Elementary students in the District's Extended Learning (XL) program have been working this school year to create solutions for real-world problems identified by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), tackling issues such as climate change, sustainability and gender equality. The second- through fifth-grade students presented the outcomes of their work at the XL Expo held on Thursday, May 23, at Wydown Middle School.

The District’s XL curriculum this year is centered on learning more about the problems the 17 SDGs are designed to address and empowering students to create solutions of their own. Following the Project-Based Learning (PBL) process, students were challenged to take ownership of their learning by investigating real world issues and developing practical solutions in order to inspire change at the local, national and global levels.

Each grade level used a single question to drive their learning and exploration. This question, along with the SDGs on which each grade level focused, are included below.

Second Grade

Goal 14 Life Under Water

"How can we protect marine life from climate change?"

Third Grade

Goal 12 Responsible Consumption and Production

"How can we balance our needs and wants with the needs of Earth?"

Fourth Grade

Goal 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities

"What constitutes an ideal community?"

Fifth Grade

Goal 1 No Poverty

Goal 2 Zero Hunger

Goal 3 Good Health & Well-Being

Goal 4 Quality Education

Goal 5 Gender Equality

Goal 16 Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

"For what would I fight?"

At the XL Expo, students presented their projects to their teachers and family members in attendance and received feedback on their work.