Learning Objectives

• Behavioral expectations for the class

• Learn the boundaries of the play area

• Listening to the teacher and each other

• Safety

Materials

• Small cones (30+)

Introduction

A boundary is the edge of the safe play area. Orienteering involves running around inside an area with boundaries. The purpose of today's activities is to practice listening and learn the boundaries of the play area. Listening and boundaries are important for everyone to be safe during our activities, and so everyone understands the rules for all the games they will be playing throughout the semester.

Warm-Up

(Active) Simon Says: Students practice active listening and active moving by playing an energetic game of Simon Says with the teacher.

Main Activities:

Boundary Run: Run around the boundary of the play area. Make sure students respect the boundary, and do not cross out of the play area.

Fortnite Tag: Tag played within a shrinking play area. Students must remain within the area of play, even as the boundary shrinks.

Hot or Cold Secret Boundary Game: Communicate location using a very limited vocabulary

Reflection

Listening:

• Why is it important to listen to the teacher?

• Why is it important to listen to each other?

• What should you do if someone is talking when you're trying to listen?

Boundaries:

• See reflection in the Boundaries activity.

Extra Activity

Name games: Learn the kids' names. This can be as simple as "Tell us your name and your favorite animal," or more elaborate such as Duck-Duck-Goose, where the students say the names of other students as they go around ("Name-Name-Goose").

Notes

Some of the students may find it humorous to test your patience and cross the boundary during some of the activities. Use this as an opportunity to firmly establish expectations in the class. If students cross the boundary even once (even if they're only joking), address the issue immediately. The rest of the year can be much more difficult if students believe they can freely break the rules and/or test your patience.

Learning Objectives

• Visiting controls in order

• Checking your answers

• Remembering locations

• Remembering a sequence of clues

• (Electronic Timing)

Materials

• Set of 10 animal pictures

• (Traffic) cones

• SportIdent Equipment:

  • SI boxes

  • SI download & printer

  • SI cards

• Animal-O course cards (5-animal & 10-animal versions)

• Map of the area with courses (For advanced students)

  • Variations with checkpoints marked as animals

  • Variations with checkpoints marked as circles (without animals)

• Answer key

• An extra teacher/volunteer

Intro

Orienteering is finding objects in order, and punching at each object to prove you were there. Students must find animals hidden throughout the space in various different ways. Each time they are successful, they move on to a more challenging variation, up through using an actual map.

Warm-Up

Gathering Game - Have the students repeat one or two of the gathering games they practiced in the previous lesson, and briefly review the importance of gathering.

Main Activity

Animal-O - Students follow a progression of challenges by finding pictures of animals hidden throughout the play area. They start by finding animals in any order. Next they use a clue sheet that shows a specific order in which to find the animals. Eventually, they use a map to determine the order.

Reflection

• What was the hardest part of this activity? Why?

• How did you remember where each animal was hiding?

• Were some animal courses easier/harder? Why might that be?

• (If applicable) What was most challenging about using a map? Were you able to figure out where each animal should be hiding?

Extra Activity

Lightning E-Punch: Students race to each control as fast as they can.

Notes

Some students will progress much more quickly than others, especially among younger groups. It helps to have a 3rd person available to help provide additional assistance to any students who are struggling. It is also very likely that some students will not make it all the way through the entire progression. This is not an issue, and any students who do make it all the way to the end can help other students who are struggling.

Students in the last class can help pick up the materials at the end.

Learning Objectives

• Safety

• Active listening

• Following instructions

• Observation

• Communication

• Spatial Awareness

Materials

• Treasures

  • At least 1 type:

    • Clothespins

    • Colorful golf balls

    • Toy animals

    • (Other)

• Interesting Space

  • OPTIONAL:

  • Blank Paper

  • Pencils

  • Whiteboard & Markers

  • Whistle or other noise maker

Intro

Orienteering is following instructions to find things. Today the students will practice following instructions to gather. They will find things. They will give instructions for someone else to find things.

Following instructions is important to further establish the teacher-student relationship and create a functional environment for the rest of the semester. Today's games also provides an opportunity for the students to move around in the space, and have fun seeking out hidden objects.

