Connect students directly to the concept in a personal way. Capture students' attention by initiating a group problem-solving activity before delivery of instruction. Begin with a situation that is familiar to students and builds on what they already know. Construct a learning experience that allows diverse and personal student responses. Facilitate the work of cooperative teams of students.

You will need supplies for a treasure hunt

Objective: Expose students to the idea that symbols stand for something and are used for communication.

Activity: You will need supplies for a treasure hunt. This will include a treasure map and clues to lead them to the final destination where the fortune cookies are buried in a box of some type (a small shoe box would work fine.) The area covered by the treasure hunt will depend on your available space. It’s nice to this outside on school grounds because of the noise factor, but that may not be an option. The interior of the school building would be the next choice. Be sure to notify fellow teachers and administration in advance of this activity.
Place symbols and words on student maps to help them locate their buried treasures. Be sure to include key objects on the school grounds to help students find their way.
It will work best if students are divided into small groups and sent out separately. Volunteers (parents, mentors, etc) and/or instructional aides could go with each group. You can give each group the same map or make up different maps. If this is not an option, keep the area to be covered where you can see the groups at all times. It can also be done with the whole class using the same treasure map. Give every student a copy.
You will need to bury the “treasure” which will be a fortune cookie for each student in the group. Inside the fortune cookie will need to be a message written in hieroglyphics. Talk to one of your local Chinese restaurants about making the cookies for you at a reduced price or as a donation. The hieroglyphic message can be anything from facts about the unit you are studying to the names of the students in the group. For example, we were studying Egypt at the time. So the messages were about Egyptian burial practices. One fact was that the brain was taken out through the nose during the embalming process! Write whatever message you think will best suit your lesson and students.
Send students on a treasure hunt. They have to decode the clues on the map to find the buried “treasure.” When treasure is found, students bring it back to the classroom for further instructions. Make sure students understand they are not to pen the box until everybody is back from the hunt.

Assessment: Successful completion of treasure hunt.