This document provides directions and materials for an "Animals Around the World" internet scavenger hunt lesson plan for elementary school students. The lesson involves students navigating to zoo websites around the world to learn about animal habitats, then practicing searching for animals online and distinguishing relevant from irrelevant websites. The lesson can be completed in one class period but provides options to extend it over multiple days. Assessment involves a worksheet for the scavenger hunt and quiz on searching skills.

1. Created by Amanda Buschmann
LS 591
Summer I 2010

2. Directions
 Click through this tutorial to learn how to best utilize
the “Animals Around the World” Internet scavenger
hunt lesson plan
 Links to the Internet will be underlined and
highlighted in purple; click on them for a direct
window to the Internet
 Special hints and tips will also be interspersed
throughout this tutorial. Click the “HOT TIP!” button
to access them. I hope you enjoy it!

3. Table of Contents
 Description
 Subject(s)/Grade/Duration/Materials
 Objectives & Goals
 Procedures
 Assessment
 Web Sites

4. Description
 It is imperative that students comfortably navigate the Internet
and that also they are able to successfully identify relevant
and pertinent websites for research purposes. The Animals
Around the World: An Internet Scavenger Hunt & Search
Exercise lesson plan enables students to perform an Internet
scavenger hunt that requires them to key in various URLs to
city zoos. Once on the websites, they will read and acquire
knowledge about the habitats of various animals; after writing
in this information on a log sheet, they will continue with the
hunt. Bonus activities are included. To extend this
activity, the teacher-librarian and the students will perform
Google searches of assigned animals together to distinguish
between “relevant” and “irrelevant” websites for future
research purposes.
 [Click any button to continue]

5. Subjects/Grade/Duration/Materials
 Grade Level: Elementary School (3-5)
 Subject(s):
 Social Studies, English Language Arts/Reading
 Duration: One 55-minute class period; can be extended
to two or three 55-minute class periods if bonus and
extended activities are implemented.
 Materials:
 Computers with Internet access
 “Animals Around the World” worksheet, courtesy of
Education World ® plus “Practice Searching for Animals
with Quiz” worksheet
 “URLs and Searching” worksheet
 [Click any button to continue]

6. Objectives and Goals
Goals:
 Students will successfully navigate the Internet via URLs.
 Students will read and acquire knowledge about various animal habitats.
 Students will learn how to distinguish between relevant and irrelevant
websites.
Objectives:
 Students will learn how to properly key in a URL and how to troubleshoot
improperly functioning URLs.
 Students will learn the parts of a URL.
 Students will distinguish between important information for research purposes
and information which can be discarded.
 Students will apply knowledge of an animal’s habitat to a pictorial form of a
map.
 Students will identify which website will give them information about an
animal versus which websites about irrelevant, using proper search terms and
techniques.
 [Click any button to continue]

7. Procedures
 Introduce students to the unit by discussing and even
demonstrating how difficult it is to search on the Internet.
Inform them that we will be embarking on a thorough research
unit in the near future, but for now, we will be learning the tools
we need in order to be successful. They will learn how to find
websites about animals and read through to pick out important
information.
 Tell them the parts of a URL: http://, and the variant forms of the
address. What can be trusted? What type of address usually
means the website is run by a person/individual as opposed to a
corporation or the government? Keep the discussion brief and
simple; children at this age learn best by example, which will
come soon.
 TIP: Always work with and alongside the students when you can!
 [Click any button to continue]

8. Procedures continued
 The students will be doing an Internet scavenger hunt to find
information about animal habitats around the world. They will
be keying in various URLs and then reading the websites to find
the habitats. Pass out the “Animals Around the World”
worksheet and go over the instructions with them. I find this
activity works best when the students are working in
partners, but use your own discretion.
 If time permits, allow the children to complete the bonus activity
with the map. It also helps to have maps already printed out for
them, and this activity reinforces geography lessons as well.
 [Click any button to continue]

9. Procedures continued
 Then, move on to the next phase of the Internet “scavenger,”
which is proper searching of websites. Tell them they will each
be receiving their own animal to research. These animals can be
assigned by you or by their teacher. Once they receive their
animal, then you can proceed with the searching portion. Go
over the “URLs and searching” worksheet with them, being sure
to emphasize the difference between the relevant websites and
the irrelevant websites. It may also help to do a few more
examples.
 Once they get the hang of it, have them do a search for their
animal and show you the results and which one(s) they would
think would be relevant. If it helps, have them write down the
URL(s). This is a great way to check to ensure they know what a
URL is.
 [Click any button to continue]

10. Assessment
 Formal assessment consists of the “Animals Around
the World” worksheet completion. Informal
assessment is ongoing and consists of ensuring
students understand the proper usage of the URLs and
reading comprehension. Further assessment includes
the “Practice Searching” Quiz.
 [Click any button to continue]

11. The End. (2010). [Web]. Retrieved from http://70s-child.blogspot.com/

12. Hot Tip #1
 Collaborate!
 Get together with the grade-level teacher to see which
TEKS need to be addressed in order to tweak this
lesson even further.
 Ask teachers/friends/co-workers to bring in pictures
from some of the countries from this activity to share
with the students to make this activity even more
authentic.

13. Hot Tip #2
 For instance, Google “monkeys” and evaluate the
websites that come up together. Which are actually
about the animal monkeys? Which would be
appropriate for elementary-age students?
 If you have time, also try misspelling a search word to
show them what happens and how to troubleshoot
misspelled search terms.

14. Hot Tip #3
 Do the first one or two animals with the
students, especially those in the younger grades.
 Want to extend this lesson even further? Create
Wordles and Glogs about what you learn! Use Google
Maps, as well.

15. Hot Tip #4
 This activity is an extension of an extension, if you
will, but so helpful, so please do it if you have the time!
 Even better: have them also search for a
photograph/picture of their animal. There are many
create free public domain picture sites out there; this
one is my favorite:
http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

16. Hot Tip #5
 Link-apalooza!
 To integrate technology into your curriculum, try these
excellent websites:
 Lesson Plans for Elementary & High School
 Teaching With the Web (K-12)
 Technology in the Classroom (K-6)
 Examples of Student Technology Projects
 Create a Web Guide (super easy and really, really neat!)