Warm-Up

Boundary run revisited: This time, add an additional challenge element, such as having the front-runner go to the back of the line every few seconds.

Main Activities

Gathering Game: Students practice gathering methods such as by listening for a whistle, watching the teacher, or by paying attention to their classmates.

Treasure Hunt: Students try to find treasures throughout a space. Depending on the age of the students, they may do this only with verbal hints and clues, or they may even sketch a map or picture of the treasure's location for their partner to find. There are many variations on this activity. Occasionally interrupt the activity to have the students practice gathering.

Reflection

Gathering:

• See the reflection questions for the Gathering Game activity

Treasure Hunt:

• See the reflection questions for the Treasure Hunt activity.

Notes

Once students know how to do treasure hunt, this can be used a back-pocket activity throughout the rest of the semester. The Gathering method should be practiced and used at every class.

Learning Objectives

• Map orientation

• Following directions

• Map reading

• Counting

Materials

• 9 cones per grid (Recommended ~3-4 students/grid)

• Written Numbers (three of each number from 1-3)

• Direction courses

• Grid courses

• Challenge courses

• Answer key

Intro

Orienteering is reading a map to know where to go. Students must follow a secret path through a grid. In order to follow the path, they must hold their map in the correct direction. They will not be able to find their way through the grid if they do not hold their map in the correct direction. As they go, they will keep track of the numbers on the cones, and these numbers will be used to determine if they went through the grid correctly or not.

Warm-Up

1-100 Relay: Students work in pairs to collect objects and circle numbers on a sheet of paper. One student runs out to retrieve an object, while the other student circles. When the student with an object returns, they switch roles. First team to circle up through 100 wins!

Main Activity

Grid-O: This activity is ordered in a progression to gradually layer in the map orientation skill. The first grid has students following a sequence of arrows, much like the Animal-O. The second part involves a basic map of the 3x3 grid. In the third grid, students must pay closer attention to the relationship between the spots in the grid, and which direction they must travel to find their way through.

Extra Activity

Invisible Route: Students work together to find their way through a secret path in a larger grid. Each student steps through the grid one space at a time until they step on the wrong spot. Through trial and error, the class will figure out the correct route to the other side.

Reflection

• Was it ever challenging to keep your map facing the same direction? Why was that?

• Which level was the most challenging? What made some more/less challenging than others?

• What happened if the map was no longer facing the correct direction? Why does it make a difference?

• Did you change anything about how you moved to make sure your map always faced the correct direction?

• Can you think of any other ways to make sure your map is always facing the right direction?

Notes

There are multiple variations of Grid-O. If students have trouble with one version, it is possible that an alternative approach might provide more clarity. Every student will learn differently, so it is important to observe what works and doesn't work for each student.

Wanted to see what this looks lie.

This is a test of subnesting

Learning Objectives

• Spatial Awareness

• Symbols

• Map Orientation

• Top-Down Perspective

• Teamwork

• Communication

Materials

• 5-7 Objects

  • 3-4 Different types

    • Popsicle sticks

    • Lego houses

    • Rocks

• Blank paper

• Pencils

• Flat surface

• Obstacle course obstacles

Intro

Orienteering maps show objects in real life. Students will use a tiny village to learn how to read a map, and will then play a game in the tiny village. In order to play the game, students will have to learn how to identify objects based on their shapes, how to orient a map to match real life, and work together as a team.

Warm-Up

Obstacle Course: Students run, jump, and crawl their way through a series of obstacles as quickly as they can.

Main Activity

Reflection

• What did we learn about the shapes of objects? Do they look different depending on which side you look at them?

• Why do we draw maps based on looking down from above? What would happen if we tried to draw a map based on what we see from the ground?

• What was challenging about deciding which map matched the village?

• How did you work together to find the scrap of paper, and later to build a village? What other ways can you work together?

Extra Activity

Notes

It it very important to start with an active warm-up game, since many students are eager to move around and play after a day of school. We also want kids to be fit and healthy, so it's important to offset a slow-paced learning activity with a fast-paced fun activity.

It is also important to emphasize teamwork during this activity. Teaching the kids to work together and cooperate will not only make your life easier, but it is a crucial life skill for them to develop as well.

