PULLING CARTS AND DELIVERING OUR GOODS, THEY HELP PEOPLE TODAY BY PERFORMING IMPORTANT TASKS. The humane and respectful treatment of working animals is as important today as it was in the past. Some of the ways students can become involved in the betterment of the lives of working animals is to become aware of issues surrounding working animals. Recently a group of middle school students in New York City, after learning of the death of a hansom cab horse on the streets of the city, organized and created a petition to present to the city council. They proposed better oversight of the carriage horse industry and limits on where and when the horses could work. These students learned about the issue of working horses in the city, created an action plan, and implemented that plan, while teaching their classmates and families about the power of civic involvement. Elephants are still being used for illegal logging in southeast Asia. In India and Pakistan, dancing bears still commonly work for the livelihood of their owners. The exploitation and mistreatment of these working animals are just some examples of issues around the world that WSPA.org (great site about working dogs) AHA.org Deltasociety.org students can get involved in. Petitions, letter writing and bringing attention to the plight of some working animals presents a challenging service learning opportunity for your students. 2 ASPCA Animalessons, 424 East 92nd Street, New York, New York 10128, (212) ,

3 Teacher Instructions Activity Sheet 1 Grades K-2 In this activity, students will learn about one of the many special working animals, Hearing/Signal Dogs, and create their own book with the information learned about these working dogs. The activity has self-explanatory instructions for students, but younger students may need additional guidance. Students will need white or lightly colored construction paper, a stapler or hole punch, string, and markers or crayons. After reading the article in this newsletter, begin to discuss working animals with your students. Mention to your students that they will be learning about one working animal, the Hearing/Signal Dog, and will be creating a colorful and Activity Sheet 2 Grades 3-5 Students may not realize that the experience of riding in a horse drawn carriage wasn t always a novelty or a special event. Horses and oxen pulled carriages and plowed fields. Dogs herded sheep and other animals on farms and mules pulled canal boats. During the pre-industrialized age many of our most arduous tasks were performed by working animals. One would see animals working on a daily basis. Animals are still working in our communities some in roles similar to the one s they held in pre-industrial times and some in completely new roles. Have your students compare and contrast the roles of animals. Activity Sheet 2 lists several books about working animals. Magnus at the Fire by Jennifer Armstrong and Old Crump: The True Story of a Trip West by Laurie Lawlor are about the work of animals before the Industrial Revolution whereas the other books are educational book on these special dogs. Hand out activity sheets with instructions and read together with the class. Emphasize to your students that they will be writing the sentences listed for each specific page and drawing a picture detailing each sentence. When students have completed their book, they can either be displayed and/or shown to family and friends. This activity can also be used with other working animals (guide dogs, police dogs). STANDARDS: NCTE English Language Arts #3: Evaluation strategies NSAE Arts Education #1: Understanding and applying media, techniques, and processes NSAE Arts Education #2: Using knowledge of structures and functions STANDARDS: about working animals in contemporary times. Ask your students to read two books about working animals one dealing with the past, the other dealing with the present. Ask them to compare and contrast the roles of working animals in each of these times in an illustrated report. NCHS History #1: Living and Working Together in Families and Communities NCHS History #6: The Development of the Industrial United States ( ) NCTE English Language Arts #1: Reading for Perspective NCTE English Language Arts #4 Communication Skills 3 ASPCA Animalessons, 424 East 92nd Street, New York, New York 10128, (212) ,

4 Teacher Instructions Activity Sheet 3 Grades 6-8 Avideo project on working animals is a fun and educational service learning project. In the process students will not only learn about working animals in the past and present, but also about filming. They will also develop their interviewing and communications skills and conduct research. Ask your students about the types of working animals they know. After some discussion, encourage them to research on the Internet for other jobs not discussed. Once your students have selected which working animal they would like to film, discuss and guide your students with their research, their plan of action for filming, encourage them to assign tasks, such as who will film, edit, interview, research, develop handouts, etc. It is important to offer students a time for reflection as a group or in a journal about their experience in working on the project and any follow-up they feel is necessary for the project. Extension Activity: Invite the working animal with their partner to be a guest at the school and co-present a program with your students. Show the video to the entire school. Activity Sheet 4 Grades K-8 Grades K-8 Animals have worked alongside people for many years and in various fields, ranging from farms to law enforcement. Begin this activity by asking students to name some of the jobs that animals do. Write their answers on the board, initiate discussion and then hand out Activity Sheet 4. The activity sheet offers students a recommended list of books that provide stories and information about working animals ranging from police dogs to guide horses. Once students have read several of the books, continue the discussion on what information students have found. STANDARDS: NCTE English Language Arts #4: Communication Skills NCTE English Language Arts #8: Developing research tools NETS Technology #4: Technology Communication Tools NETS Technology #5: Technology Research Tools STANDARDS: NCTE English Language Arts #1: Reading for Perspective 4 ASPCA Animalessons, 424 East 92nd Street, New York, New York 10128, (212) ,

5 Activity Sheet 1 Grades K-2 Hearing/Signal Dogs Very special working animals Create a book about hearing dogs to share with your friends and family. You ll need eight pages of white or lightly-colored construction paper. Stack them together neatly. You are going to attach the pages together to make a book. There are two ways you can attach the pages together to form a book: 1. Have your teacher staple the left side of the book. 2. Use a hole punch to make two or three holes on the left side and string some yarn or ribbon through the holes. Number all the pages on bottom starting with the front page. You should have eight pages total. CREATING PAGES Now you are ready to write your story and draw a picture on each page. Get creative and make your book colorful and interesting. PAGE ONE The first page is the title page. Please write your name and the title Hearing/Signal Dogs Very Special Working Animals. When you have completed the title, draw a dog. PAGE TWO Hearing/signal dogs are working animals. PAGE THREE These special dogs help people who are deaf. PAGE FOUR These dogs are sometimes rescued from animal shelters. PAGE FIVE They go to a special school to learn how to become a hearing/signal dog. PAGE SIX They help a deaf person hear the alarm clock in the morning. PAGE SEVEN They help a deaf person hear the doorbell ring. PAGE EIGHT They live with a deaf person and go everywhere with him or her. Now that you have finished your book, can you think of any other working animals? 5 ASPCA Animalessons, 424 East 92nd Street, New York, New York 10128, (212) ,

