I came across this book,
Not Norman, a Goldfish Story by Kelly Bennett and immediately related to the concept. Growing up, I longed for a dog, a pet I could play with and call my own. Because my father was a bit afraid of dogs, we never got one. During one carnival after school, my sister won a goldfish. Rose was her name. Rose, the only pet we ever had was loved, cared for, admired. Yes, she was only a goldfish, but she was all we had. After three long days, we found Rose floating at the top of her bowl. My sister and I were devastated. No, Rose wasn't what most people would call a super pet, but she was ours. The boy in this book soon realizes the same about his goldfish Norman.
I liked this book so much that I decided to create a two part lesson for kindergarten with it. First, we discussed the qualities of a good pet. While reading students were to think about ways Norman was a good pet. Students then completed the sentence, "Norman, the goldfish, was a good pet because... (opinion writing in disguise)!" Next class, students illustrated Norman in his bowl and created him by using their hand and a little paint. As you can see, they enjoyed the lesson and I enjoyed remembering my pet goldfish Rose.
