7th grade students in the 20/20 science class have been working to help solve some of the toughest global issues this year. Challenge 20/20 asks students to find local solutions to twenty different global problems, and our 7th grade students rose to the challenge. Students addressed issues like biodiversity loss, poverty, and water scarcity. They planned and executed a local solution throughout this school year, and they engaged the community to make their project sustainable. One group of students designed and tested a low-cost water filtration system; the girls presented it to the elementary students and donated their prototype to the science lab so younger students are aware of the problem and a possible solution. This project inspires students to learn more about global challenges and use critical and creative thinking to help in a local context. Students are motivated because they can see the change and speak with people who are impacted by their efforts.

mindful of the materials they used to prevent waste; choose a tool they have never used before, and perform an action to help solve a problem OR educate others about a problem. With this freedom, students were motivated to create a variety of products including game shows like Jeopardy and Family Feud, Wevideos, Prezis, Powtoons, E-books, Flip-a-clips, infographics, websites, audio presentations like radio programs and songs, and video presentations including 

advertisements reflecting the reality.  In the end, students in this service learning invite you to consider that "every living thing should be treated with respect and love."  Follow their learning on Twitter @4AnimalsASFG!

On November21st, students in the 5th Grade Animal Rights Service Learning group participated in two Skype calls. Students are reaching out to organizations across the world to make a difference for animals and learn about the work that is happening around the world. Students Skyped with an animal shelter in Sayulita called Sayulitanimals and the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) in Washington DC.

Reaching out globally and using Skype as a way to connect with these organizations across the world, engages students. The video shows a student concerned about shark fishing and the endangerment and mistreatment of sharks. During this call with AWI, she was able to converse with experts, ask good questions, and learn more so she can start creating her action plan for her project.

Students are taking the initiative on their service learning projects. One student created a blog and another created a website to reach out and collaborate with others. Realizing that with new literacy practices, we can co-construct, publish and collaborate, this project reinforces core curriculum learning. Soon the group will be opening a SL twitter account to do some research and connect cross culturally with other people micro blogging about animal rights.

In order to engage the 5th grade students in service learning, the teachers are asking students to make decisions about their projects. Initially, students chose which group to participate in, and now they are helping to guide the projects. The Animal Rights group works with CAAN Centro de Adopciones Avanzadas. The group is led by Laya Waldman, but it is driven by the students ideas and interests.  Using Google Classroom helps the team get organized and share their ideas. Students can comment and connect using the discussion stream.

Students used a link in their classroom recently to fill out a survey to determine what they want to accomplish. One student wrote: "An animal right issue is that people abandon animals when they stop being cute and little, but they are still THE SAME DOGS."  You can see all the survey answers to learn more about students' ideas about how to help animals in need in Guadalajara.