Library Scavenger Hunt: Exploring Informational Texts
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Library Scavenger Hunt: Exploring Informational Texts

Grade 5English5 days
★★★★★
4.0 (1 rating)
The "Library Scavenger Hunt: Exploring Informational Texts" project engages fifth-grade students in designing a library scavenger hunt to deepen their understanding of informational texts. Students explore text features, main ideas, and text structures through hands-on activities, culminating in the creation of engaging scavenger hunt questions. This project aligns with common core standards by enhancing students' skills in identifying informational text components and synthesizing information across multiple sources. Entry events like "The Mystery Book Quest" and "The Great Text Trek" add excitement, encouraging teamwork and engagement.
Scavenger HuntInformational TextsText FeaturesMain IdeasText StructuresSynthesisEngagement
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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we design an engaging library scavenger hunt to teach others about the features and purposes of informational texts?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.
  • What are informational texts and how do they differ from other types of texts?
  • How can identifying text features help us locate information quickly?
  • In what ways do informational texts serve the needs of their readers?
  • What strategies can we use to determine the main idea of an informational text?
  • How do authors of informational texts use evidence to support their points?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:
  • Students will be able to identify and explain the main features and purposes of informational texts through participation in creating a scavenger hunt.
  • Students will skillfully extract and quote information from various informational texts to craft accurate and engaging scavenger hunt questions.
  • Students will compare and contrast different text structures within informational texts to create diverse activity challenges.
  • Students will efficiently locate information from multiple print or digital sources to answer questions or solve problems.
  • Students will integrate information from several texts to design and explain questions and activities knowledgeably.

Common Core Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1
Primary
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.Reason: Students will need to accurately extract information from informational texts to design effective scavenger hunt questions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.5
Secondary
Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.Reason: The scavenger hunt will require students to analyze and compare text structures to create diverse and challenging activities.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.7
Primary
Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.Reason: The project targets skills in locating and using multiple sources of information quickly, which aligns with this standard.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.9
Secondary
Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.Reason: Creating a scavenger hunt involves integrating information from multiple texts to design comprehensive and informed questions.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

The Mystery Book Quest

Upon entering the library, students find a mysterious letter from a fictional archaeologist, who needs their help to uncover the secrets hidden within the library's informational texts. The archaeologist has left clues that lead to different sections of the library, each focusing on distinct topics and text features.

The Great Text Trek

Kick off with a map found in an old book, projecting the library as a world to be explored. Each 'continent' on the map represents a section of informational texts, and students must work as a team to navigate their way through the informational terrains, solving riddles at each stop along the way.
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Portfolio Activities

Portfolio Activities

These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.
Activity 1

Text Feature Explorers

Students embark on a quest to discover and catalog different text features within informational texts. This activity sets the foundation for understanding how to navigate and utilize informational texts effectively, which is crucial for the scavenger hunt.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Introduce students to various text features (e.g., headings, subheadings, captions, indexes) through a mini-lesson and examples.
2. Provide students with diverse informational texts and a text feature chart to record their findings.
3. In groups, students explore and identify different text features present in the provided texts.
4. Students present their findings and discuss how these features help in locating information.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA completed text feature chart showcasing identified features within various texts.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1 by enhancing skills in extracting information and CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.7 by teaching how to use multiple sources effectively.
Activity 2

Main Idea Detectives

This activity focuses on honing students' ability to identify the main idea of a text using supporting details—an essential skill for constructing meaningful scavenger hunt questions.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Review with students the concept of main ideas and supporting details using examples.
2. Assign students different informational texts and ask them to identify the main idea and three supporting details.
3. Using graphic organizers, students will map out how supporting details connect to the main idea.
4. Students will share and compare their findings with peers to validate their understanding.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityGraphic organizers illustrating the main idea and supporting details of selected texts.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsSupports CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1 by facilitating accurate extraction of explicit text information and inference skills.
Activity 3

Structure Sleuths

Students analyze and compare text structures to appreciate how information is organized differently in informational texts, preparing them to design varied scavenger hunt clues.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Introduce students to various text structures (e.g., cause/effect, problem/solution, chronology) through examples and discussions.
2. Provide each group with a set of texts organized in different structures.
3. Have students use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the structures, noting unique features of each.
4. Students discuss how understanding text structures aids in creating comprehensive questions.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityVenn diagrams and a collaborative discussion report on text structures.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsTargets CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.5 by emphasizing comparison and analysis of different text structures.
Activity 4

Information Integration Engineers

This activity challenges students to synthesize information from multiple texts, enhancing their ability to develop informed and insightful scavenger hunt questions.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Explain the importance of integrating information from various texts to gain a comprehensive understanding of a topic.
2. Assign groups a topic and provide multiple texts covering different aspects of the topic.
3. Students extract key information from each text and collaboratively integrate their findings into a comprehensive summary.
4. Each group presents their integrated understanding and discusses how it informs their scavenger hunt design.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA comprehensive summary that integrates information from multiple sources on a specific topic.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsConnects with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.9 by fostering the integration of information from several texts.
Activity 5

Question Crafting Creators

In the final activity, students apply all learning by creating engaging and challenging scavenger hunt questions using the informational texts they've studied.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Review the criteria for effective scavenger hunt questions, emphasizing clarity, engagement, and relevance.
2. Students brainstorm and draft potential questions, referencing their findings from previous activities.
3. Conduct a peer-review session where students provide constructive feedback on each other's questions.
4. Groups finalize their list of scavenger hunt questions and plan the layout of their hunt within the library.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA complete set of scavenger hunt questions ready for implementation in the library.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsCulminates in a comprehensive application of CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1, RI.5.5, RI.5.7, and RI.5.9 by utilizing skills from quoting texts to analyzing structures.
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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Library Scavenger Hunt Evaluation Rubric

Category 1

Understanding of Text Features

Evaluates the ability to identify and explain various informational text features.
Criterion 1

Identification of Text Features

The extent to which students can correctly identify and catalog text features in informational texts.

