Should animals live in zoos?

Lesson: English

Class: Year 3 Year: 2017 - 2018

Today we read an article about whether animals should be kept in zoos. We came across some tricky words so to help us learn the meanings, we played a word, pictures and definition matching game. 

Following on from our work on Komodo dragons and inspired by the books ‘Zoo’ by Anthony Browne, Year 3 have raised the question: should animals be kept in zoos? We have had lots of debate and passionate discussions around whether animals in captivity are happy or would they be happier in their natural habitat. We have been learning about the importance of valuing other people’s opinions, even if they are different to our own. We have also learnt what a balanced argument is and have looked at reasons for and against zoos. 

The children have had had some excellent discussions and have practised using debating techniques and phrases in a group and whole-class debate. This has led the children to form their own opinions about whether animals should be kept in zoos. This week, the children will practise their persuasive writing and design posters or write persuasive paragraphs to inform people about the reasons for or against animals living in captivity.