One-pager

Checkpoint Copy Relay — Activity

Relay-race format to practice map reading and simplification

Time	10-30 minutes
Space	Gym, schoolyard, or local park
Materials	Maps with checkpoints marked (1 per team, 7-15 checkpoints per map), Blank maps (same map without checkpoints, 1 per team), Clipboards or flat surfaces for drawing, Markers (1 per team, used as both writing tool and baton)
Vocabulary	Simplification, Relative position, Orientation

"This is a race of body and mind"

Teams of 2-4 compete in a relay race to copy checkpoints from one map onto another. Each team receives a map with checkpoints already marked on it. Using a marker as a baton, one person at a time memorizes the location of a checkpoint from their team's map, races to the blank map, draws the checkpoint they memorized, and races back to hand off the marker. The team repeats until all checkpoints are copied. Teams are scored on both speed and accuracy. Orienteering maps can be very complex, and learning how to simplify and extract only the most important information significantly improves both speed and navigation. This activity is just as much about learning what to ignore as it is about what to look for.

Learning Goals

Learning Goals

Students completing this activity will be able to:

• Learn to extract the most important information from a complex map
• Identify the location of a checkpoint based on its position relative to other features
• Match the map to its surroundings to place checkpoints accurately
• Communicate and work together as a team to solve a shared problem

How to Run It

How to Run It

Setup

1. Establish a starting area for teams to gather, and an end point where they will draw their checkpoints
2. At the starting area, lay out the maps with checkpoints for each team and a marker for each team
3. At the end point, lay out the blank maps for each team on clipboards or a flat surface suitable for drawing

Steps

1. Form teams. Divide participants into equal teams of 2-4 people per team. It is okay if one team has one extra or fewer person as long as all teams have at least 2 people.

2. Explain the activity. Teams will race one person at a time to copy their map with checkpoints onto the blank map at the end point. Teams will be scored based on both speed and accuracy.

• Only one person can be running at a time. Each team uses a marker as both writing tool and baton.
• Runners may only draw one checkpoint at a time. Once they have drawn their checkpoint, they must return to their team and pass the marker to the next runner.
• Runners may choose to cross out and redraw an existing checkpoint (in case they made a mistake) instead of drawing a new one.
• Teams continue to cycle through runners until they have copied all checkpoints from their map onto the blank map.

3. Race. Start all teams at the same time. The race ends when all teams have finished drawing checkpoints onto the blank map.

4. Score. Teams retrieve their copied maps and are scored. One suggested method:

• Teams get 1 point for each team that finished after them (e.g., if there are 4 teams, the first team to finish gets 3 points, the second gets 2, etc.)
• Teams get 2 points for each correctly drawn checkpoint
• Teams get 1 point for each checkpoint that is close to correct (if the drawn circle overlaps with the correct checkpoint location, it counts)
• To speed up scoring, have teams exchange maps and calculate scores for each other

5. Discuss. Announce the results and discuss strategies teams used to be successful.

Differentiation

Ways to adapt the activity to meet the needs of your students: slow things down, increase the challenge, or adapt for different learners

• Simplified maps: Use a park map or simplified orienteering map instead of a full orienteering map. Adjust complexity to suit the participants.
• Full orienteering maps: Use a detailed orienteering map with more features to read around.
• More checkpoints: Increase the number of checkpoints per map to make the task harder.
• Aerial photos: Use an aerial photo instead of a map. Students must interpret a different representation of the same space.

Tips

• The scoring system rewards accuracy more than speed (2 points for a correct checkpoint vs. 1 point for finishing order). Emphasize this so teams do not rush and sacrifice accuracy.
• Teams will naturally develop strategies: some may assign each person a section of the map, others may have each person memorize the next checkpoint in sequence. Let them figure this out.
• Make sure the running distance between the starting area and end point is long enough that memorizing matters. If the maps are too close together, runners can just look back and forth.

Script

Script

Introducing the Activity

"This is a race of body and mind. Teams will race to copy one map onto another. Be warned, this race requires more than just quick feet. You will need your mind and your teammates. The last team to cross the finish line may yet win this race."

Explaining the Rules

"Each team has a map with checkpoints marked on it. Your job is to copy those checkpoints onto the blank map at the other end. One person runs at a time, carrying the marker as your baton. You look at your team's map, memorize where one checkpoint goes, run to the blank map, draw it, and run back. Then the next person goes. You keep going until all checkpoints are copied."

"Here is the important part: you will be scored on both speed and accuracy. A perfectly placed checkpoint is worth 2 points. A checkpoint that is close is worth 1 point. You also get points for finishing before other teams, but not as many. So take your time and get it right."

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Simplification: Distinguishing between minor details and distracting information from more important and relevant features.

Relative position: The location of a feature based on its distance and direction from other objects in the space.

Orientation: Matching the map to surroundings.

See the Glossary for all curriculum terms.