Discovery Quests

Discovery Quest is an oral question-of-the-month activity that allows students to learn public speaking skills and independent research skills. Students should prepare to participate once a month. Each student is assigned a student number at the beginning of the year. Your child’s student number corresponds with the order in which they will present each month. The schedule may need modification according to holidays and other school events. The following is a general guideline:

First Thursday of the month: Students 1 – 7

Second Thursday of the month: Students 8 – 14

Third Thursday of the month: Students 15 – 22

(Note: Some Thursdays may change due to the month. Refer to Discovery Quest calendar for specific date. The order will be reversed mid-year. Please check Discovery Quest calendar for specific dates.)

Each student should use books, magazines, reference books, family member interviews, or research tools such as the Internet to learn about the topic. If a student would like to give a presentation on a Current Event instead of a Discovery Quest, students may use a newspaper or the Internet to research an event that is currently happening in our world.

Students will present to the class in order to receive a speaking score. Acceptable participation means that they DO NOT read their information, but they TELL us what they’ve learned. Students may use note cards, notes, bring pictures, posters they’ve made, or visual aid items.

This activity should be a fun way to study something that is interesting to the student. Look over the Discovery Quest topics for this trimester on the back of this paper. Select the most interesting “quest” to study. If some are not of interest, plan to present on a Current Event.