Learning Objectives

• Precision map reading

• Map simplification

• Speed

• Agility

• Patience

• Focus

• Communication

Materials

• Maps

  • One with 10-15 checkpoints marked

  • One of the same area without checkpoints

• Pencils

• Open space

• OPTIONAL (If outside):

  • Clipboards

  • Paper weights

Intro

Being able to read a map is important for orienteering. Students will practice memory, patience, and teamwork as they compete to copy information from one map on to another. It is important to think about the best way to remember exactly where each checkpoint should be in order to earn the maximum score. The goal here is to be accurate rather than fast, but speed can earn your team extra points. A team who finishes last but gets every checkpoint correct will beat a team who finishes first but makes a few small mistakes.

Warm-Up

Main Activity

Reflection

• How did you memorize the checkpoints? What features did you use? Did some work better than others?

• What was the hardest part about memorizing each checkpoint?

• How did your team ensure each person was memorizing a new checkpoint each time, and not repeating one by accident?

• If you made any mistakes, or forgot where your checkpoint was supposed to go, when do you think the gap in your memory occurred? Was it immediately after leaving the marked map, in-between the maps, or when you went to mark the checkpoint on your own map?

• What strategies can you use to keep from forgetting the checkpoint's location moving from one map to another?

Extra Activity

Notes

Make sure to provide a demonstration before beginning the activity so that all students understand how the relay works. Also provide examples of good circles (small & accurate) and bad circles (large and/or messy). Make sure they understand that accuracy is scored higher than speed, but speed can earn bonus points. Also watch to make sure the students trade off each time, and it's not just one student running back and forth while their partner watches.

Learning Objectives

• Spatial awareness

• Relative positioning

• Map orientation

• Communication

Materials

• Blank maps

• Animal pictures

• Stickers matching each animal

• (Traffic) cones

• Answer key

• Pencils

Intro

In orienteering, you match things on the map to objects in real life. This lesson is about learning how to identify objects based on their location. Students should be able to match the pattern on their map with the layout of objects in real life, and identify each individual object accordingly.

Warm-Up

Main Activity

Reflection

• What was challenging about matching up the animals? What was easy?

• What sort of mistakes did people make? Why did those mistakes occur? How did you figure out the correct answer?

• What happens if we rotate the answer key map? Is the arrangement still correct?

Extra Activity

Notes

Younger students may struggle to understand the relationship between the map and the layout of the objects. Try to walk through it in the simplest possible terms ("There's a group of 4 objects here an nowhere else," "We know these two objects should be next to each other. Can you find where that is?").

WORKING WITH CHILDREN:

Developmental Level. These lessons and activities are designed to teach map reading, spatial awareness, spatial relationships, and other skills to students in grades K-5. It is important to remember that children undergo many physical, mental, and emotional changes throughout these years. A student in 5th grade is much more physically and mentally developed than a student entering Kindergarten. Our activities are designed to practice orienteering skills through games that are both simple and fun. While many of the games will be a challenging for kindergartners, they are still fun and engaging activities for students up through 5th grade. The pace and content should be adjusted to match the children's level. In some activities, students who have achieved mastery of the skill can become helpers who teach other students, until everyone can do it.

Keep the children moving. Students spend most of their days at school, sitting at desks, listening to teachers, and learning. By the end of the day, few students are eager to sit down and listen. This provides a difficult challenge for teaching new activities. We recommend starting out every class with a highly active warm-up game. In the lessons below, we provide many suggestions. Teachers may choose to play the same one or two active games at the beginning of each class. Playing the same warm-up game each time can be a great way to establish consistency, while at the same time providing the students with a chance to run around and get their jigglies out. Copycat, (Active) Simon Says, and (Active) I Spy are excellent options to use every week.

Once it comes time for the main event, minimize instruction and get them out there and orienteering. Reflect with them afterward. Increase the challenge over time.

Agency. Give the students choices so they feel in control and are more engaged. Strive to have the students understand and want to achieve their learning goals so they make choices that further their progress toward those goals. There are many ways students can be given agency. Look for opportunities to give the children choices throughout the lesson. At the end of the class, they may decide between warm-up activities for the next class. Choice may be used as a reward. You may give them a list of options, or just provide them free play time.

