1. The Lives
of Animals
Poetry and the Animals 1

2. Key inquiry questions
How can the structure, language and imagery of poetry relate to the audience the different lives of animals?
How easy is it to imagine life from an animal’s point of view? Is it useful for us to do so? Will imagining life from their perspective help us to protect them? 2

3. Zoos and Captivity What are your experiences with zoos?
How are they shown in the media?
How are they portrayed in fiction?

4. Three Poems What is the poem about? What form/structure does it have?
The Panther
The Jaguar
Second Glance at a Jaguar
What is the poem about?
What form/structure does it have?
What language techniques are used?
What does it say about keeping animals in captivity?
What other meanings could it have?
Hand out copies of the three poems, students to respond to questions for each one. 4

5. Three
Poems
The Panther
Slide to document class feedback 5

6. Three
Poems
The Jaguar
Slide to document class feedback 6

7. Three Poems Second Glance at a Jaguar Slide to document class feedback7

8. “That is the kind of poetry that I bring to your attention today: poetry that does not try to find an idea in the animal, that is not about the animal, but is instead the record of an engagement with him.”
Lives of Animals, page 51
Quote from text.
Discuss with students whether this is different to the idea that the poems are from the animal's perspective.

9. How can poetry be used to understand the situation faced by animals?
How does what is portrayed in the three poems relate to your understanding and experiences of zoos?

10. Reflection: Poetry
Create a poem about your daily life, but from the perspective of an animal.
Use appropriate structure and language.

11. Reflection: Poetry
Dot point key events that happen in your day (e.g. wake up, have breakfast, get dressed, go to school, etc.).
Select an animal species (one you know something about!).
Consider the different events in your day, relate these to how the animal would experience the day (e.g. what would an elephant have for breakfast, how would a lion feel when they wake up, etc.).
Write a poem from the point of view of the animal, but describing your day.
This slide is for students who require further support with the reflection task. 11

12. Taking it Further: Video
Turn your poem into a short video (3 minutes maximum).
The images and sound used should consider the theme and message of the poem.
This slide is for the extension “taking it further” task