Small animal health program for elementary schools

The Cook County small animal health program for elementary schools is aimed at providing supplemental teaching that translates into lessons that are hands-on, inquiry based and collaborative.

The program is designed to help students in grade 3 through six to acquire some basic information and knowledge about animal science. The contents of the lessons are also beneficial to 4-H club members and teachers involve in animal science projects.

This program however, is not intended to be an alternative to the animal science syllabus/curriculum in elementary schools but rather as a source of additional or supplementary knowledge.

The followings are the basic objectives of this program

1. Expose young people to some basic animal science trainings that are scientifically provoking and bio-medically stimulating

2. Provide educational information to young people who are willing to pursue animal/veterinary science related careers

3. Students will develop an awareness and understanding of how animals benefit society and their civic responsibilities to animals

4. Students will develop an awareness and appreciation of the role of animal scientist/veterinarian in human and animal health.

This program is designed to be taught over 5-6 days period, but it's adaptable depending on the needs and schedules of the schools.

Each lesson should take approximately 45-60 minutes

Selected topics includes the followings

1. Classification of animals:

Students will learn about different ways in which animals are classified using diets, habitat, body size, presence or absence of bones.

At the end of this lesson students will learn about animals that eat plants, flesh (meat) and those that eat both plants and flesh

2. Animal basic needs/Food chain:

In this lesson, students will know that animals require basic needs to stay alive such as food, air, water and shelter

Students will also learn how animals depends upon one another for survival (interdependency of living things)

At the end of this class, students will have an understanding of food chain and importance of plants and animals in food chain.

3. Animal body system:

This lesson will expose students to different organs in animal body, their functions and relationship of one organ to another. Students will know about various organs and their locations in animal body.

At the end of this lesson, it's hoped that students will develop an understanding of how body organs works and have desires to further their studies in biological sciences.

4. Dissection

As part of the study of animal body systems, students will be exposed to the dissection of small animal as a laboratory demonstration of animal body system. This will enable the students to identify various organs and their relationships to one another

These activities will further stimulate and develop student's desire in bio-medical studies and researches.

5. Microscopy

The purpose of this lesson is for students to understand different parts of microscope and their usefulness in biological studies

Students will be exposed to how to use microscope to observe and study minutes objects/structures at different magnification level.

6. Career Information:

This is an introductory career talk for students planning to study animal science or veterinary medicine

Students will learn about the subjects to take both in high schools and colleges before applying to veterinary/animal science colleges.

Other lessons include Health Care Needs of Animals, Caring for Pets, and Importance of Animals to People.

For more information or to request for this program in your school, please call 312-6987095, 312-7524692 or email to aji@uiuc.edu