My Best Friend – Cats vs Dogs in Life and Art (LS-PL-277)
This learning scenario is intended for primary school students aged 10-13 and it is supposed to be implemented in English language lessons. It gives students a chance to explore cats vs dogs on the Europeana Pinterest boards and move on to the topic of pets being people’s best friends.
About human companions
The subject, as well as the tools used during the lesson, are introduced by means of Kahoot. Then the students receive the QR code links and browse the Europeana Pinterest boards about cats and dogs to choose one painting that is the most appealing to them. After that, they prepare detailed descriptions of the painting and present them to the rest of the class. They also express their opinions about which is better: owning a cat or a dog and why. At this stage, students might try their language skills and start a discussion with arguments.
Developing related vocabulary
During the lesson, students will integrate and develop their vocabulary about cats and dogs, nouns and adjectives necessary to describe the animals and the paintings. They will prepare a detailed description of a selected painting, present it and finally, they will express opinions and justify or defend them.
The ICT based activities and the freedom to browse and choose the favourite painting make the lesson feel like fun. Additionally, working with Europeana stimulates students’ imagination and increases their engagement. Finally, practising oral presentations and building argumentation enhances students’ speaking skills.
Would you like to know more about this learning scenario? You can download it below:
Did you find this learning scenario interesting? You might also like:
- Black cats, broken mirrors and others – let’s talk about superstitions by Rafal Mazur
- ‘Who are you?’ – A pen pal from the past by Jean-Christophe Jost
- You can’t judge a book by its cover. Or can you? by Katarzyna Siwczak
The featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana Collections and belongs to the public domain.