Tales of Strays ACTION! 2023-24
Tales of Strays ACTION! 2023-24
Here's what YOU can do to get your students involved and inspire the world to create change
for companion animals.
September-October 2023: Choose a group of students to be involved in the project (age and level of your choice) and, together, decide on the topic. The topic can be either based on a lesson plan from one of the Tales of Strays Compilations but approached from your personal perspective, or something designed entirely by you. You will find a list of sample topics below.
October 2023-February 2024: Run the project with your students at your own pace. Make sure that you involve students in group work, so that there is a collaborative outcome.
February 2023-March 2024: Get your students to work on their presentations for an online students’ conference, while you start working on a written project report.
The report should be approximately 1000-1200 words plus images: photographs, drawings, etc. The report should include (but doesn’t have to be limited to) the following:
aims of the project
steps and procedures
description of the tasks and activities
samples of students’ work
reflections (students’ and instructor’s) and conclusions
March 2024 (beginning of the month - specific date to be agreed on at a later time): Be there with your students at the online conference where they will present their collaborative work to the other groups (one presentation per group).
March 2024 (middle of the month - specific date to be agreed on at a later time): Submit the report on the project. Then, take a break while Margarita Kosior prepares a pdf compilation of all the reports to be published on the Tales of Strays website.
NOTE: Special attention MUST be paid to copyright issues. NO copyrighted material (e.g. photographs, screenshots from films) will be included in the pdf compilation.
April 2023 (around Stray Animals’ Day): Present your and your students’ work to colleagues all over the world at an open online event.
Sample project topics:
1. The origins of dogs and dog domestication / The origins of the bond between humans and dogs
2. Responsible companion animal care - dogs
3. Understanding dog body language
4. Dog training
5. Dog superpowers (e.g. super sniffer)
6. Puppy mills and pet store puppies
7. Service dogs (hearing or signal dogs, seeing eye dogs / guide dogs, mobility assistance dogs, medical alert dogs e.g. diabetes alert dog, psychiatric service dogs, sensory signal dogs / social signal dogs, seizure response dogs)
8. Dog-training programmes in prisons
9. Reading Education Assistance Dogs (R.E.A.D.)
10. Responsible companion animal care - cats
11. Origins of cats and cat domestication
12. Living like a cat - secret to happiness and success
13. Cats - super powers (e.g. elasticity, always landing of their feet)
14 Emotional support animals, comfort animals, and therapy dogs
15 Children and companion animals
16. The role of companion animals in enhancing human well-being
17. Companion animal welfare groups and organizations / Volunteerism
18. Companion animals in visual arts / Cultural depictions of companion animals
19. Companion animals in literature
20. Loss of a companion animal (grief)
21. Loss of a companion animal (e.g. a lesson based on writing announcements)
22. Animals with disabilities
23. Real life stories: stray dogs I know
24. Real life stories: before and after adoption
25. A lesson plan based on the picture book "Toby to the rescue"
26. Other: …
Contact talesofstrays@margaritakosior.com if you want to participate in the project or to ask for more info.
