Up until this point in our middle school advisory journey, my colleagues and I had organized two advisory sessions based on the topic of belonging. We had begun this exploration through thoughtful activities based on students putting themselves in the shoes of students who struggle (for one reason or another) to feel like they belong in the school community. These activities were a little abstract and passive, focused on thinking and feeling, rather than on taking action. 

For our third advisory session on the topic of belonging, we decided to put the active into the activity! We decided to create a fun scavenger hunt to bring disconnected students together. 

Providing students with a concrete, active experience can significantly deepen their understanding of the concept of belonging. While abstract activities that involve thinking and feeling can be valuable, they sometimes lack the immediacy and engagement that hands-on, practical activities provide. By involving students directly in an interactive task, they can experience firsthand the dynamics of teamwork, communication, and inclusion. This approach not only makes the learning experience more memorable but also allows students to actively practice the principles of belonging, rather than just contemplating them.

In the days leading up to the scavenger hunt, my colleagues and I divided the middle school students into teams of two. Our objective was to ensure that the partners were students who did not normally interact with each other. 

Next, we worked on the hunt logistics. Students would have to gather a selection of letters. Then, when the teams had all the necessary letters, they would sit with each other and attempt to reassemble the letters until they came up with the correct phrase.

For this activity, the phrase we chose was ‘We All Belong”. Now, unscrambling words can be a challenge, especially when multiple words are involved. So, for the unscrambling stage, we made sure that we provided clues to guide the students in the right direction. On a white board, we wrote the first letters of the three words in the phrase, followed by the appropriate number of blank spaces. Here’s what it looked like:

W_  A_ _ B _ _ _ _ _ 

After determining the winning phrase, we determined how students would find the necessary letters. We went around the school and – using tape – covered up letters on the teacher name plates outside the classrooms in the middle school quad. The covered up letters corresponded to the letters needed to complete the word scramble. 

So, student teams would run into the quad, find the covered letters, note them down on a provided form, and then reconvene in their advisory classrooms to begin to solve the word scramble. 

The activity was a great success, creating an engaging and fun environment where students worked together, often with peers they didn’t usually interact with. It was a wonderful way to get students actively involved, breaking down social barriers, and building a sense of community—all while reinforcing the important message that “We All Belong.”

Ed X!