Description

Students get exposure to a variety of resources by working in a cooperative group to complete a literary scavenger hunt.

Materials

-Enough of the following resources for each group to have a copy:
-dictionary
-thesaurus
-almanac
-local newspaper
-phone book
-menu from restaurant
-farmers' almanac
-atlas

-Copy of Cite Your Sites worksheet for each student
-Chart tablet
-Grading pen for each student

Procedures

1. Open by saying, “There are so many different reference books in our room and our library that I am confused. I am not sure which one to use for different situations. I have brain overload, and I do not have time to look through every one of them to find the answer to a particular question. I think we all need to do an activity that will give us an opportunity to learn how to use these reference materials.-

2. Make a list of the different types of books on the board. Include the words: dictionary, thesaurus, almanac ,encyclopedia, text book, biography, autobiography, local newspaper, national newspaper, menu, telephone book. Ask the students to help you fill out a K.W.L. chart on a chart tablet. What do they already Know about each resource? What do they Want to learn about the resource? Leave the end column blank- so that you can fill out Learned, after they have completed the lesson.

3. Do not TEACH the students about the different types of resources before this lesson. You might want to point out the different types of books, but do not tell them what they will find in each. This is the fun of the scavenger hunt!

4. Pass out the -Cite Your Sites- worksheet, one for each student. Go over the worksheet with the students. Explain that as a group, they are going to answer each question by searching through the resource books. They need to work cooperatively on the hunt. When one person finds an answer, they need to share it with the others. Then, they will need to put their initial next to that question on each of their group members' worksheets. You will be able to observe which group members contributed in finding the answers. Each student needs to complete his or her own copy of the worksheet. There will be a few answers that are harder to find, causing the group to really have to work together.

5. Break the students up into heterogeneous groups. Make sure that each group has at least one copy of each of the resources. Then, send the students on the scavenger hunt! Tell them that they will have 30 minutes to complete the activity. Remind them that if they work together, they will complete the activity faster. Tell them that they need to let you know when they are finished.

6. Announce when the first group has finished. Praise the group by stating that they must have worked cooperativly to have completed the scavenger hunt so quickly.

7. After most of the class has finished, have the students reflect on what they have learned by filling out the last column of the KWL chart. Go back to your list of the resources on the board, and have the class help you write the purpose of each resource. Have a group discussion about the activity. -What did the class enjoy about the activity?- -Which questions did they have trouble with?-

8. Finally, have the children check their own paper. They need to write the number of questions that they did not answer, or answered incorrectly, on the top of their paper. They can fill in the questions that they did not answer, with their grading pen.

9. Go over the completed KWL chart with the class. Discuss how much that you all have learned, and how much easier it will be now be to find information in a resource book.

Extensions

The teacher will need to be aware of the students reading levels, and pair the lower readers with someone who could help them. This lesson could be modified for advanced students by adding more detailed questions, or requiring more specific answers. The lesson could be modified for lower level students by lowering the number of questions, or limiting the number of resources used. This lesson could be extended by allowing the students to come up with additional questions using the resource materials. They could then trade their questions with classmates.