Topic:  Introduction to the sport of orienteering.

Concept:  Compass directions.

Skill:  Knowledge of directions and degrees.

Objective:  Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of compass directions.

Lesson Activity:
Provide the students with a brief introduction to the sport of orienteering.  There are many orienteering clubs in the United States and throughout the world.  With any luck you might be able to talk a club member into coming to speak to your class.

Before getting started on the detailed information about maps and compasses, it is important that the students have a basic understanding of directions and degrees.  This lesson can be accomplished very well without even introducing the compass or a map.

Introduce the compass rose.  Have the students fill in the blank compass rose.

Take a direction "walk" on paper.

Another, slightly more active, activity is to have the whole class line up in the gym or on the field.  Designate North.  Call out a direction and have the students face in that direction.  Blindfolds would work well so that students do not look to see which direction their classmates are facing.  If a student faces the wrong direction they take off their blindfold but remain in the game.  The last student with a blindfold on is the "winner".  Call out directions progressively faster to make it more challenging.

This lesson will help to prepare the student with the knowledge of direction that is important in both map and compass reading skills.

Diagnostic Assessment:  How knowledgeable are the students about directions?

Formative Assessment:  Are the students able to accurately fill in the compass rose?  Do they come up with the correct picture in the direction walk?

Summative Assessment:  Are the students able to stay in the direction calling game for an extended period of time.

Grading:  Participation will be noted in the grade book with a plus, check, or minus.  The compass rose activity 15 points) and the direction walk (10 points) will be turned in for grading.  Students will have a chance to re-do these if they did poorly.

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