Spark Your Students’ Love for Literacy With Literature Scavenger Hunts

Literacy scavenger hunts are more than fun, interactive classroom activities. Students become searchers and solvers. They play detectives while building teamwork, communication, and literacy skills.

Embedding scavenger hunts within their literacy instruction creates shared experiences for students. They’re no longer learning in a vacuum. Students who take part in these multifaceted activities learn through purposeful collaboration.

3 Reasons Why Teachers Love Literacy Scavenger Hunts

Break up the monotony

Students sitting at their desks reading in the same way, day in and day out, gets stale, even for teachers.

Scavenger hunts grab those “out to lunch” students by their brains and bring them back, front and center. They force students to be present and active with their reading. Rather than simply reading a text for comprehension, students comb through the text for the information they need.

While there isn’t specific research naming scavenger hunts as a tool for effective reading comprehension, the activity is interactive — and there’s plenty of evidence that hands-on learning experiences improve reading comprehension skills.

Scaffolded learning

Every student learns through a different lens. But combining those “lenses” into small groups has an enormous impact on reading comprehension. This is especially true with standards-based reading skills.

Grouping students with different strengths and challenges creates opportunities for them to learn from one another. One student who struggles to find text evidence to support a claim can partner with another who needs support with specific word reading difficulties. Teachers can incorporate text evidence and read-alouds into the scavenger hunt. By focusing on specific skills, such as vocabulary, grammar, or comprehension, the scavenger hunt builds necessary literacy skills. And, because scavenger hunts are customizable, the skill practice can change as needs arise. Targeted instruction in a low-stakes approach elevates student confidence and comprehension.

Shared experiences

Ironically, the technological resources available to us–designed to bring us closer together–often isolate students. By combining the excitement of a scavenger hunt with the benefits of literacy, students explore reading with their peers. They practice problem-solving, communicating, and adapting and innovating to reach a common goal. These soft skills help students evolve into well-rounded thinkers and doers.

How To Make Literacy Scavenger Hunts Work At Every Grade Level

Teachers can use scavenger hunts for any grade level and age group. As long as the activity is age-appropriate and accessible, everyone can have fun participating.

Elementary School:

Introduce new books or concepts with literacy scavenger hunts. Teachers can create scavenger hunts that ask students to find specific words or phrases in a book or identify the main characters of a story. Or, create scavenger hunts that focus on specific topics, such as animals, geography, or history.

For early readers, create a phonics scavenger hunt. Give students a list of items, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet or a specific phonics sound. Students must find items around the classroom or school and write down the name of the item next to the corresponding letter or sound.

For more established readers, how about a scavenger hunt on a novel? A literacy hunt on James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl engages students in the story and helps them better understand its characters, plot, and themes.

Make a list of important characters, events, and themes from the novel, like:

• James,
• the peach,
• the insects,
• the Cloud-Men,
• the journey across the Atlantic Ocean, and
• the themes of friendship and perseverance.

Develop a set of clues that lead students to specific pages or chapters where they can find information about each element. One clue could be: “Find the chapter where James first meets the Centipede. What does the Centipede say about himself?”

Hide the clues around the classroom or school, and give students a set amount of time to find as many as they can. Each clue should lead to a specific page or chapter of the novel where students can find the information they need to answer the question. Include a graphic organizer for students to record and track their clues.

Middle School:

Literature scavenger hunts at the middle school level can reinforce previously taught concepts. Many ELA teachers complete author studies in connection with their in-common text. Let’s say an eighth-grade class is studying Edgar Allan Poe and his short stories. Since Poe is considered the father of the detective story, students can play a clue type of game where they solve a murder mystery. Students answer comprehension questions based on Poe’s life and works. This activity can be inside one classroom, a team, a grade level, or an entire school. Using deductive reasoning, students will solve the mystery clue game. Use this scavenger hunt lesson plan provided by Glose for Education to prepare for this activity!

High School:

No student is too old to take part in a scavenger hunt, including high schoolers. In fact, with this age group, scavenger hunts provide more opportunities to dive deep and extend learning. Teachers in all content areas can use scavenger hunts to help students prepare for exams, reinforce concepts, or present new information. Digital scavenger hunts are another excellent way for students to problem-solve in small teams.

Use a scavenger hunt as part of a larger culminating activity. For example, after completing this activity on The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, invite students to showcase their analytical skills by selecting one of the following projects:

Personal Legend Timeline: Students create a timeline of their own “Personal Legend”, identifying important life events and the steps they need to take to achieve their goals. They can use Santiago’s journey as a model for their own timeline.

Alchemist’s Philosophy: Students research the philosophical concepts presented in the story, such as the idea of the Soul of the World or the importance of following one’s dreams. They then create a multimedia presentation (such as a video or podcast) to explain and analyze these concepts.

Literary Analysis: Students analyze the novel’s literary elements, such as symbolism, foreshadowing, and character development. They write an essay or deliver a presentation on how these elements contribute to the novel’s meaning and themes.

Desert Survival Guide: Students research the survival techniques used in the desert and create a survival guide based on their findings. They can also compare Santiago’s experience in the desert with the real-life challenges of surviving in the desert.

Creative Writing: Students write a short story or poem inspired by The Alchemist, incorporating themes and ideas from the novel.

Graphic Novel Adaptation: Students create a graphic novel adaptation of the story, using images and text to convey the novel’s themes and ideas. They can also consider how to translate the novel’s philosophical concepts into visual form.

Final Thoughts

Literacy scavenger hunts provide a dynamic way to get students excited about reading and learning. They make it easier to place students into small groups so teachers can provide targeted instruction with more impact. They also help reignite the enthusiasm in a learner’s journey. Whether you’re teaching elementary school, middle school, or high school, there are tons of ways to bring literacy scavenger hunts into your classroom and foster a love of reading.

Glose for Education is an online platform that makes reading a social experience. By creating shared spaces to interact with digital texts, readers learn from one another. To learn more about how Glose for Education can support your instruction, click here. And, download this free lesson plan for a ready-made scavenger hunt to use in your classroom. Students go 🍌 for this activity!