The students will select and research a specific working animal as part of a small group.  They will create an informational presentation (poster or computer software) about their findings. Learners will discover the impact that these animals have on the greater good of communities.

The learner will:

• work in a cooperative group.
• select and research an animal and the work that he/she does.
• create an informational poster or software presentation about a working animal.
• share the presentation with classmates. 
   

Anticipatory Set:
Show the students the cover of the book Anna & Natalie.  Ask them to predict what the book will be about?  What images do they see on the cover?  What do they think is being whispered?

• Read the book, Anna & Natalie by Barbara Cole
• After reading the book begin a dialog with the learners about where in the book the reader finds out that Natalie is a dog.  (When they went on the porch to write Anna’s letter)  What do you think the kids in the class thought about Natalie’s letter to Mrs. Randall?  Do you think the letter that Anna wrote was written about working animals or people? How do we remember those working animals that take on roles in war, rescue, and everyday life? (Ask as many open-ended questions that you deem necessary to allow for proper discussion on the role that animals have played in our society, for companions, but also for our country.)
• As a class, create a timeline of their typical daily activities by drawing a long horizontal line on a display board and putting Get Up at the beginning of the line and Go to Bed at the end of the line.  In between the two headings, ask students to insert as many typical activities of a student’s day as possible. Then go back to the beginning of the timeline and ask students to think about each activity on the timeline to determine if a person with a disability could use help from Natalie to do the activity.  Circle each activity that would be easier with help from Natalie. Ask students to draw conclusions about the benefit of having a guide dog by analyzing the results of the timeline activity.
• Refer back to the chart list of animals and their jobs from Lesson One. Ask the learners to share their homework lists and add additional animals and jobs to the list. Make teacher suggestions from the Bibliographical Reference list of resources.
• Tell the learners that they will be asked to form small groups to research and create an informational poster or media presentation about a working animal.  Arrange the class into groups of 2 or 3 students according to their interest in researching a specific working animal.
• Distribute poster materials or make computers and presentation software available.  Each group is to research their working animal using print and/or internet sources and then create a visual presentation of the information.
• Distribute Attachment One: Research Guide and go over the required research.
• When the presentations are complete: if the students produced posters, hang them around the classroom and allow the students to do a ‘walk about’ to read each poster. If software presentations were created, project each presentation for the class to observe.
• Allow time for them to ask questions of each other and to comment on what they learned about working animals and thir importance to the common good.
• Challenge the students to brainstorm how they might support or assist the welfare of working animals or animal in general by giving their time, talent or treasure (philanthropy). Is there a working animal or animal welfare organization they discovered during the lessons or research  they want to support? Suggest that the students ask their families for ideas and bring those ideas to the next class session.

Have learners share their presentations with other classes and with their families.