Resource: Social and Cultural Perspectives of Dogs

Print Frame and Focus

The following suggestions are best suited for elementary or middle school students using this video in an English language arts or social studies lesson. Be sure to modify the questions to meet your students' instructional needs.

Frame (ELA) What is language? How do we communicate with each other? How do we communicate with animals?

Focus (ELA) Watch for ways people in the video segment communicate with their dogs. Is communication between the people and the dogs reciprocal, meaning, are the dogs communicating with the humans also?

Frame (SS) How do we form social relationships with others? For example, how do you make new friends?

Focus (SS) Observe and note the ways humans and dogs form social relationships with each other.

Print Follow Up

• (ELA) There is a certain social bond between humans and dogs that allows them to communicate with each other. This causes us to think about what language is. How would you define language? Do all people have language? Do animals have language? Is the language and communication between dogs and humans the same as the communication among humans? Explain.

• (SS) Communicating through language or otherwise can encourage social relationships with others. Explain how communication between dogs and people bonds a social relationship. Describe various contexts (settings) and purposes (reasons) why dogs and people communicate.

Print Connections

World history, culture, society, animal science, history of man, social studies, anthropology