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June 2020
 Teachers, we recognize that the last few months have been filled with challenges, and that classrooms will continue to look different in the upcoming school year. You have already proven you can rise to this challenge and we are here to support you! The BC SPCA Humane Education team has been hard at work developing new online, educational resources to support virtual learning and help in planning your 2020/21 school year. These materials teach important lessons about animal welfare and promote the development of critical thinking, compassion, and empathy skills in students, all while integrating the B.C. curriculum! We will also offer virtual presentations. Invite a BC SPCA Humane Educator to talk to your class and explore animal welfare issues together or expand on lessons from the materials. Watch for the official release of our NEW teacher resource page this summer!
In the meantime, do you have a reluctant mathematician or two in your class? Check out our What’s It All Going to Cost activity where students identify the needs of a chosen pet, research the cost of each item, and figure out how much it actually costs to own a pet! This is a great activity on its own or to inspire an inquiry project on getting a pet.
We would also love your feedback. Let us know if you use any of the information from our newsletter or Bark! magazine, or if there are activities or topics you would like us to cover.
 Gwen the Rescue Hen
by Leslie Crawford, illustrated by Sonja Stangl
Reading Level: Grade 3+
Gwen the Hen has spent her whole life in an egg-laying hen house, unable to even spread her wings. One day, a tornado comes along and displaces the hens and their small cage outside. Breaking out of the cage, she dodges danger at every turn, until she finds safety with a boy named Mateo. With her new friend in this new environment, Gwen learns she can now do all the things a chicken is supposed to be able to do.
This book includes a bonus section, entitled “More about Chickens,” where readers can learn about chickens’ extraordinary eyesight, complex language of 24 sounds, good sense of time and other fun facts.
Read more reviews of our recommended books.
 We want to thank all teachers for their hard work doing double duty of teaching students online and in the classroom. Teaching is a very demanding job at the best of times and now the pandemic has added that additional level of stress and anxiety for both students and teachers.
Teachers are not thanked enough for the work they do. Know that we appreciate what you do.
 Just like so many others, the BC SPCA has had to make changes to the way we do things. In terms of summer camp we have decided to go virtual. We are working on some exciting new ways to engage and connect with kids throughout the summer. Let your students know that if they want to become the animal experts in their family, check our camp page regularly for updates on what is to come for the summer.
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The BC SPCA has classroom resources for grades K-7. The lessons integrate animal issues and information into existing provincial learning outcomes.
Click on a lesson plan below to learn more.
Kindness counts
(Primary)
Bite free
(Primary/intermediate)
Making the right choice
(Intermediate)
You can make a difference
(Intermediate)
The farm-food connection
(Intermediate)
Cats in the community
(Intermediate)
Including animals in social justice
(Intermediate/Secondary)
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