6 Activity Sheet 2 Grades 3-5 Working Animals in History Below is a list of books about working animals. The first two are about jobs that animals had before the Industrial Revolution. The others are about working animals today. Read two of the listed books one about working animals in the past and one about working animals in the present. Then write a report that gives information about the differences and similarities between animals jobs in the past and their work today. Include some illustrations or other pictures to help you make your point. Magnus at the Fire by Jennifer Armstrong (2005) Old Crump: The True Story of a Trip West by Laurie Lawlor (2002) A Dog s Gotta Do What a Dog s Gotta Do: Dogs at Work by Marilyn Singer (2000) AnimalWays Horses by Rebecca Stefoff (2001) Baron, Rescue Dog by Lola M. Schaefer (2000) Bear Dogs by Ted Wood (2001) Dogs Helping Kids with Feelings by Terry Vinocur, LCSW (1999) Emma and the Night Dogs by Susan Bivin Aller (1997) Freckles: The Mystery of the Little White Dog in the Desert by Paul Howey (2003) Guide Dogs, Seeing for People Who Can t by Alice B. McGinty (1999) Horsepower : The Wonder of Draft Horses by Cris Peterson (1997) Looking Out for Sarah by Glenna Lang (2001) Nora, The Fifty-Cent Dog by Lolly Stoddard (2003) 6 ASPCA Animalessons, 424 East 92nd Street, New York, New York 10128, (212) ,

7 Activity Sheet 3 Grades 6-8 Video Project Lights, Camera, Action! Gather your classmates and create a video or DVD featuring working animals in your community. RESEARCH Begin by researching the types of working animals in your community. You can find animals hard at work everyday. Examples include police horses and dogs employed in K-9 units. Animals are also certified as seeing-eye dogs to assist the blind, in search and rescue to help during emergencies, and to visit nursing homes and schools. Search the Internet or visit your library for a list of other places where you can find working animals. Contact one of the many groups that are involved with working animals. Once you have chosen a particular working animal and have made arrangements with the appropriate group or individuals, you are ready to video tape the animal or animals at work. Make sure you mention to the person you are working with that you are creating a video to show to your fellow classmates. Get creative! For your video project you can interview the individuals or handlers who work closely with the animal such as the police, visually impaired person, emergency rescue handler, or an animal s trainer. You can also film the animals in action, such as visiting a school for a program or practicing a search and rescue. The more entertaining and informative you make the video the more others will want to see it. JUST THE FACTS Create a fun and informative handout to go along with your video. The handout can contain facts about the animal used in the video, information about the work the animal is involved in and websites or other resources for more information. Maybe some fun facts about the animal: weight, favorite activites when not working, where he or she came from, etc. Distribute the handout to everyone who views your video. Remember to also be creative with your handout. 7 ASPCA Animalessons, 424 East 92nd Street, New York, New York 10128, (212) ,

8 Activity Sheet 4 Grades K-8 Recommended Reading Aero and Officer Mike: Police Partners by Joan Plummer Boyds Mills Press. Ages 4-8. A day in the life of a K-9 Patrol Officer, Mike and his K-9 partner, Aero. AnimalWays: Horses by Rebecca Stefoff Marshall Cavendish. Ages 4-8. ASPCA Henry Bergh Children s Book Honor 2001; A fascinating look at horses and the wide variety of roles they have served in human history. Bear Dogs by Ted Wood Walker and Company. Ages Heartwarming story about a team of dogs who ward off bears from certain areas in order to save them from possible danger. Freckles by Paul Howey AZTexts Publishing. Ages 4-8. ASPCA Henry Bergh Children s Book Award 2003; The true story of an abandoned dog who is rescued from an Arizona desert, adopted into a loving family and eventually finds her true calling as a therapy dog. Hero Dogs: Courageous Canines in Action by Donna M. Jackson Little, Brown & Co. Ages 4-8. Presents a variety of stories about working and rescue dogs who help humans in many ways. Magnus at the Fire by Jennifer Armstrong Simon & Schuster. Ages 4-8. ASPCA Henry Bergh Children s Book Award 2005; Being a fire horse is Magnus s whole life. But what happens when the captain drives up with a brand-new motorized fire engine? Magnus won t quit--and that s a good thing, because one night his courage and sense of duty save the day. Nora, The Fifty-Cent Dog by Lolly Stoddard Mystic Seaport. Ages A true story about the contribution of an adopted stray German shepherd highlights the enormous responsibility given to Coast Guard s beach patrol dogs during World War II. Panda, A Guide Horse for Ann by Rosanna Hansen Boyds Mills Press. Ages Panda is a miniature horse, one of the first to be trained to help Ann Edie, a blind woman. Police Dogs Helping to Fight Crime by Alice B. McGinty PowerKids Press. Ages 4-8. This book addresses selection, training and uses of police dogs. Includes fun facts, like dogs have stronger senses of smell and hearing than humans do. Working Like a Dog by Gena K. Gorrell Tundra. Ages ASPCA Henry Bergh Children s Book Award 2003; This book describes the canines of history, the evolution of breeds for different purposes and how dogs are trained for modern-day jobs such as search and rescue. 8 ASPCA Animalessons, 424 East 92nd Street, New York, New York 10128, (212) ,