kids : niños : enfants : VEGANISM / VEGANISMO / VEGANISME

July 1st, 2011

COMPASSIONATE CITIZEN

‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.’
– M.K. Gandhi

Dear Educator:

We live in a world that is full of the beauty of nature. Animals are the part of that natural world to which we are most closely related. Yet, throughout history, people have often treated animals more like things than living, feeling beings. Now, however, thanks to naturalists like Dr Jane Goodall, we are recognising that animals are far more complex than we once believed—and capable of experiencing anxiety, suffering and joy.
For today’s young people, developing empathy toward animals can be a key step toward developing empathy for and rejecting violence against all beings, including human beings. It is important, therefore, that your students learn to recognise that the animals with whom we share this planet are, in many ways, not so different from ourselves. Compassionate Citizen is the new Indian version of our internationally recognised humane education programme designed to help your students better understand and appreciate the animals with whom we share India and the world. In the reproducible activities that form the heart of this programme, your students will use their thinking and writing skills to imagine the feelings and consider the incredible abilities of other animals, examine how our relationships with them have changed through history, discover alternatives to their use and respond to situations in which their well-being is threatened. After completing this program, your students will have gained a richer understanding of animals in our world—and a sense of how we can treat them as fellow beings, with compassion and respect.

We know that other teachers in your own or nearby schools will want to present these activities to their students, and we encourage you to share the educational components of this kit with them or have them contact us at the address below to obtain their own.
Compassionate Citizen is provided to schools and teachers free of charge. Although these materials are copyrighted, you are encouraged to reproduce any or all of them for distribution to your colleagues. Also, please take the time to fill out and return the enclosed response card. We welcome and value your professional comments and suggestions. Compassionate Citizen has also produced a free video that will grab your students’ attention with amazing animal footage, cartoons, topics for discussion and humour. The Compassionate Citizen program is available in various Indian languages. The program is available in poster or video versions. If you don’t have a copy of the video and would like one, please write or e-mail us at the address below. We hope that using this program will help your students realise that animals experience life in much the same way that we do. In doing so, you’ll be helping them make India and the world we share a better and richer place for all of us. Thank you!

Introduction

Compassionate Citizen is a free educational programme designed to help your students develop respect and compassion for all living beings.

Target Audience

This programme is designed for use by students in standards 3 and higher in the language arts, science, social studies and humane education curricula.
Programme Objectives
Compassionate Citizen is designed to accomplish the following objectives:
Enhance students’ understanding that animals are living, feeling beings to be treated with respect and compassion.
Assist students in recognising that animals often experience the same needs and feelings that we do.
Enable students to appreciate the amazing characteristics and abilities of animals.
Help students understand how humans’ regard for animals has changed and developed as their knowledge of animals has increased.
Aid students in recognising how the once-pervasive use of animals is being replaced, thanks to increased understanding and technological developments.

Programme Components

1. Four reproducible activity masters to be photocopied as student worksheets.
2. A reading unit comprising adaptations from four true animal stories.
3. A teacher’s guide that includes:
• a statement of objectives
• introductions, presentation suggestions and model answers for each activity
• follow-up and extended activity suggestions to expand the programme’s scope
4. Full-colour wall posters to display in your classroom as a motivational tool.
5. A response card for your comments. Please return this card in order to ensure that you’ll receive future free programmes.

http://compassionatecitizen.com/?c=pi_enews

June 23, 2011

Click here to download the printable PDF-format set of Worksheets in English (Also: Hindi version and Malayalam version Pt. 1, Malayalam version Pt. 2
(Adobe Acrobat required)

Activity One
The Amazing World of Animals
This activity is designed to help students appreciate how unique and complex animals are by introducing them to some of the amazing characteristics and abilities that animals of all varieties possess. In Part 1, students will encounter a number of true but amazing facts illustrating the concept that animals are extraordinary beings. By challenging them to agree or disagree with another group of statements that focus on achievements and characteristics of animals, Part 2 helps students discover that animals share numerous traits and interests with us. And finally, in Part 3, students imagine they are a particular animal and write an impassioned letter to the editor about a threat to their home. Try starting this activity by asking students what animals they consider unusual or extraordinary and what their reasons are for thinking so. Their responses may include such commonly admired animals as dolphins, whales, elephants and dogs. Explain to students that in this activity, they will learn more about some of these animals. Then mention that they will also discover how virtually all animals are extraordinary—each in his or her own unique way—but may not be able to use their abilities or fulfill their needs. Then distribute the activity sheet.

