GooseChase: Tips and Tricks

GooseChase EDU is a scavenger hunt app that is designed to enable students to learn while solving timed missions individually or on teams. 

These missions can be performed entirely online or require students to travel to specific locations at their school, or even beyond, if appropriate. GooseChase can also be used to have students solve math, science, word, and other problems while competing good naturedly against one another. 

The app — which offers a free version to educators — is easy to sign up for and start using. Here are some ways you can use GooseChase in your class to support your students. 

1. Use GooseChase EDU’s Games Library for Inspiration  

The GooseChase EDU Games Library has thousands of missions that you can use in your classes or modify to better suit your needs. These scavenger hunts are broken down by subject, grade level and game type. You can search for team or individual games, as well as by categories such as “indoors,” “field trip,” and even “staff team building & PD.” 

For instance, a search for “English Language Arts” returns multiple games. One has students fill in the different elements of an essay, in a fun and engaging manner that gives them points for rapping their essay’s introduction, finding research and performing other interactive tasks. These games are designed for specific grade levels but it’s easy to see how they can be adjusted to suit the needs of other classes.

2. Use GooseChase to Have Students Record and Take Pictures  

GooseChase allows students to earn points in various games by taking pictures and videos of specific locations or objects. Teachers can do a lot with this capability, such as having students interview their classmates or a teacher of another class. Students may also be required to locate and photograph specific rooms within school, or read and present work in a dynamic manner. GooseChase’s format helps teachers organize these submissions and make the assignment fun for students.  

3. Use GooseChase to Encourage Students to Visit the School Library  

Getting students to go to the library and utilize its resources is always a good thing. Educators can use GooseChase to send students on library scavenger hunts, in which they visit the library and look up a specific passage in a specific book, or document their research process for an assignment in any topic. 

Similar strategies can be used to encourage students to get outside, exercise, or explore other areas of the school or campus. 

4. Use GooseChase for Math and Science 

GooseChase can also be used in math and science classes. A teacher might design a geography-themed scavenger hunt for various shapes with younger students. Older math students might get points or rewards for solving complex equations, and there are also many ways to incorporate various coding challenges into scavenger hunts. 

For science, the app is a great way to make predictions and document experiment results. If a lesson has students identifying various plants or animals, you could send students on research quests online or within the school building. 

5.  Use GooseChase On a Field Trip 

On trips to museums or other sites, GooseChase can be used as a fun alternative to a reaction paper. Pick key objects or areas of the museum you want students to visit, then require that they snap a photograph and or provide brief written responses as they go. 

If you don’t have an outing scheduled, you can send your students on a virtual field trip with a similar mission for a fun remote learning experience.  

One of the main selling points of the non-education version of the app is its ability to encourage team building among coworkers, which can be extended to the classroom. 

Team mode can foster collaboration between students and help engage them actively while they learn how to work together to solve problems and fulfill other tasks in an efficient manner. Scavenger hunts can be designed to specifically reinforce class material, or can also be used as team building exercises in and of themselves to get students used to taking instructions and working together. 

Source: https://www.techlearning.com/how-to/goosechase-tips-and-tricks