Pick a Pet

Congratulations!   You have gotten some good news.  Your classroom is going to adopt a new pet.  Before the school will let you have the pet you will have to make some wise decisions.  Good luck getting the school to agree with your new pet adoption.  Be sure to make wise choices.

Task

Your class has decided to get a new pet.  The classroom can be a very good place for some pets but not a good place for every type of animal.  You will have to help decide what pet is going to be the best choice for your classroom.  You will have to meet with other people in the school to make your final decision.  Below are the things that you will need to do to complete this task:

• You will need to find out what pets need to live.
• You will need to find out the cost of having a pet. 
• You will need to find out what sort of maintenance this pet will need.
• You will present your pet decision to the class with a display.

    The Process

You will need to complete the following steps to complete the task.

1. Decide what pet your group wants the classroom to adopt.  Be sure that you talk about what pet might be good for your classroom.
2. Start a journal of the information that your group needs to find.  The first thing that you will want to do is write down all of the things that you already know about the pet.  Then you will write down new information as your group finds it. 
3. Write a list of questions that you want to know about the pet.  Some suggestions are below:
       Where will the pet live?
       What does the pet need?
       How much will the pet cost?
       Who will take care of the pet?
       What problems will there be with this pet?
       What benefits will the pet be to the class?
       Who will take care of the pet on the weekends and         
       vacations?
4. Research your pet choice and answer the questions that you have made.  Be sure to write down any new facts that you find.  Feel free to make new questions as you do your research.
5. When you have answered all of your questions, discuss the following:
       What would the Principal think of this new pet?
       What would the Teacher think of this new pet?
       What would your Other Classmates think of this new pet?
       What would the Parents think of this new pet?
       What would the Custodian think of this new pet?
6. Once you have agreed that this animal is the right choice for the classroom make a display for the class.  Remember your display is meant to help convince your classmates and the school staff that this animal is the best choice.
7. Plan out your presentation.  What are you going to say?  What questions might people ask?
8. Present your project to the school (your class).

Group Advice

• It is very important that everyone in the group gets a chance to talk.
• Remember you are working as a team.  Don't argue.
• Everyone needs to help.

Last Updated March 2005 by Trisha Armstrong