Answers

Part 2

Note that all of the statements are true (‘agree’). Be sure to review each one in order to inform students who responded ‘not sure,’ and discuss statements that may have seemed improbable to some students. Use the following facts to help stimulate discussion.
There are cases of deer serving as ‘seeing-eye’ guides for animals who have lost their sight.
Elephants have been known to hold ‘wakes’, in which the bodies of dead elephants are viewed by others in the community.
Grooming one another and greeting by touching mouths are typical behaviours within the highly organised communities of prairie dogs.
Certain bird species have developed methods of packing mud and plants to act as ‘splints’ for setting broken bones.
Part 3

Answers will vary according to students’ individual experiences and abilities. You may wish to suggest newspapers to which students can write and help individual students compose their letters.

Follow-Up Activities

1. Encourage students to find five amazing or unusual facts about an animal of their choice and share them with the class. If they wish, they can make up a quiz on this animal similar to the one in Part 2 of Activity One and test their classmates’ knowledge of the species with both true and false statements.
2. Assign students to write a ‘fan letter’ to an animal who has an ability or trait that they particularly admire and share it with the class.
3. Encourage students to draw a picture illustrating one of the amazing facts presented in the activity. Instruct them to write the fact under the picture, then display their finished artwork on the bulletin board.

May 12, 2011

Activity Two

Animals and Their Feelings

This activity is designed to promote students’ understanding that animals have much in common with us and are living, feeling beings to be treated with respect and compassion, regardless of how small or ‘strange’ they may seem. Focusing on developing empathy toward animals (‘stepping into’ their needs and feelings to understand them better), the activity begins by inviting students to read an excerpt from Anna Sewell’s classic 1877 novel Black Beauty: The Autobiography of a Horse. In the excerpt, a horse named Ginger tells Black Beauty of her first unpleasant experiences with humans. Written from an animal’s point of view, the passage uses empathy to illustrate that animals experience love, pain, sadness and frustration.

Part 1 then challenges students to imagine and list the feelings of three different animals in various situations. In Part 2, students write a brief story on ‘If I had three wishes’ from the viewpoint of an animal of their choosing; they can also illustrate their story with a picture.
You may want to introduce this activity by asking students to discuss the feelings of an animal companion they know—perhaps a dog, a cat or a cow. Ask: What signs does the animal make to display his or her feelings, just as other members of the family might? How does his or her behaviour change as circumstances around him or her change? After discussing animals they know, suggest to students that perhaps other animals—ones they don’t know themselves, ranging from the tiniest mouse to the biggest whale—might experience similar feelings. Then distribute the activity sheet.
Answers

Part 1
Answers will vary. Sample answers are given.
1. happy, relieved, grateful.
2. helpless, frustrated, trapped.
3. lonely, frightened, panic-stricken, sad.
Part 2
Answers will vary according to students’ individual experiences and abilities. Make sure students have written their ‘three wishes’ in the first person, from the animal’s point of view.
Follow-Up Activities
1. Have students think about and discuss the excerpt from Black Beauty. Suggest that they write an extension to the story, then share their completed stories with the class.
2. Ask students to keep an observation journal of a companion animal in their own home or in that of a friend or relative. They could also observe a community dog or cat. Have them watch the animal for several days—being sure not to disturb his or her normal habitat or routine—and note changes in his or her behaviour, what may have influenced these changes (e.g., going for a walk in the park or getting extra food) and how he or she expresses feelings.
3. Encourage each student to select a species of animal to research in the library or observe undisturbed in his or her natural habitat. This might be the animal they have chosen to write about in Part 2 of this activity or yet another species. Suggest that their research focus on the animal’s social behaviours and needs, rather than on physical characteristics. Then have them report their findings to the class.
4. For a literature-based look at animals and their feelings, have students read the four true story segments and complete the writing assignments found in ANIMALS AND THEIR FEELINGS II—A READING UNIT.

