Hailey Rhum

ITU: State Studies

Subject Area: Language Arts
02/11/2014

Lesson Title: State Scavenger Hunt (Small Group Enrichment Lesson)

Developed by: Hailey Rhum
Grade Level: 3
Elementary

Time/Place: Mon/Wed February 17 and 19 at Southdale

Iowa Core Curriculum: Learning Goals/Standards:

RI.3.5. Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars,
hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently
RI.3.7. Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs)
and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g.,
where, when, why, and how key events occur).

Outcomes/Behaviors:

Students will find and recognize various text features of informational text
(ie: bold print, headings, the index)
Students will use text features within the informational text to find and record
information about a state
Students will create a State Coat of Arms to artistically represent the
information collected from the informational texts

Assessment/Evidence:

Performance Task: Create a State Coat of Arms

Criteria: Students must create a representation of the state they are assigned
using the information they find through the use of text features. Students will
decorate the Coat of Arms paper provided using pictures and color to
accurately represent the state.

Active Learning Plan:

A. Reminders for teacher before lesson begins/ Materials needed:
Informational texts available for all US regions
- 50 Facts About the 50 States by Patricia Kummer
-National Geographic: Travels Across America by Elspeth Leacock
Sticky notes available for all students

State Scavenger hunt page printed for all students

A cup with all state names written on slips of paper
Coat of Armor page printed and ready for al students
Colored pencils/Crayons/Markers available to decorate coat of arms
ESTABLISH EXPECTATIONS: 3rd graders, I want you to stay on task
during this activity and try your best. Remember to focus your
attention back on me and quiet your voices when I hold my hand up to
give you five.

B. Procedure:
ENGAGE: (Pass around the cup with all 50 state names written on slips
of paper) Everyone grab a slip of paper and read what is written on
your paper, then lay it down on the table in front of you. (Let
everyone see everyone elses) What do all of your pieces of paper
have in common? (They are all names of states) Today, students, we
are going to go on a scavenger hunt. Do you know what a scavenger
hunt is? Have you participated in one before? What kinds of things
might you look for in a scavenger hunt?
(Discuss characteristics of a scavenger hunt, and things you might look
for) Being on a scavenger hunt means that you are finding out
information, like an investigator or a researcher.
Our scavenger hunt is going to involve finding things in our text, or
investigating and researching the state that you just drew from my
cup.
(Pass out books for each student)
First, I want you to begin your investigation by taking a close look at
your books text features. I saw that you have been working on this in
class, and I want you to search for and identify as many as you can.
(Pass out sticky notes)
When you find any text features in your book, take a minute to write
down your thoughts on a sticky note just as you practice during Daily
4.
Reminder: Take a close look at the index in your book. How might this
be helpful when you are looking for information about your state?
(Allow for work time and assist anyone who needs extra help) 10
minutes?
Regroup: What are some text features that you put sticky notes on?
(Go around in a circle asking each student to share a different one)
(Hand out scavenger hunt list)
What do you think we may be doing with this list? (It is a scavenger
hunt, and we are going to look in our texts to find these items)
Well go ahead and get started today with researching our state using
our texts, and we will finish up when we meet again on Wednesday.
How might the text features that you sticky-noted help you find the

things on your state scavenger hunt list? (Discuss and demonstrate

using the index to find specific information, and what page number it is
on)
I want you to work on your own to find as many of the items on this
State Scavenger Hunt that you can. Check mark the box to show that
you found it, and write down notes of the information next to it.
(Show the Coat of Arms Paper) This is a coat of arms. It is usually used
to represent a family and show the things that make them unique.
When you have enough information (5-6 facts?) you will take the
information, and create your own coat of arms that represents your
state. Feel free to get creative and use lots of color so these are fun to
look at, but remember that they need to be accurate.
(Allow 15 minutes work time (Allow more time if they are on-task) on
finding items from the State Scavenger Hunt)
(Circulate for questions/help)
(When students have 5-6 facts? they can begin creating their coat of
arms)

C. Approximate time
60 minutes (Will be broken into two days)
D. Modifications
If students have a particular state they are interested in, they can
choose to work on that state
E. Resources used
50 Facts About the 50 States by Patricia Kummer
National Geographic: Travels Across America by Elspeth Leacock
Spectacular: State Report Projects for Any State by: Michael Gravois
Multiple Intelligences Used:
1. Linguistic Reading the text to interpret information, and using words to
express information and facts learned about the state
2. Visual/spatial Using artistic abilities and drawing pictures to represent the
facts gathered from the text
3. Interpersonal Sharing findings with peers and teachers

Best Practice Methods Used:

Apply strategies to comprehend, evaluate and appreciate texts, draw on prior

experience, interactions, word meaning and text, word identification and
sound-letterer correspondence, sentence structure, context and graphics

Conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions

and by posing problems; gathering, evaluating, synthesizing data from a
variety of sources
Read a range of texts-fiction, non, classic, contemporary to acquire new
information; read for personal fulfillment and to build an understanding of self
and cultures
Use spoken and written language for the purpose of enjoyment, persuasion,
gain information, learning, and understanding of content across the
curriculum
Use a variety of resources such as databases, computer networks, libraries,
or videos to gather and synthesize information and to create and
communicate knowledge