Scavenger Hunt 2019 (1 of 2)

The Beacon Academy Library Treasure Hunt 2019

 

Grade 9 - Group # ______

Members:______________________________

 

Answer the questions as quickly as you can. Your answers need to be accurate and correct.

 

Task #1.  Use PageMaster V5, the BA Library's Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) and conduct a search using Philippines and Folktales as keywords.  Choose a book from the search results. Locate the book on the shelf. Write the bibliographic data of the book.

 

Author:

Title:

Publisher:

Place of Publication:

Publication year or Copyright:

 

Task #2.  Go to the OPAC.  Find a book written by Dianne de Las Casas. Write a short description of the book (3-5 sentences long).

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Task #3.  What is the Dewey Decimal number of the book The Legends:Philippine Folk Literature?

 

DDC #: 

 

Task #4.  Answer the question: How can basic Boolean Searchstrategy help you in locating information and sources online?

 

Tasks  #5. Log in EBSCOHost. Go to EXPLORA. Search for mythology. Skim the article. From what encyclopedia was the article sourced out? 

 

Task # 6.  Log in World Book Online and go to World Book Student. Search for legends. Answer this question: What makes a legend different from a myth? Cite your source.

 

*You may write your answer at the back of this paper.

 

Tasks #7. Using the BA Library OPAC, search for the bibliographic data of The Power of Myth. Write a citation in APA and MLA formats. Use the back of the paper to write your citations.

 

 

Library Scavenger Hunt 2016

It is already a tradition in The Beacon Academy for grade nine students to play the Scavenger Hunt. I started this out with our Comparative Religions (CRe) teacher three years ago. She saw the need to introduce students to serious research in a fun and engaging manner. When she broached the idea to me, I said YES! This is a teacher-librarian collaboration opportunity. I learn from her. She learns from me. Our students learn too. We all learn together.

So, this year, a month and half after the academic year opened, CRe teacher and I scheduled the Scavenger Hunt. My staff helped prepare the handouts, the puzzles and the technology needed for the activity. In previous years, the main objective of the game was to finish the hunt and the puzzle. This year, I emphasized the importance of finishing a product as well as going through a process. These two ideas, product and process, are valuable in academic research and scholarly endeavors. Hmm... thinking about it, these are valuable life lessons.

Completing a product or a task is one thing. Knowing how it was completed and accomplished is another. The former is concerned with competence. The later is about smarts. Both require stamina, perseverance and drive. All these learning skills happen in the classroom and outside its four walls. The library, with programs and services such as this, becomes an extension of the classroom. Bless the CRe teacher who recognizes this role of the library.

 How did the students take on the Scavenger Hunt? They had fun. They used their skills. They panicked. They finished the task and they felt good about themselves.

We wrapped up the game by asking them things they learned and discovered about research, the library and the challenges of working in a group. I felt confident too, teaching along side our CRe teacher. It unburdens me in so many ways. Now how do we assess the students' learning? The skills covered in the Scavenger Hunt appear in their tasks and project in their CRe lessons. I await feedback from my teaching partner, the CRe teacher.

Library Talk and Scavenger Hunt

Puzzle Time! Final round of the Scavenger Hunt

The Library Talk and Scavenger Hunt activities I had with grade 9 students last week was a good one. Both are regular activities by the library under its instructional program and the participation of a new batch of grade 9s made it different from the previous years. Students are the uncontrolled variables. Often, their context and experience make or break a learning encounter. This makes teaching really fun!

For the Library Talk, I simply provided students pointers on going about their research: what the task is; what information is needed to accomplish the task; how to go about seeking and locating for information to finish the task. There. The BIG 3 in the BIG 6 research process. These three pointers make up the crucial analytical steps of Information Literacy. I then re-introduced the library OPAC and basic online databases that the library subscribe to. I get a kick showing how cool the PDFs can get when you email it to yourself with annotations and citations.

The Scavenger Hunt on the one hand is a game where players use the basic search tools in the library. In the BIG 6 model, this is step 3: Location and Access. After the game, the CRe (Comparative Religion) teacher and I processed the experience. Students said:

- they were able to use the "websites" that the library has;
- they were able to locate information;
- they were able to see more of the library -- it is not just books;
- they got to save documents in World Book Online using My Research;
- they learned how to find books more efficiently;

The first term is about to end. While I am happy that this batch of grade 9 students have had three library visits with me, and that their respective teachers articulated the need to work with me to strengthen research skills, I hope to do more library encounters with them. We have only just begun.