Changing minds,changing times

Click here to download the printable PDF-format Reading Unit
(Adobe Acrobat required)
Click here to download the printable PDF-format set of Worksheets
(Adobe Acrobat required)
Activity Three
Changing Times, Changing Minds
The third activity focuses on how, today, compassionate people realise that we have traditionally used animals for our own purposes while failing to realise that they share our capacity to experience joy and suffering. In Part 1, a timetable featuring humorous ‘historical headlines’ challenges students to tell how innovative progress over the years has steadily enabled us to eliminate the use of animals in our lives. Part 2 presents students with a variety of ways that animals are still being used today, challenging them to think of alternatives to these uses that can be met by continuing innovations.
You might want to introduce this activity by asking volunteers to name some of the uses and jobs animals have performed in the past and perform today. Then point out that the need for most of these uses no longer exists, and ask students to think about why this is so. Then distribute the activity sheets.
Answers
Part 1
Exact wording of answers will vary. Sample answers are given.
c. 70,000 B.C.: Early humans begin fashioning implements from stone, replacing animal bones as primary sources of tools.
c. 4,000 B.C.: Linens produced by ancient Egyptians and other cultures begin replacing animal skins.
c. 1860s: Petroleum replaces oil from whales and other animals as primary lamp fuel.
c. 1903: Mass production of automobiles gradually makes replacement of animal-drawn vehicles possible.
c. 1960s: Development of artificial fabrics makes comfortable, attractive synthetic ‘silk’ clothing possible.
c. 1980s: Computer modelling provides another alternative to animal testing for research.
c. 1990s: Using modern photographic equipment, it becomes possible to ‘capture’ animals on film without disturbing them or the environment.
Part 2
Answers may vary. Sample answers are given.
1. Substitution of plastic or computer models of frogs and other animals.
2. Attending human-only circuses and going to see films.
3. Developing new foods from soya- or vegetable-based protein or choosing traditional high-protein plant-based foods like masala dosas or rice and dal.
4. Creating clothing from synthetic ‘fur,’ ‘hides’ and ‘feathers’—all produced without harming animals.
Follow-Up Activities
1. Challenge students to discuss ways in which the animal they have researched is used by humans. How could they eliminate these uses by substituting alternatives? What arguments might they use to persuade other people to seek these alternatives?

2. One alternative to eating meat is to become a vegetarian. Ask students to bring in vegetarian recipes and information about plant sources of protein, vitamins, calcium and minerals.
3. Organise group discussions of possible ways that animals are still used that might change. Have students use their imaginations to step into the future.

April 17, 2011

Click here to download the printable PDF-format Reading Unit (Click here for Mayalayam download)
(Adobe Acrobat required)
Activity Four
Making Humane Choices
For this final activity, students are presented with five situations in which they must make a decision to act on their understanding of animals’ needs and feelings. Students will be challenged to follow the ‘Golden Rule’—a basic concept in many cultures throughout the world—as it applies to human-animal relationships.

You can introduce this activity by writing the Golden Rule—‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you’—on the chalkboard and reviewing it with the class. Invite students to react to it, telling how it applies to our relationships with animals. Then ask: How have humans treated animals according to this rule? How have they failed to follow this rule? Have volunteers give positive and negative examples. Then distribute the activity sheets.

Answers
Answers will vary. Sample answers are given.
1. How this situation fails to live up to the Golden Rule: The bear has become bored and disoriented, and his or her basic needs (such as exercise and protection from the sun) are not being met. What you can do: Report what you have seen to zoo officials. If you get no satisfaction from them, write letters to newspapers.
2. How this situation fails to live up to the Golden Rule: No one has stopped to help the injured bird or even move him or her to a safer place off the street. What you can do: Ask an adult to take the bird to a veterinarian for treatment, or call your local animal shelter for help; while waiting, protect the bird from further injury.
3. How this situation fails to live up to the Golden Rule: The dog’s basic needs for food, water, exercise and companionship appear to be ignored by his or her guardian. What you can do: Notify the dog’s guardian that the dog appears to be in need of food and water throughout the day; if the situation does not change, contact a local animal protection group like the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and tell them as much information about the situation as you can.
4. How this situation fails to live up to the Golden Rule: The turtle has been removed from his or her natural habitat, denying the animal not only his or her home and community, but possibly threatening his or her life as well. What you can do: Convince your friend to very carefully return the turtle to the exact same spot where he or she was found.
5. How this situation fails to live up to the Golden Rule: Carrying a chicken in this manner causes him or her pain and risks injury. What you can do: Suggest to the person carrying the chicken that the chicken needs to be transported in a more humane manner. If the problem continues, contact a local animal protection group.
Follow-Up Activities
1. Help students conduct a ‘Media Watch’ for reports of events involving animals on television, on the radio and in newspapers. Have them share what they have discovered with the class once a week at a designated time.
2. Suggest that students undertake a letter-writing campaign in response to reports of practices that may harm animals. Help them draw up a list of influential people to write to in support of the needs of animals—state officials, politicians and other authority figures in the community. Have students report back on any replies they receive to their letters.
3. Have students research and create illustrated posters listing and explaining ‘do’s and don’ts’ of the best companion animal care to people who live with companion animals. Display the finished posters on the bulletin board.

