[HISTORICAL AUSTIN SCAVENGER HUNT]

I.

Topic/Grade Level: [History/ Geography- Scavenger Hunt] [8th grade]

II.

Standards: [Chapter 113. Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies
Subchapter B. Middle School]

113.20. Social Studies, Grade 8

(2) To support the teaching of the essential knowledge and skills, the use of a variety of rich primary
and secondary source material such as the complete text of the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration
of Independence, landmark cases of the U.S. Supreme Court, biographies, autobiographies, novels,
speeches, letters, diaries, poetry, songs, and artworks is encouraged. Motivating resources are
available from museums, historical sites, presidential libraries, and local and state preservation
societies.
126.16. Technology Applications, Grade 8
(2) Communication and collaboration. The student collaborates and communicates both locally and
globally to reinforce and promote learning. The student is expected to:
(A) create and manage personal learning networks to collaborate and publish with peers, experts, or
others using digital tools such as blogs, wikis, audio/video communication, or other emerging
technologies;
(B) communicate effectively with multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats;
(4) Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making. The student makes informed decisions
by applying critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. The student is expected to:
(A) identify and define relevant problems and significant questions for investigation;
(C) collect and analyze data to identify solutions and make informed decisions;
(D) use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions;

III.Goals and Student Learning Outcomes (Objectives):

[GOAL: Students will be able to work as a team to discover the city of Austins local history
by visiting historical locations and artifacts. Once students solve the question they will
document what they learned by taking pictures or text messaging].

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[STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: what students will be able to demonstrate as a result
of the lesson. List the activities in this lesson that will allow students to accomplish each goal]
Goal 1: Students will be able to identify that they can follow directions and stay in a group
Student Learning Outcome 1: Working as a group, students will solve questions and
riddles about the city of Austin. The main objective is to have students use primary and
secondary source material.
Student Learning Outcome 2: Students will use a map to determine if they are heading in
the right direction.
Student Learning Outcome 3: Students will prove that they can follow directions while
using their smart phones.
IV.

Learning Environment(s):
Blended

V.

Resources:
Huntzz - Treasure Hunts app
Powerpoint Presentation

VI.
VII.

Diversity / Differentiation:
13 Females 7 Males
36% Indian-American, 35% Hispanic, 29% African-American
Each student receives free or reduced rate lunch.

VIII. Technology Inclusion:

Either a smart phone or tablet device with data plan acess (3G or 4G)
Storage space on the device being used
Smart Board for PowerPoint Presentation
IX.

Prior Knowledge: Prior to this lesson, students have: reviewed, learned, identified, etc
Lesson Placement in the Unit: This is lesson _2_ of _20__.

X.

Procedures:
1. Lesson Introduction / Anticipatory Set:
At registration, students and parents will be notified of the scavenger hunt. Parents
will be asked for their childs consent to participate and their help as chaperones.
On the first day of class, students will be reminded that they will be participating in
the Austin Historical Scavenger hunt over the first weekend of school. Students will
work on a primary source and secondary source assignment. The teacher will
review mobile safety and appropriate used of their devices. Before students are
dismissed on Friday, the teacher will pass out the direction for downloading the app
and the group assignment.
2. Direct Instruction:

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Students will answer the questions from the Huntzz app. During Mondays class
students will compare and review the results of the scavenger hunt. The remainder of
the class will be used for a local history lesson via PowerPoint. (Topics to be coveredState Capital history, St. Mary's Cathedral, The Driskill Hotel, Texas State Cemetary,
and a few others).
3. Student Interaction with lesson content / Guided Practice:
Using the Huntzz app students will determine if the question pertains to a primary or
secondary sources and its historical significance. Depending on the challenge, the app
will make students photographs, visual record, or text their answers.
4. Independent Practice:
The scavenger hunt requires groups of 3-4. Only students who do not have permission
to participate will complete this assignment alone. This assignment can be considered
homework because this assignment happened over the weekend. The Huntzz app will
ask them a question or riddle about the history Austin. Students have several different
methods of answering questions, such as text or pictures.
5. Review / Closure:
The teacher will wrap up the lesson with an interactive presentation that encourages
students to participate.
6. Presentations:
The only time the entire class will share work is when we discuss the results of the
scavenger hunt.
XI.

XII.

Evaluation/Assessment:
Students will be assessed on their ability to work as a team and answer the
question on the Huntz app. (Chaperones will evaluate the group)- 33.33%
Completing the Historical Austin Scavenger Hunt- 33.33%
Students will be graded on their engagement during Mondays class discussion
and lesson- 33%
Risk Analysis: Potential areas of risk include no data connection, unpredictable
weather, cannot attend. There is nothing the teacher can do about there not being data
connection. To combat one person not having data, more than one students should have
their phone, app downloaded, and available for the teams uses. Students should prepare for
being outside for several hours. Students who cannot physically be in attendance can work
remotely from home and use the internet to find the answers to the questions.

XIII. References:
Chapter 113. Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Social Studies
Subchapter B. Middle School. (2011). Retreived from

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http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter113/ch113b.html.
Chapter 126. Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Technology Applications
Subchapter B. Middle School.(2011). Retrieved from
http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter126/ch126c.html.

Watsons Adventures LLC. (2015). Retrieved from

http://www.watsonadventures.com/private/event/awesome-austin-scavenger-hunt/.