Extension activities

Things for students to think about and/or discuss

Should animals be used in research in order to develop vaccines to help other animals? Create four groups of ‘experts’ and laypeople, including:

• an RSPCA scientific officer
• a research scientist in a laboratory
• a farmer who experienced losses during the last foot-and-mouth disease outbreak
• a member of the public.

Ask each set of students to use the resources to put together some key arguments for or against the use of animals in research and experiments to develop new animal vaccines.

• Explain that they each need to be able to argue their points in another discussion group later.
• Create new groups with each of the different characters.
• Ask each group to debate the issue, staying in their role.
• After the debate create a continuum between these two sets of words – Animals should not be used in research and experiments to develop new animal vaccines, Animals should be used in research and experiments to develop new animal vaccines.
• Ask them to come out of role and stand where their opinion lies.

Lifestyle conditions

Ask the students to write a persuasive piece of writing about whether it is acceptable to use animals in experiments and research into drugs to treat pet ‘lifestyle conditions’ such as dog obesity.

Use the information in the lesson resource What are the issues?