Extended Activities
1. Arrange a ‘zoo-checking’ field trip to a local zoo or animal park. Have students note the animals’ environments and physical conditions. Do they pace, bite the bars or show other signs of unhappiness or discomfort? Encourage students to look for ways that zoo conditions could be improved and to list improvements they would make.
2. Help the class organise a Compassionate Citizen ‘Compassion Expo’ assembly in their school. Devote a full class day to this event, which can feature displays on animals and their care and behaviour, information booths, videos and special guest speakers from local animal protection groups. Then invite the entire school community to participate in your Expo.
3. Assign students to write a research paper on the animal species they chose to learn more about earlier in the programme. Have them include information on the animal’s characteristics and behaviour, why the animal should not be harmed or killed and what traits he or she shares with us as a living, feeling being.

June 27, 2011

Compassionate citizen for the children

Compassionate Citizen, PETA India's programme for teaching children humane attitudes and respect towards animals, is based on the award-winning programme Share the World and available to schools throughout India free of charge.
Compassionate Citizen, which includes video, presentation and discussion components, touches the hearts of students and teachers alike by giving them a better understanding of how we can show compassion for animals. The programme has received extensive media attention and has even been featured in Education World, the popular and renowned magazine for teachers. Here are some recent highlights of the progress that the Compassionate Citizen programme has made:
PETA India representatives Tejal Raut and Padmavati Dwivedi were honoured to be a part of the Young Visionary event held in New Delhi last year. The annual event, which was inspired by a dynamic woman named Puneeta Roy, is organised by the Tehelka Foundation. Not only does it provide kids with their own platform, it also promotes leadership qualities and helps showcase kids' many talents. Arriving to a warm reception from a joyous crowd of vibrant, vocal and energetic children, the two presenters addressed the eager audience in a packed auditorium.
After distributing PETA India membership forms, Ms Padmavati Dwivedi gave nearly 400 children an overview of PETA India's campaigns. The children were impressed by the many celebrities who are involved in helping animals, and they applauded and cheered when Ms Padma showed them some of PETA India's ads. Later in the afternoon, a quiz on animal rights and animal facts was given to all the children. The children were grouped into teams of three and encouraged to choose the names of farm animals to represent their teams. Everyone had fun, and some teams even won prizes for doing well on the quiz. Another highlight of the presentation was when Raut presented a PETA India book to a child who was brave enough to share her poetry with the audience. After their appearance, the duo from PETA India thanked the entire team from the Tehelka Foundation and posed in photographs with them. Everyone was delighted with the programme, and PETA India was invited to participate every year.
Rupy’s International School
PETA India presented the Compassionate Citizen programme to 172 students at Rupy's International School in Kathmandu, Nepal. One interesting aspect of this large institution is that many paintings by Jan Salter, a local artist who has made Nepal her home for the last 30 years, are displayed at the school. After a nice presentation that included a well-received video and talk, the PETA India presenters enjoyed lunch before moving on to their next engagement.
Lincoln International School
PETA India took the Compassionate Citizen programme to 200 students at the Lincoln International School – also in Kathmandu. One teacher, who is an active member of the Kathmandu Animal Treatment Centre (KAT Centre) and works to help stray dogs, was exceptionally helpful with the presentation at the school. The presentation began with the "Compassionate Citizen" video, which students and teachers from Class 1 through Class 4 thoroughly enjoyed, and it ended with a brief overview of PETA India and the KAT Centre. All the children were very excited about what they had seen and heard and expressed a desire to help both PETA India and animals. Before leaving, Tejal Raut distributed membership leaflets to the children who were thinking about becoming members of PETA India and handed out Compassionate Citizen packs to all interested staff members.
Deepshika School
PETA India continued its tour through Kathmandu, taking the Compassionate Citizen programme to 200 students at the Deepshikha School. The principal of the school, which has a boarding facility so that children from all across Nepal can study there, was very nice and helped PETA India's Tejal Raut set up for the presentation. The programme, which was delivered in two sessions to the junior and senior sections, was well received and enjoyed by all.
The Club
PETA India set up an informational stall and presented the Compassionate Citizen programme to 50 guests at The Club in Mumbai. The event – which was organised by Brand One event management company, Tata AIG and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation – was part of an investment-policy seminar for high-value clients.
