Try not to laugh
For those of us who are animal lovers, we all know how hilarious our pets can be… whether intentionally or not.
Enter: the comedy pet photo competition. Created by Paul Joynson-Hicks and Tom Sullam, the contest aims to celebrate the positive and vital role that pets have in our lives – and all those times you catch your pet doing something silly on camera.
This year’s crop of images includes levitating horses, grumpy dogs and mischievous cats.
Here are a few of the photos. Voting for the overall winner is now open, so check out our gallery of these adorable pets and then get voting. The winners will be announced on 6 June. Source: BBC Science.
Here’s a potential lesson plan for exploring funny animal photos with students:
Lesson Objectives:
- Analyze what makes an animal photo funny or amusing
- Develop criteria for evaluating and grading humorous pet photos
- Practice writing descriptive and evaluative commentary
Analyze Funny Photos
Start by looking at the examples below. For each, have students discuss:
- What is happening in the photo that is amusing?
- What facial expressions or body positions make it funny?
- Are there any surprising/unexpected elements?
- Animal in an unexpected/unusual position or situation
- Apparent lack of self-awareness/dignity by the animal
- Capturing the animal doing something “human-like”
- Good timing/capturing the perfect moment
- High-quality photo (focused, well-lit, etc.)
Grading Practice
Put students into small groups and assign them 3-4 photos from the contest. Have each group:
- Rank the photos from funniest to least funny
- Provide a short written evaluation justifying their rankings based on the criteria developed
- Decide on which photo to vote for.
- Click here to vote: Voting for the overall winner is now open, so check out our gallery of these adorable pets and then get voting.
Humor/Comedy Value
- Facial expression: 20 pts
- Unexpected/bizarre situation: 15 pts
- “Human-like” behavior: 10 pts
- Apparent lack of self-awareness: 5 pts
Extension
- Challenge students to apply their understanding by capturing their own funny pet photos.
- Instruct students to follow the criteria discussed in class for evaluating their photos.
- Allow students to share their photos with the class, accompanied by their evaluations and reflections on the process.
- Encourage peer feedback and discussion on the effectiveness of each student’s photo in conveying humor.
