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6th Grade  Project 4 weeks

Paws & Personalities Adoption Adventure

McKenna T
Updated
MS-LS4-5
MS-LS1-4
MS-LS4-5
MS-LS1-4
LS.3.A
+ 5 more
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Purpose

Students investigate how breed traits, inherited characteristics, health needs, and observed behaviors can help local shelter dogs find safe, lasting matches with adopters. They work with shelter staff and a veterinarian or vet technician to gather evidence, volunteer with dogs, and turn their findings into QR code profiles, adoption personality tools, fundraising efforts, and a public showcase. Through the Forever Home Fair, students use science, communication, and collaboration to support responsible pet care and increase community awareness about adoption.

Learning goals

Students will gather and synthesize evidence about breed traits, inherited characteristics, behavior, and common health needs so they can explain how humans influence dog traits and why behavior matters in successful adoption matches. They will observe and document dogs’ temperaments during shelter volunteering, then use that evidence to design and revise adoption personality tests, QR-code breed profiles, fundraising messages, and adoption timelines for the Forever Home Fair. Students will strengthen communication, collaboration, and self-direction by working with peers and community experts, giving and using feedback, and reflecting on responsible pet care and their role in helping shelter dogs find suitable homes.

Standards
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] MS-LS4-5 - Gather and synthesize information about the technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] MS-LS1-4 - Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] MS-LS4-5 - Gather and synthesize information about the technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] MS-LS1-4 - Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] LS.3.A - Inheritance of Traits
Competencies
  • Effective Communication - Students practice listening to understand, communicating with empathy, and share their learning through exhibiting, presenting and reflecting on their work.
  • Collaboration - Students co-design projects with peers, exercise shared-decision making, strengthen relational agency, resolve conflict, and assume leadership roles.
  • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Students consider a variety of innovative approaches to address and understand complex questions that are authentic and important to their communities.
  • Content Expertise - Students develop key competencies, skills, and dispositions with ample opportunities to apply knowledge and engage in work that matters to them.
  • Self Directed Learning - Students use teacher and peer feedback and self-reflection to monitor and direct their own learning while building self knowledge both in and out of the classroom.

Products

Students will create observation logs, dog personality profiles, owner-match personality tests, QR-coded breed and care cards, and a class timeline documenting research, shelter experiences, fundraising, and design decisions. They will also produce fundraising materials such as posters, announcements, or digital messages to support genetic testing, surgeries, and adoption fees. The culminating products will be a walk-through booth for the Forever Home Fair, a dog “fashion show” presentation highlighting temperament and care needs, and adoption resources that help visitors identify dogs that match their homes and habits. Students will also contribute written or audio reflections and feedback displays for the final gallery walk.

Launch

Begin with a fast-paced “Meet the Dogs, Meet the Need” event using short shelter dog profile videos, real adoption stories, and a visit or video message from a shelter veterinarian or vet technician explaining health needs, breed traits, and costs like surgeries, genetic testing, and adoption fees. Have students rotate through hands-on stations where they analyze sample dog behavior notes, scan model QR codes linked to breed and temperament information, and try a simple adopter personality quiz to see how matching works. End by revealing the class challenge: raise support for shelter needs and create adoption tools for a Forever Home Fair that helps dogs find homes that fit their personalities and care requirements.

Exhibition

Host a “Forever Home Fair” at school or a partner shelter where student teams create walk-through stations with QR-coded breed profiles, dog personality-match tools, fundraising results, and visual timelines showing how they researched behavior, traits, health needs, and adoption readiness. Include a live or video-based dog “fashion show” spotlighting each animal’s temperament, care needs, and best home fit, with students presenting evidence from their shelter observations and feedback from the veterinarian or vet technician. Invite families, shelter staff, and community members to use feedback cards or voice-note stations to respond to the adoption resources and reflect on responsible pet care. Close with a gallery walk that celebrates collaboration, communication, and the students’ role in helping local dogs find well-matched homes.