Pet Care Lesson Plan

Homeschool Teacher - Lesson Plan & Newsletter
February 21, 2007

History
Today is Love your pet day. Read the following article about pet care:
http://www.helium.com/tm/174143/sharing-bring-years-enjoyment
Discussion Questions:
1. You should be able to care for your pet for their _________.
2. Your pet should wear a ________ with an ___________ tag on your pet that includes a clearly written name, ____________and ________________.
3. Spend time with your pet each day ____________, and giving love and __________.

Journal
What does Responsibility mean to you?
What are THREE ways you can show your parents you are being responsible?
Do you have a pet? Write an autobiography of your pet (or make one up if you don't have a pet; there will be a lot of pretending in this exercise). Your animal must speak for itself, so use "I" instead of "he" or "she". Tell one of the best adventures your animal decides to embark upon.
Reading

Read "Dr. Dog's Rx for Sick Kids" http://www.bestfriends.org/atthesanctuary/humaneeducation/crdrdog.html
about a Sheltie named Alar who visits a hospital and helps sick children. After you have read the story, brainstorm different ways in which animals can help people. Use this worksheet to brainstorm http://www.eslflow.com/Visio-brainstorm_worksheet_cluster_diagram.pdf.



Why are therapy dogs like Alar successful at helping people? What characteristics does Alar have that help him relate to people in a hospital?
Read "Dr. Dog's Rx for Sick Kids" http://www.bestfriends.org/atthesanctuary/humaneeducation/crdrdog.html
about a Sheltie named Alar who visits a hospital and helps sick children. After you have read the story, brainstorm different ways in which animals can help people.

Why are therapy dogs like Alar successful at helping people? What characteristics does Alar have that help him relate to people in a hospital?
Reference Skills
Print out the following questions and take them to the library to practice your reference skills. You can also search on-line!
1. Find a book about your favorite animal. Write down the title, author, and call number.

2. Find a book about caring for pets. Write down the title, author, and call number. Look in the table of contents. Pick one pet and write down one fact about caring for it.

3. Find a book about training dogs. Write down the title, author and call number. List five things dogs can be trained to do to help them be better pets.

4. How many non-fiction books does your library have about cats? Find one book about caring for cats. List three things a cat needs to be healthy and happy.

5. Use the encyclopedia. Look up the entry for "Horse." Find four parts of a horse, and write them down on your paper.

6. Find a book about pet birds. Write down the title, author, and call number. List three birds that are kept as pets.

7. List as many "working with animals" careers as you can find. Find a book about one of them. Write down the title, author, and call number.

8. Find a book of poems. Copy a short poem about animals, including the author's name.

9. Find a book of Native American stories about animals. Write down the name of the book, author, and call number. Write down the names of three animals that are mentioned in the book.

10. List the magazines about animals that are in your library. Read an interesting magazine article about animals, and in your own words, write a paragraph that describes what the article was about. Write down the name of the magazine, issue and date, and the title of the article.

Math
How much does a pet cost? Use this worksheet to figure it out http://www.bestfriends.org/atthesanctuary/humaneeducation/crmoney1.html