Suggest one hands-on activity plan (easy language arts) for Black Beauty that reflects critical thinking.

Published in 1877, Anna Sewell's novel Black
Beauty is credited with having effected the greatest changes ever regarding
the treatment of animals.  With this in mind, the children could make a list in one
column of the mistreatment chronicled in the novel and then in another column write what
the ethical treatment of horses should have been.

After
this activity, students can extrapolate the work to consider other animals.  For
instance, students could organize their list and ideas about other animals into a
paragraph which has as its topic The Importance of Ethical (you may need to simplify
this word) Treatment for Animals.  [Let the little artists illustrate, too!]  A simpler
version of this could be having the students write about how they would treat a horse
(or other pet) if they had one.  Demonstrations could involve real pets (?) or someone
pretending to be a pet. [Making use of Halloween
costumes] 

Or, they could write about what animals treat us
since Duchess, Beauty's mother and Beauty himself exhibit patience and other sterling
qualities.