Happy Tails Animal Shelter PBL | Grades 2–4 Math, ELA & STEM Project

Put students in charge of Happy Tails Animal Shelter with this hands-on animal shelter project-based learning unit for grades 2–4. Students become a Junior Rescue Team and use math, reading, writing, STEM, planning, and problem-solving skills to care for animals and improve the shelter.

Throughout this 38-page printable PBL, students manage a $1,000 rescue budget, distinguish animal needs from extras, analyze shelter data, shop for food and supplies, respond to emergencies, design shelter spaces, create animal-care schedules, match pets with families, and plan an adoption campaign.

Students will practice

• Budgeting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and money math
• Data collection, graphing, measurement, and multi-step problem-solving
• Reading informational text and using evidence
• Persuasive and explanatory writing
• STEM design, spatial planning, and decision-making
• Empathy, teamwork, responsibility, and communication

What is included

• Teacher welcome, project overview, standards guide, and rubric
• Junior Rescue Team mission letter
• $1,000 Rescue Budget challenge
• Animal needs versus extras activity
• Shelter resident profiles and data activities
• Food pantry and shelter-supply shopping challenges
• Emergency washing-machine problem
• Shelter design zones and animal-care schedule
• Adoption profiles and family-matching activity
• New-animal intake and revised budget challenges
• Measurement and shelter floor-plan activities
• Animal enrichment STEM design challenge
• Peanut's adoption campaign and Adoption Day planning
• Donation math, final rescue plan, showcase, reflection, and certificate

This low-prep animal shelter PBL is useful for elementary math and ELA enrichment, STEM lessons, cooperative groups, gifted learning, homeschool, end-of-year projects, summer learning, and real-world problem-solving practice.

Format: 38-page printable PDF digital download. No physical product will be shipped.