Scavenger Hunt

by Johnnie Tankersley Cornerstone Literacy Fellow

A “halls and walls” rubric was crafted in a joint effort of Muscogee coaches and myself last spring as a vehicle to spotlight how the school environment supports literacy learning.  In November we put it to the test at Key Elementary School.

Principal Donna Hart and I did a walk-through using the rubric.  After discussing our observations, Donna and coach Rebecca Westerman developed the idea of a Scavenger Hunt for their next staff development to heighten teacher awareness of their colleagues’ assets and to introduce the Halls and Walls Rubric.  We brainstormed some specific ‘look-fors’ based on the rubric items. For example,  “photos of children doing work” (from the scavenger hunt) “ reflect rigor in the work---the process, the learning that took place” (from the Halls and Walls Rubric).

We consulted Karen Wetherell, the other coach at Key, and a few key teacher leaders to revise and edit the ‘look-fors.’  Our goal was to ensure the list was clear and easy to follow.  As you can see from Rebecca’s report and pictures, fun and learning was had by all!

Download the Rubric

Let the Scavenger Hunt Begin!

by Rebecca Westerman
Key Elementary School, Columbus, GA

A special treat was in store for the faculty at Key Elementary School on December 4th when they gathered for a faculty meeting. As soon as the meeting was called to order, Principal Donna Hart gave instructions for a scavenger hunt throughout the building. The rules included visiting at least one classroom at each grade level.  Points were given if teams found items that were on the “Halls and Walls Rubric” that our school has been working on this year. Some of the items included:

• Hall displays with student work tastefully displayed with color and pizzazz
• Work that is current and dated
• Absence of “storebought pretties”
• Photos of children doing the work
• Rubrics and/or WILFs
• Classroom book collection sorted by genre, topic, author, etc.
• Charts (current ones) displaying learning, graphic organizers, etc.
• More than 100 books in room
• Non-fiction texts
• Evidence of questioning, and lots of it!
• Authentic word walls including content area vocabulary collections
• Rugs and/or gathering areas
• Lamps and/or soft lighting
• Curtains or covers to hide junk!
• No “piles” of clutter anywhere

Special rewards (i.e., the privilege of wearing blue jeans for a week) were given to the teams who found the most items on the list. The classroom that had the most items was presented with a “blue jean pass” as well.
Interaction among the team members and fun at the end of a school day made the learning experience worth the time and effort. The teachers enjoyed the experience AND had a chance to think about their own rooms and what they could do to enhance their own areas.  Everyone went home energized and with new ideas!