Meat for thought...

 Discuss before you watch

•             Look at the title of this video session. What do you make of it? Does the expression ring a bell?

•             Are you a vegetarian or a vegan? When/ Why did you choose to go veggie? If not, do you know 
               somebody who is? When/ Why did they choose to go veggie?

•             Read the following quotations and say if you agree, disagree or somewhat agree. Account for your 
               answers.

"To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being.  I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body." (Gandhi)

"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian." (Paul Mac Cartney)

               

"Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet. (Albert Einstein)

“I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men.” ( Leonardo da Vinci)

•             What’s people’s attitude toward vegetarians or vegans in your country?

•             Do you think the world would be different if everybody was vegetarian? Or a vegan?

•             How would you feel if you were told that you could no longer eat meat?

•             Do you think that vegetarians are more or less healthy than meat eaters?

•             Have you ever visited a vegetarian restaurant? What was the food like?

•             Is it true that humans are naturally omnivores or are we meant to eat meat?

FOCUS ON LANGUAGE

 These are some collocations which will be used in the video. Match them up.

GROUP 1

1.            environmental                 a. poisoning

2.            water                              b. pollution

3.            air and water                   c. gases/ effect

4.            food                                d. shortages

5.            greenhouse                      e. issues

GROUP 2

1.            Endure                              a. animals into a cage

2.            Sound                               b. birth

3.            Give                                  c. insane

4.            Raise/ breed                      d. suffering/ chronic pain

5.            Cram                                 e. the alarm

6.            Go                                     f. an animal

                              

GROUP 3

1.            Entire/ miserable                a. conditions

2.            Deadly                               b. sheds

3.            Dismal/ appalling                c. paid

4.            Common                            d. abilities

5.            Cognitive                            e. life/ existence

6.            Poorly                                g. bacteria

7.            Crowded/ Filthy                 h. practice

Fill in the blanks with a suitable preposition

1.            Be_________ (constant) pain

2.            Leave something _________ good

3.            Be prone __________ a disease.

4.            Figure_____________the solution to a problem

5.            Be dumped back____________ the ocean.

6.            Be confined____________ a tiny cage

7.            Cut something ____________ of our diet

8.            Lack _____________mental stimulation

FORMING WORDS with the PREPOSITIONS OUT, OFF and IN.

1.            Pigs are more intelligent than dogs, even _____________________some primates on a variety of tasks, such as operating interactive video games.                                                                       PERFORM

2.            Female cows produce milk for their___________________, not for human beings.   SPRING

3.            Cattle used for meat and milk are fed an unnatural diet to maximize growth and milk_____________________ that causes them to be constantly bloated and in pain.                PUT

4.            During the winter, they are crowded into filthy congested sheds, in much the same way as pigs and chickens, and in some cases they are even kept ________________all year round.                    DOOR

5.            Modern meat production is responsible for recent _____________________of Mad Cow Disease, SARS, bird flu, and other diseases.                                                                                                                                    BREAK

LET’S WATCH

You’re about to watch a documentary in which Paul McCartney explains many important reasons for not eating meat— showing the horrible suffering that poultry, pigs, cows and fish are routinely subjected to in order to create meat that is eaten by people.

I’ve chosen it because I find it extremely effective in documenting the appalling conditions which factory farmed animals face in factory farms AKA “slaughterghouses” as well as other associated problems such as health issues and toxic pollution created as a byproduct of meat production.

The official website for this video is located here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4TON3BxTxg
 

Watch the video and complete the information related to each animal trying to use the vocabulary seen above. Then share your findings with a classmate.

AFTER YOU WATCH

What’s your take on what you have just seen? Do you think that a video like this one manages to raise awareness of the suffering farm animals have to endure? Do you think somebody can go vegetarian after watching this video? Why?

FOLLOW UP

Do a little research on any of the following topics and be ready to present it.

  

-              VEGANISM vs VEGETARIANISM

-              MEAT  & ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS SUBSTITUTES

-              INDIANS & COWS

-              MUSLIMS & PIGS

-              A VEGGIE RECIPE

-              A VEGAN RECIPE