‘Their Future in Your Hands’ (Video)

This lesson plan is designed to help teachers present animal rights issues to their students. If you’re an educator, please feel free to adapt this material to fit your needs, and contact us if you need help incorporating this activity into your curriculum. 

Suggested grade levels: 6th–12th grade

Created by: Animal Aid

Objectives: Develop a deeper empathy for animals and understand how the exploitation of animals affects the environment and the lives of both humans and animals.

“Their Future in Your Hands” is a moving introductory exploration of society’s use of animals. By presenting facts about animals’ rich emotional complexity and drawing parallels between the animal rights movement and other social justice movements in recent history, this video will help students use critical thinking skills to examine why and how the routine exploitation of animals continues—and they’ll also learn what they can do to help stop it.

Show this video to your students as an introduction to the animal rights movement along with a discussion about the ethical and appropriate treatment of animals. Ask students to evaluate inhumane uses of animals practiced throughout history as well as today that are both legal and standard procedure.