When I went through the library doors one day, the librarian motioned to me and cheerfully said, “Steer clear of the third floor. Two classes are holding a scavenger hunt up there and you don’t want to be there.”
I still went. Not that I don’t trust her judgement, but my curiosity got the better of me.
I went up, just in time to hear their teachers hand out lists and instructions. They were only supposed to search within the floor. Anyone caught going down will be immediately disqualified. They only have thirty minutes to complete the items on the list, and they are not allowed to consult with other groups. I can see the excitement in the kid’s faces as they waited for their teacher to say the magic word: “Go!”
I sidled up to the group near me and found some interesting items on the list. I figured that these kids were about in the third grade, and they were tasked to find an assortment books belonging to just about any subject: Science, Geography, History, Literature, and so much more.
However, the list only contained an assortment of numbers and letters. After checking with the Librarian, I found out that these were call numbers of each book. The children were tasked to go through the card catalogue and retrieve the book that bore that specific call number. It was ingenious! Is there a better way to teach how to use the card catalogue?
The list was impressive, but the last item made me smile. At the end of the list, each team was tasked to have a slip of paper with a call number written onto it: the catalogue number of their favorite book. I didn’t have the chance to find out what the kids’ favorite books were, though. Perhaps next time, Iíll get to do so.
