Candy, as eight-year-old Bindi named her newly acquired companion, was a rat. "I got him two weeks after my dad died . . . He helps me feel lots better!" . . . A sense of security is critical for any grieving child, and Bindi, naturally, had found it in an animal -- one who'd sit on her shoulder as she'd rollerblade and on her lap during interviews. As she prepared to take on life without Dad, a small friend provided big comfort. —Steve and Bindi Irwin,
Amy Breguet

How might a sixth-grader connect this text to his or her own life?

A sixth-grader can appreciate that a pet can be a great comfort to a kid who is sad.
A sixth-grader knows what it is like to have a career.
A sixth-grader understands how to train rats.
A sixth-grader knows a lot about nature and animal habitats.