Lesson Title: Exploring History Through a Museum Scavenger Hunt

As educators, we know that your expertise and creativity play a crucial role in delivering effective and engaging learning experiences. We wanted to help get your students up and moving and even more engaged in your already awesome lessons! As such, we’ve designed this lesson plan that can be used while taking part in a museum field trip with your students. It is simple, perfect for any grade, and is intended to be versatile so that you can easily change it up to make it an effective tool for your unique student and classroom needs! Once you’ve taught the curriculum content in the classroom, feel free to use this template alongside a Goosechase Interactive Experience to help make your field trip and student engagement stronger!

Objective:

• Students will engage with historical artifacts and exhibits in a museum setting to deepen their understanding of the curriculum.
• Students will develop critical thinking and observational skills through participation in a museum scavenger hunt.

Materials:

• Museum map or floor plan
• A mobile device with the Goosechase app downloaded

In-class Preparation:

• Icebreaker Activity:
  • Engage students with a brief discussion about their previous museum experiences.
  • Share your own positive experiences and express the excitement of exploring history through artifacts.
• Overview of the Activity:
  • Explain the objectives of the activity: to connect classroom learning to real-world artifacts, enhance observation skills, and make history more tangible.
  • Introduce the museum Goosechase Experience as a fun and interactive way to achieve these objectives.
• App Set-Up 
  • Dedicate time to ensuring all students have the Goosechase app downloaded and joined to the Experience to avoid any tech issues the morning of your Museum visit. 

Museum Visit and Scavenger Hunt:

• Upon Arrival at the Museum 
  • Discuss the importance of respectful behavior while onsite.
• Guided Tour or Orientation:
  • Begin the museum visit with a guided tour or orientation by museum staff.
  • Provide students with background information on key exhibits related to the curriculum.
• Scavenger Hunt Instructions:
  • Briefly explain the instructions, emphasizing the importance of careful observation and critical thinking.
  • Emphasize the significance of teamwork and cooperation during the scavenger hunt.
  • Provide an overview of the scavenger hunt rules and expectations.
• Scavenger Hunt Exploration:
  • Allow students to explore the museum in small groups.
  • Encourage students to use their observation skills to find specific artifacts, answer questions, or complete tasks on the Goosechase mission list.
  • Documentation of student observations are recorded within the Goosechase app and automatically saved to their camera roll. 

Debrief:

• Group Discussion:
  • Bring students together to discuss their Goosechase scavenger hunt experiences.
  • Encourage them to share interesting discoveries, challenges faced, and connections made to classroom learning.
• Reflection Activity:
  • Distribute reflection worksheets or journals.
  • Have students reflect on how the interactive experience deepened their understanding of historical concepts and artifacts.

Optional activities upon return to the classroom:

1) Conclusion and Follow-Up:

• Summarize:
  • Summarize the key takeaways from the museum visit and scavenger hunt.
  • Emphasize the relevance of the experience to classroom learning.
  • Download Goosechase submissions and create a presentation for the class, highlighting exceptional photos or videos. Use them as discussion starters for students to share stories and reflect as a team on what they experienced.
• Follow-Up Activities:
  • Assign follow-up activities, such as essays, presentations, or creative projects based on the museum visit.
  • Discuss the importance of connecting museum experiences to academic studies.

2) Assessment:

• Assessment will be based on participation in the scavenger hunt, group discussions, and the quality of reflections.

3) Homework Assignment:

• Students may be assigned a follow-up project based on their museum experience.

Want a copy of this lesson plan to use with your class? Click to download!

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