Teaching Resources

Photo by Monkey Business Images

AWI offers publications at no cost to teachers, libraries, and animal shelters. We have also produced children’s activities and free classroom lesson plans for a select number of these publications, with more to come. Learn more about our lesson plans and additional teaching resources below.

Resources for Young Children

Two books written and illustrated by award-winning author Sheila Hamanaka and published by AWI are ideal for children in grades K–2. Kamie Cat’s Terrible Night, about the misadventures of a cat who gets lost and yearns to be home, emphasizes kindness to animals and responsible cat care. Pablo Puppy’s Search for the Perfect Person is about a puppy and an older dog living in a shelter. It educates children about the needs of dogs and the value of humane treatment toward animals. In collaboration with teacher Nancy Kellum Brown, AWI has produced free Kamie Cat and Pablo Puppy classroom lesson plans. The plans include activity cards and worksheets that can be used on their own or in conjunction with an interactive notebook. Spanish language versions of both books and their lesson plans are available.

Kamie Cat’s Terrible Night:

Pablo Puppy’s Search for the Perfect Person:

La Terrible Noche de la Gata Kamie:

El Cachorro Pablo en Busca de la Persona Perfecta:

In addition, AWI has produced Kamie Cat and Pablo Puppy activities, including a printable board game, coloring pages, game cards, and more.

Resources for Middle School-Aged Children

For middle school–age readers, AWI offers A Dangerous Life, a graphic novel written and illustrated by Sheila Hamanaka with Lisa Barile, Rosalie Knox, and Julie Lien and published by AWI in conjunction with the Kenya Wildlife Service. The story, set in Kenya, focuses on the true costs of the ivory trade and the importance of both animal and human families. Woven throughout are lessons of conservation and compassion for all living things. In collaboration with teacher Nancy Kellum Brown, AWI has produced a free classroom lesson plan for A Dangerous Life, which includes activity cards and worksheets that can be used on their own or in conjunction with an interactive notebook. The plan is applicable across a variety of subjects, including science, environmental education, social studies, and language arts.

A Dangerous Life:

AWI has been working for over two decades on the issue of anthropogenic ocean noise—sounds in the ocean that are the result of human activities from vessels, oil and gas exploration, etc. AWI’s work has included efforts to urge nations to work together to reduce anthropogenic ocean noise levels to protect marine living resources and ecosystems from its damaging effects. Middle school teachers can use this lesson plan to meet science and literacy standards and engage students in perspective-taking and critical thinking.

Drowning in Sound:

Resources for Students High School and Beyond

For instructors teaching in high school and beyond, AWI offers The Magic of Touch, by Annie and Viktor Reinhardt. This book reviews the scientific and professional literature to present evidence of the calming, stress-buffering, and life-enhancing effect of touch among animals, among humans, and between animals and humans. AWI has collaborated with Nancy Kellum Brown to produce a lesson plan for The Magic of Touch that is appropriate for courses involving animal behavior, ethology, environmental studies, and philosophy.

The Magic of Touch:

Humane Science Anatomy

These lesson plans were developed by an educator specializing in non-animal teaching methods. The materials cover biology and anatomy concepts for students in grades K–6 using dissection alternatives. To learn more about how AWI can help schools transition from animals specimens to effective, humane, and sustainable teaching methods, contact us here.

Additional Teaching Resources

AWI also offers posters (which can be ordered by mail from AWI or downloaded as PDFs) for your classroom or learning space. Our Endangered Species poster features 20 beautiful images of species protected under the Endangered Species Act. In conjunction, AWI offers a teacher handout to discuss facts about endangered species and actions to take to protect them.