Exemplary
4 Points

Correctly identifies and catalogs all major and minor text features across diverse texts, demonstrating deep understanding.

Proficient
3 Points

Identifies and catalogs most major text features, with minor errors in less common features.

Developing
2 Points

Identifies some major text features but misses several minor features, showing partial understanding.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to identify major text features and does not recognize minor features.

Criterion 2

Explanation of Text Features

Ability to explain how text features help in locating and understanding information.

Exemplary
4 Points

Clearly and thoroughly explains how a variety of text features support efficient information retrieval and understanding.

Proficient
3 Points

Provides clear explanations for most text features and their roles in information retrieval.

Developing
2 Points

Explains some text features with limited connection to retrieval strategies.

Beginning
1 Points

Has difficulty explaining how text features aid in information retrieval and comprehension.

Criterion 3

Application in Scavenger Hunt

Use of text features knowledge to design scavenger hunt questions.

Exemplary
4 Points

Innovatively uses comprehensive text feature knowledge to craft engaging, varied scavenger hunt questions.

Proficient
3 Points

Effectively uses text feature knowledge to create appropriate scavenger hunt questions.

Developing
2 Points

Limited incorporation of text feature knowledge into scavenger hunt design.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to incorporate text feature knowledge into scavenger hunt questions.

Category 2

Identification of Main Ideas and Supporting Details

Focuses on the student's ability to determine main ideas and supporting details within informational texts.
Criterion 1

Main Idea Articulation

How well students identify and articulate the main idea of a passage.

Exemplary
4 Points

Precisely identifies and articulates main idea with complete clarity and insight.

Proficient
3 Points

Accurately identifies and articulates main idea, though minor details may be omitted.

Developing
2 Points

Identifies main idea but lacks precision or conflates it with less relevant details.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles with identifying or articulating main ideas clearly.

Criterion 2

Identification of Supporting Details

Students' ability to locate and connect supporting details accurately to the main idea.

Exemplary
4 Points

Skillfully identifies and connects multiple, relevant supporting details to the main idea.

Proficient
3 Points

Accurately connects most supporting details, with minor omissions.

Developing
2 Points

Recognizes some supporting details but may include irrelevant information.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to identify meaningful supporting details or misattributes them.

Category 3

Integration and Synthesis of Information

Assesses ability to merge information from varied texts into coherent understanding.
Criterion 1

Information Integration

How students synthesize data from multiple informational sources into a singular whole.

Exemplary
4 Points

Seamlessly integrates diverse information into a coherent, insightful summary.

Proficient
3 Points

Effectively combines key ideas from several texts into a logical synthesis.

Developing
2 Points

Integrates some information from various sources, though coherence may be lacking.

Beginning
1 Points

Experiences difficulty integrating information into a unified account.

Category 4

Creation of Engaging and Challenging Questions

Evaluates the design of scavenger hunt questions for clarity, relevance, and engagement.
Criterion 1

Question Relevance

The degree to which scavenger hunt questions relate to and reflect learning from the texts.

Exemplary
4 Points

Crafts questions that directly reflect learning objectives and text study, demonstrating relevance and insight.

Proficient
3 Points

Produces questions that are relevant and reflective of learning, with few omissions.

Developing
2 Points

Questions show some relevance but may stray occasionally from learning contexts.

Beginning
1 Points

Questions often lack relevance or critical tie-back to text studies.

Criterion 2

Question Creativity and Engagement

Judges the originality, creativity, and engagement level of questions designed.

Exemplary
4 Points

Designs exceptionally creative and engaging questions that captivate peers' interests.

Proficient
3 Points

Creates generally creative and interesting questions, retaining peers’ engagement.

Developing
2 Points

Questions are literal or predictable, limiting engagement and interest.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to create engaging or original questions that inspire peer involvement.

Reflection Prompts

End-of-project reflection questions to get students to think about their learning
Question 1

Reflect on the scavenger hunt you designed: How did identifying text features enhance your ability to create engaging scavenger hunt questions?

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Question 2

On a scale from 1 to 5, how comfortable do you feel integrating information from multiple texts to create scavenger hunt questions after completing the library project?

Scale
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Question 3

Which entry event, 'The Mystery Book Quest' or 'The Great Text Trek', did you find more effective in engaging you with the informational texts? Why?

Multiple choice
Required
Options
The Mystery Book Quest
The Great Text Trek
Question 4

In what ways did analyzing text structures (cause/effect, problem/solution) help you understand and organize information better for your scavenger hunt questions?

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Question 5

How has your ability to quote accurately from informational texts improved after participating in the scavenger hunt preparation activities? Provide specific examples.

Text
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