Search Engine Scavenger Hunt

This lesson plan and corresponding reproducible appear in Teaching Elementary Students Real-Life Inquiry Skills by Kristy Hill. In this book, Hill provides guidelines that elementary students can use to evaluate resources for accuracy and credibility, explains how to teach students not only where to look for information but also how to gather and use that information, offers lesson plans that build research and note-taking skills, and teaches inquiry as a mode of learning.

Hill explains how to use the lesson plans in the book:

The simple and engaging lessons are meant to be scaffolded from kindergarten through sixth grade. For younger students, the lessons might look more like the teacher or librarian modeling the steps and ideas, or it might look more like a whole group activity. After proper modeling, older students should be able to engage in the lessons independently or in small groups. There is no right or wrong way to do the lessons. Your professional judgment and knowledge of your students and curriculum requirements will help you determine how best to present and conduct the lessons.

SUBJECT:	Other (Library Skills)
GRADE LEVEL:	Lower Elementary Upper Elementary
OBJECTIVES:	Students use search engines to locate information and investigate questions.
MATERIALS:	Internet access and Search Engine Scavenger Hunt reproducible and answer key: View the PDF
TIME NEEDED:	One class period

INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURE

STUDENT DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (SMALL GROUP)

1. What new information did you learn about sloths that you didn't already know?
2. How easy or difficult was it for you to locate the information you were looking for?

DEBRIEF QUESTIONS (WHOLE GROUP)

1. Share what you noticed about searching for information using the search engine versus searching for information in the National Geographic Kids' articles.
2. How is searching for information using the Internet different from using a book? How is it the same?