During the breakfast session, PETA India's stall, which was stocked with leaflets, T-shirts, calendars and other educational items, attracted a lot of attention, and many people inquired about becoming PETA India members. Later that day, everyone who was present watched and enjoyed the "Compassionate Citizen" video. After the video was shown, a PETA India representative who was dressed in an elephant costume took the children who were present to an outside hall for a drawing contest. All the kids enjoyed drawing and playing with the "elephant" mascot and with balloons. PETA India gave calendars and other gifts to the children who participated in the drawing competition, and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation distributed small plants to all the participants.
Gujarat
PETA India representatives drove for five hours over rough roads in order to bring the Compassionate Citizen programme to the Kasturba Vidyalaya, Bokhira, Porbandar in Gujarat. At the school, which is a residential institute that houses students from nearby villages and other parts of Gujarat, the presentation was translated into Gujarati for 300 Class 6 through Class 9 students and a handful of teachers. Students enjoyed PETA India's visit and prepared lunch for the presenters.
Sajjuba Girl’s High School
Although PETA India representatives had to travel on poorly maintained roads in the blazing heat to reach Jamnagar's Sajuba Girls High School on 31 March, the warm reception and support they received once they arrived made the long journey worthwhile. The teachers even took time out of their busy board exam schedule to allow 20 students and 25 teachers to attend the Compassionate Citizen presentation. After the interactive session, PETA India's Tejal Raut was honoured and touched as she was awarded the prestigious Lakhotia Lake Palace trophy.
Municipal High School and Sarvodaya High School
PETA India had the pleasure of presenting the Compassionate Citizen programme to an enormous and eager audience of 600 students and 35 teachers at both Municipal High School and Sarvodaya High School in Bhayavadar.
Shah HD High School
PETA India representatives drove four and a half hours to Unna to present the Compassionate Citizen programme to 35 teachers at the Shah HD High School. Even though many teachers were busy because it was the last day of board exams, those who were able to watch the "Compassionate Citizen" video thoroughly enjoyed it.
Gujarat
PETA India had the honour of introducing the Compassionate Citizen programme to the Junagadh District in Gujarat. All the district coordinators were present, and despite a busy board-exam schedule, 112 teachers, including many who were involved in the Eco Club and Karuna Club, also managed to attend one of the two sessions offered at Shri Krishna Vidya Mandir. Everyone found both the "Compassionate Citizen" video and the speech that was given afterward by PETA India's Tejal Raut compelling and was anxious to receive the information packs that were distributed at the end of the presentation.
Vidya Sagar School
Representatives of PETA India gave a Compassionate Citizen presentation to 1,500 students and 70 teachers at the Vidyasagar School in Indore. Also in attendance were President APJ Abdul Kalam, Dr Khetawat and Mr Patel, the owner of the school – all of whom were there to present S K Joshi, the school's principal, with a "Best Teacher" Award. Following a screening of the video "Compassionate Citizen", which everyone watched and enjoyed, the PETA India representatives led a question-and-answer session for two and a half hours. The students were intelligent, curious and knowledgeable about PETA India, so the session proved to be very engaging and interactive.
Utpal Shanghvi School
Responding to a request from student Akshay Shanghvi, PETA India presented its Compassionate Citizen programme to the Utpal Shanghvi School in Juhu. Organised by the Nature Club, the presentation was given to an audience of 500 students who were spellbound by the film they were shown (they screamed with delight when Jackie Shroff, John Abraham and Nafisa Joseph appeared on the screen). After the film, PETA India's Tejal Raut led an activity session that focused on making humane choices. Both the teachers and students were extremely grateful for the programme and presented the PETA India representatives with lovely ferns potted in ceramic containers that were handmade by the children. The teachers asked PETA India to come back and give a presentation to students in Grade 3 through Grade 5 and suggested starting an interschool activity focusing on ways to stop cruelty to animals for some of the schools in and around Juhu, Bandra and Andheri. The teachers then graciously offered their auditorium for such a purpose. The PETA India presenters thoroughly enjoyed themselves – and knowing that the students and teachers enjoyed themselves, too, made all the difference.

New Municipal School
A Compassionate Citizen workshop organised by the Each One Teach One Foundation was presented to 850 students at the New Municipal School in Sion. Because of the size of the audience, the workshop was presented in two parts – the first part was presented in Marathi for the 400 Marathi-speaking students and the second part in Hindi for the 450 Hindi- and Gujarati-speaking students. All the children were fascinated by the film they were shown. They really enjoyed seeing actor Jackie Shroff, and they burst into thunderous applause each time a different animal appeared on the screen. A question-and-answer session was conducted after each viewing, and the students who gave correct answers were given prizes.
This was the first time the children had been exposed to such a workshop, and they were enthusiastic. The teachers were equally happy and offered their sincerest gratitude. Ms Jyothi Tanna, founder of the Each One Teach One Foundation, was also extremely pleased with the programme and asked PETA India to present it to the 8,000 children in Mumbai who attend the five municipal schools she works with there.
Mahindra Ac