The Step4Challenge is a Treasure Hunt! Any English teacher can run this S4E Activity.
There are only 4 simple steps to follow:
1) Choose a Place
I went to the Hungarian Agricultural Museum last weekend and took about 100 photos. You can use any place including your own classroom, a garden or the streets around your school will do.
2) Plan the Stations
Plan stations and number them. There were 10 stations at the Hungarian Museum.
Give a list of 8 words, some questions and exercises connected to the attraction at each
station.
The first time you prepare this exercise it is time-consuming , but you’ll get faster and better at it quickly.
This game works for several different levels simultaneously. Make sets of words and questions for literacy to advanced level students.
3) P&P (Printing and Packing)
Print 4 different documents:
1) Sticky Labels envelope destinations
2) To Do Notes envelopes for the students that include pictures, flash cards etc. Some notes needed to be printed only once for the group, sometimes you need as many copies as there are children. It depends on the activity.
3) Next Station Clues go into the correct envelopes and direct students to the next station and activity
4) Teacher’s Guide includes the overall plan.
All these bits and pieces are packed in the right order to make an information chain. There are lessons at each station as well as clues to get to the next station.
4) Treasure Hunt
It doesn’t take long to hide the envelopes but they must be in the right order. Students follow the notes in the envelopes. Give the “Introduction” envelope to the students before they go and find the first station.
Students enjoy finding the envelopes and they also enjoy the exercises.
At the museum the final envelope was held by an attendant who happened to be in a wheel chair. It took a few minutes for my students to find him. They asked several other attendants for help but nobody knew what they’d wanted. It was really funny and a great opportunity to practice speaking to strangers.
The students enjoyed the program so much that after a short break we did another Treasure Hunt in the other part of the museum!
Teachers often aren’t paid enough for this kind of work but for me the benefit to the students is worth it.
There are only 4 simple steps to follow:
1) Choose a Place
I went to the Hungarian Agricultural Museum last weekend and took about 100 photos. You can use any place including your own classroom, a garden or the streets around your school will do.
2) Plan the Stations
Plan stations and number them. There were 10 stations at the Hungarian Museum.
Give a list of 8 words, some questions and exercises connected to the attraction at each
station.
The first time you prepare this exercise it is time-consuming , but you’ll get faster and better at it quickly.
This game works for several different levels simultaneously. Make sets of words and questions for literacy to advanced level students.
3) P&P (Printing and Packing)
Print 4 different documents:
1) Sticky Labels envelope destinations
2) To Do Notes envelopes for the students that include pictures, flash cards etc. Some notes needed to be printed only once for the group, sometimes you need as many copies as there are children. It depends on the activity.
3) Next Station Clues go into the correct envelopes and direct students to the next station and activity
4) Teacher’s Guide includes the overall plan.
All these bits and pieces are packed in the right order to make an information chain. There are lessons at each station as well as clues to get to the next station.
4) Treasure Hunt
It doesn’t take long to hide the envelopes but they must be in the right order. Students follow the notes in the envelopes. Give the “Introduction” envelope to the students before they go and find the first station.
Students enjoy finding the envelopes and they also enjoy the exercises.
At the museum the final envelope was held by an attendant who happened to be in a wheel chair. It took a few minutes for my students to find him. They asked several other attendants for help but nobody knew what they’d wanted. It was really funny and a great opportunity to practice speaking to strangers.
The students enjoyed the program so much that after a short break we did another Treasure Hunt in the other part of the museum!
Teachers often aren’t paid enough for this kind of work but for me the benefit to the students is worth it.