Animal Rights Arguments

In this class we will take a look at what Animal Rights are and define them in reference to two key concepts- animal cruelty and animal welfare. Students will be asked to compare animal rights to human rights. 

We will then look at federal US laws surrounding animal rights for a deeper understanding of animal rights in the USA and in law more generally. Students will be encouraged to critically evaluate which law they believe to be most important and complete a task comparing federal laws. We will then hold a discussion between students detailing their thoughts. 

Students will then be given various scenarios displaying Animal Rights in conflict with human actions and asked to reflect about whether they believe these actions are right, wrong or somewhere in between. For example, is it right to eat meat or use animals in medical testing? These things may harm animals but help humans. Students are encouraged to form their own opinions and arguments within these scenarios. 

This lesson promotes engaging discussion and debate between students, giving the students the opportunity to develop independent thought and opinions on the topic of Animal Rights. I use a slide show so students always have a visual to reference but I encourage participation so my lessons are much more interactive than a lecture. I set tasks to consolidate knowledge and use questioning to assess understanding. I will also make my slides available to any student to use as a reference. Prior knowledge in social studies is useful but not necessary.