What is a Treasure Hunt?

A treasure hunt is used to develop knowledge about a subject. It is a web based curriculum activity. Students use the Internet to gather information on specific topics or "specific treasures" from predetermined websites. The students put all the gathered information together and synthesize the results to answer a "Big Question". The "Big Question" is used as a vehicle to give the students a broader understanding of the big picture of the curriculum activity.

• Find webpages that are important to understand your given topic.(look for sites that are rich in graphics, text, sound, and video)
• Find 10 to 15 links (These are the direct pages you want the students to access for specific information)
• After gathering links-ask one key question for each website page you have linked to. (Be sure and use keywords found on the specific page the student is to access.)
• Follow the outline format below.

The outline format consists of Instructions, Questions, The Big Question, and Internet Resources.

1. Instructions: You are going to use the Internet links below to engage in a Treasure Hunt to uncover "treasures" of the following topic _________. You will use each Resource Link once to answer one question. When you have finished answering all the questions, go to the "Big Question" and synthesize the information together to get a better understanding of the topic. In your journal or at the bottom of the question worksheet, include your thoughts and impressions of what the "Big Questions" suggests. There is no right or wrong answer only a desire to have your thoughts on the subject.
2. Questions: Here is where you (the teacher) include 10-15 questions. Make a mix of questions that include clues as to where to find the information. Suggestions such as in the text locate, in the head of the page can be found, in the body of the text, or include keyword searches on the page to help narrow the time need to locate the information. These types of questions also help to keep the information more open for interpretation and encourages the student to synthesize the answers to the questions.
3. The Big Question: Write a question that forces the student to pull all the information together that they have gathered from the other questions in the treasure hunt. This question should lead the student to a bigger picture of the topic.
4. The Internet Resources: Give the student a numbered list of Internet Resources. They will use the resources to answer the questions listed above. Remember to link directly to the page where the information can be found. You need to include the Internet Resource and the web address (URL)for each source. Create hotlinks for the students to use so that they do not have to type in the URLs each time.

Internet Activities

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