The students will work in partner pairs through a Dewey Decimal treasure hunt activity designed to get them looking at specific non-fiction call numbers and broadening their horizons when looking for books for pleasure. This is a fun activity that has students learning although they will tell you they are not working hard at all, rather completely enjoying themselves!

Goal: deepen the students understanding of the Dewey Decimal Systems call numbers on non-fiction books and the subjects they represent in each hundred. The students will: - successfully work in partner pairs to locate specific books that have been chosen by their partner. - communicate wordlessly with their partner, giving them hints to guide them on their hunt. -notice that past the general hundred, each call number gets more specific to a certain area of information.

Sturdy scrap materials such as old card catalog cards or index cards. Pencils

1. students choose a partner and gather materials needed.
2. one partner (A) sits with their head down.
3. the other partner (B) peruses the non-fiction area to find a call number that they choose to write, in its entirety, so that their partner can read it.
4. the partner with the card in their hand returns to the partner with their head down and lightly taps them on the shoulder. The switch positions. A is now up and beginning to look. B is sitting silently.
5. partner A is now going to try to find the call number on the shelves. S/he may use any existing signage, pre-existing knowledge of the arrangement of the hundreds, or clues from partner B.
6. partner B may only use non-verbal clues - thumbs up/sideways/down to show hot or cold. If partner A shrugs their shoulders after looking and staying "cold", partner B may point in the general direction to the left, right, up or down to give more of a clue, but only if it is asked for. The partners do not want to get frustrated, but they also do not want to give up too easily and/or offer unwnated information.
7. when partner A finds the correct call number, they switch jobs and now B's head goes down and A looks for the next call number to write down. We talk about not peeking because the excitement is not in finding it the fastest, that's boring, but in looking and searching and finally succeeding and being proud!!!

Informal assessment of teamwork, effort and knowledge gained/used through observation of partner pairs.