Service Learning

The best way to learn is by doing. Service learning enables students to improve upon academic learning and develop personal skills through structured projects that benefit the community.

You might have students participate in a project that teaches them about the pet overpopulation crisis while getting them involved with helping companion animals in their community.

Read Gabrielle Vincent's A Day, A Dog, and write a journal entry from the perspective of the abandoned dog in the story.
Collect contact information from local animal rescue groups and shelters. Create a pocket guide to distribute to students so that they know what to do if they find an animal in need.
Brainstorm ways to directly help abandoned animals in the community. Could your class collect blankets, food, and toys for shelter animals, volunteer to walk dogs, or hold a coin drive to sponsor spay and neuter surgeries? These are all ways that students can become actively involved in their communities while helping animals.
Create a bulletin board display to showcase their efforts while reflecting on and appreciating the work they did.

In the end, students learn what it means to be a responsible citizen who is capable of making a positive difference in animals' lives.