Please enjoy your time working with the students, and we look forward to seeing their progress throughout the program!

• : Students learn the boundaries of the play area, play tag games to practice staying within a set perimeter, and practice active listening in order to establish classroom expectations.

• Lesson 2: Gathering & Treasure: Students practice paying attention and following directions. They use these skills to practice gathering in a central location, and to find hidden treasure.

• : Students practice finding objects, and learn how to follow instructions by finding them in a specific order.

• : Students learn about and practice the skill of map orientation by navigating a variety of courses on a grid pattern.

• : Students use very basic maps to locate, identify, and move objects in precise ways.

• : Students race back and forth from one map marked with checkpoints to a blank version of the same map. Each time they must memorize one checkpoint from the marked map, and copy that checkpoint onto the blank map.

• : Students will use a model village to practice the relationship between objects, view a space from the top-down, and begin to develop basic concepts of matching objects to shapes on a map.

• : Students will revisit the Geometric Animal-O game, but with an added twist to help them learn and practice using symbols to identify objects.

• : Students will use a whiteboard and a drawing of the space to practice moving objects around in order to match the map, or make adjustments to the map in order to match the objects. They will also identify objects based on symbols.

• : Students will learn map symbols though an activity similar to Animal-O. Here they will use a map legend to learn the relationship between symbols and their corresponding features, and then proceed to locate that feature in order to find each checkpoint.

• : Students use maps and images to match checkpoints marked on one map or image to the other.

• : Students use images of the space to find checkpoints throughout the area.

• : Students use specialized maps and orienteering maps to find the locations of hidden checkpoints throughout an area.

• : Students use a map of the lines on a basketball course to locate checkpoints and complete a series of courses.

• : Students will participate in an activity called "Poison Score-O", which is designed to evaluate their ability to use a map and identify locations based on that map. Worry not, there is no actual poison in this activity.

CONTRIBUTORS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Authors: Ethan Childs, Adam Miller and Barb Bryant.

The authors wrote and edited the lesson plans, but many additional Navigation Games staff had a hand in developing the lessons. Cristina Luis managed the teachers, created the lessons database and provided guidance. The lead teachers doing lesson development were Adam Miller, Ethan Childs, Evalin Brautigam, and Melanie Sergiev, under the supervision of Cristina Luis and Barb Bryant. Many other people have taught Navigation Games classes and contributed to the lessons and approach, including Eugenio Trevisio, Marie Berzinova, Tomáš Kamaryt, Keegan Harkavy, David Landrigan, Priya Landrigan, Juan de Oliveira, Pavla Zdrahalova de Oliveira, Juan Manuel Merida Sanchis, Violeta Feliciano, Geoff Pingree, Anaka Landrigan, Jason Tong, Sarah Gregorio, Mike Porter, Anna Swan, and Anna Lenihan. In the summers, interns and high school students (most from the Cambridge, MA, Mayor's Summer Youth Employment Program) taught Navigation Games classes at summer camps. Kristin Hall and Julia Bishop helped those students develop lesson plans for the summer programs. Our summer staff included Ethan Childs, Isak Prellner, Evalin Brautigam, Adam Miller, Melanie Sergiev, Maiken Sandberg, and Marina Carlson. Interns and students included Aidan O'Keefe, Chanpera Toeumhernand, Colin Harmer, Connor Bresnahan, Ellen Jacobson, Emie Gerard, Ethan Hall, Ethan Rothenberg, Gabriel Nielsen-Nunez, Hersh Kanner, Jackson Codd, Jeffrey Chen, Julia Armand, Keegan Harkavy, Lincoln Craven-Brightman, Lucas Oliveira-Chace, Maggie Bayly, Nathaniel Saintfort, Peter Cannistaro, Peter Phan, Phineas DeSola, Sarah Hughes, Sam Peck, Shanti Söderström, Shayne Thorpe, Sophia Price, Theo Boehm, Vincent Chen, Walter Ditrani, Yasser Elfathy, and Zoe McNerney.

Many of the individual games and activities came from elsewhere.