Cell Phone Challenge: On what day was the bill that prohibits anyone under the age of 19 from using a cell phone while driving introduced to the Illinois General Assembly?

• Difficulty Rating: Intermediate

• Full Circle Competencies : Locate 1, Locate 2

• ISTE NETS: 3, 5, 6

Updated November, 2010

Tibet Challenge: What is the name of the highest freshwater lake in Tibet? Multiple answers to the question require careful evaluation.

• Difficulty Rating: Novice--search, Intermediate--evaluation

• Full Circle Competencies : Locate 1, Evaluate, emphasis on Nyms and Evaluation

• ISTE NETS: 3, 5, 6

Blog Search (Soccer) Challenge: What is the name of the blogger who, in 2007, posted a top ten list of the lessons he's learned from watching t-ball players?

• Difficulty Rating: Intermediate--search (NOTE: since blog search engines prioritize results by freshness and this search is now several years old, it may be impossible to retreive the results with Technorati. Google Blog Search is featured instead--if you want a difficult challenge, try finding the result with Technorati.

• Full Circle Competencies : Locate 1, emphasis on Nyms, Locate 2, choice of databases

• ISTE NETS: 3, 5, 6

Diamond Search Challenge: Which famous blue diamond turns red when exposed to UV rays?

• Difficulty Rating: Novice--search

• Full Circle Competencies : Locate 1, Locate 3 emphasis on Nyms

• ISTE NETS: 3, 5, 6

TV Search Challenge: What television episode opens on a red planet with a green sky?

• Difficulty Rating: Intermediate--search

• Full Circle Competencies : Locate 1, Locate 2, Locate 3 emphasis on Operators

• ISTE NETS: 3, 5, 6

Sorting Hat Search Challenge: Who is using the "Harry Potter Sorting Hat Personality Test" for research?

• Difficulty Rating: Intermediate--secondary search

• Full Circle Competencies : Locate 1, Locate 2, Locate 3, Ethical Use with an emphasis on tracking down citation information (author)

• ISTE NETS: 3, 5, 6

Added: March 2007

Useless Facts Challenge: Who owns the copyright on the original list of useless facts?

• Difficulty Rating: Intermediate--investigative search

• Full Circle Competencies : Locate 1, Locate 2, Locate 3, Ethical Use with an emphasis on tracking down citation information (author)

• ISTE NETS: 3, 5, 6

Added: April 2007

Optical Illusion Challenge: Find the URL of the page where the creator of this illusion explains that the numbererd squares are really the same color.

• Difficulty Rating: Advanced

• Full Circle Competencies : Locate 1, Locate 2, Locate 3,

• ISTE NETS: 3, 5, 6

Added: December 2007, Revised November 2010

• Difficulty Rating: Novice

• Full Circle Competencies : Locate 1, Locate 2, Locate 3,

• ISTE NETS: 3, 5, 6

Added: December 2007

• Difficulty Rating:Novice--evaluation

• Full Circle Competencies : Locate 1, Locate 2, Locate 3, Evaluate--emphasis on verfiying information retrieved

• ISTE NETS: 3, 5, 6

Added: January 2008

Temperature Challenge Milk from what breed of cow tends to freeze first as the temperature drops?

• Difficulty Rating: Intermediate--search

• Full Circle Competencies : Locate 1, Locate 2, Locate 3, emphasis on defining the research question

• ISTE NETS: 3, 5, 6

Added: January 2008