Through these quick icebreakers, help make it second nature for students to think about how all their decisions relate to a just and humane world. Recommended for grades 5 and up. Time: 5-20 minutes
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animal protection
Widening Our Circle of Compassion: An Interview With Animal Rights Photojournalist Jo-Anne McArthur
Jo-Anne McArthur’s love of animals began when she was a child. She says, “The neighbour had a backyard dog who didn’t live a very exciting life so I would take him for walks, despite his enormous size and my small stature.” In her 20’s, Jo-Anne realized that she could combine her empathy with her photography…
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Moving Beyond “It’s a Personal Choice”
by Marsha Rakestraw “It’s a personal choice.” If you’ve been a humane educator or changemaker for any length of time, you’ve probably heard those words frequently. You may even have said them yourself. We use them when we want to justify the choices we’re making and remove any sort of ethical consideration or right-or-wrong-ness from…
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We Have You Surrounded: Exploring Branding, Marketing & Globalization
We’re surrounded by marketing and advertising telling us what to buy, whom to be, what we need to be happy. Use this series of activities to help students explore issues of branding, marketing, and globalization. Recommended for grades 9 through 12. Time: Several weeks Common Core Standards for this activity (pdf): Download Common Core…
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The Third Side: Beyond Either/Or Thinking
Many people view the world through a lens of black and white, either/or. In this activity groups of students work together to explore a variety of possible solutions to a global issues conflict. Recommended for grades 7 and up. Time: 45 minutes to several weeks Common Core Standards for this activity (pdf): Download Common…
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Earth Court
The biggest issues and challenges of our time go on trial as students serve as prosecution, defense and jury, and then develop a solutions-based sentencing. Recommended for grades 9 and up. Time: Varies Common Core Standards for this activity (pdf): Download Common Core for grades 9-12. Find out how some of our other…
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What is a Humane Life?
What’s a typical Saturday look like in the life of someone striving to live a more humane life? Participants follow a “humane presenter” or a “humane wannabe” through a reenactment of their day to learn about the whats and whys of making humane choices every day. Recommended for grades 5 and up. Time: 90-120 minutes…
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Whom Do You Pet & Whom Do You Eat?
What are our relationships with different kinds of animals, and why do those relationships exist? 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. Recommended for grades 5 and up. Time: 60 minutes Common Core Standards for…
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Which Harms Less?
Great for a larger assembly, this activity asks students to compare pairs of similar products to consider which of the two helps more and harms less. Recommended for grades 5 and up. Time: 15-30 minutes Common Core Standards for this activity (pdf): Download Common Core for grades 5-8. Download Common Core for grades 9-12….
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What Does a Humane World Look Like?
Have students create their vision of a humane world and compare it to the world we live in now. What are the differences, and how can we make the world “as it is” become the humane world envisioned? Recommended for grades 2 through 6. Time: 15-30 minutes Common Core Standards for this activity (pdf):…
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