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Treasure Hunts are a great way to incorporate technology in your lessons. Take a look at the Lesson Plan below that incorporates a Treasure Hunt into a Social Studies lesson.
Students: 6th grade (4-32 students)
Purpose of Lesson: Students should be able to grasp the usefulness of articles as a resource for research by the end of the lesson. Students should also become familiar with the various environmental issues affecting Brazil, Venezuela, and Mexico.
Georgia GPSs:
SS6G2 The student will discuss environmental issues in Latin America.
a. Explain the major environmental concerns of Latin America regarding the issues of air pollution in Mexico City, Mexico, the destruction of the rain forest in Brazil, and oil-related pollution in Venezuela.
ELA6W1 The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and provides a satisfying closure.
21st Century Learning Standards:
1.1.3 Develop and refine a range of questions to frame the search for new understanding.
1.1.9 Collaborate with others to broaden and deepen understanding.
1.3.5 Use information technology responsibly.
2.1.6 Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology skills to create products that express new understandings.
3.3.4 Create products that apply to authentic, real-world contexts.
4.4.4 Interpret new information based on cultural and social context.
Learning Objectives:
· Students will be able to gather information from provided internet resources to answer given questions with 80% accuracy
· Students will be able to describe the environmental issues affecting Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico City with 80% accuracy
Equipment & Materials Needed:
· Computers with internet access for half the number of students that are being taught
· Tables for group work
Time Required: 90 minutes. 45 minutes for research to answer the questions and 45 minutes to collaborate with group members and construct the essay.
Synopsis of Lesson:
Preparation: Place numbers on computers for easy direction and print copies of the Treasure Hunt Question Sheet and associated rubrics. Place four copies of the Treasure Hunt Question Sheet and one copy of the essay sheet and each rubric in a Manila envelope and place on each group table.
1. Gather students in computer lab, media center, or classroom with appropriate number of pc’s. Divide students into groups of four and assign them a table for group work.
2. Direct students to open their packets and remove the Treasure Hunt Question Sheet. Allow students to further divide themselves into pairs and decide which pair will answer which questions during the internet research. They should also decide who will be their “Poster”. This person will post their final essay on the web page.
3. Once pairs are arranged. Place pairs at computers with access to the internet (pc’s should be connected to the school network to gain access to GALILEO).
4. In pairs students should be directed to type in the url to the Environmental Issues in Latin America Treasure Hunt page or to save time the teacher can add the url to the bookmarks on each PC before class.
5. Read the instructions with the class.
6. While in pairs students should use the links to find the answers to the questions and take individual notes about each article.
7. Students should come back to their groups and present their findings to their group members, essentially teaching their group members what they’ve learned.
8. At that point they should use their collective information to write a short essay.
9. Once completed the “Poster” from each group will post their essay with all of their group members’ names as a comment on the Treasure Hunt page.
Assessment & Evaluation: The lesson is divided into pairs with rubrics to assess their information gathering skills, their ability to answer knowledge questions correctly and to apply that information in an essay that requires higher order thinking. Students will be given the rubric ahead of time and assessed individually, in pairs and in their group.
The url to the Treasure Hunt could be emailed to parents or teachers can print note cards with the url and hand them to students to give to parents or other learning community members so they can review their work.
