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Lesson 2: Reading the Map

"Every symbol on the map is something you can see and touch"

Time70 minutes
SpaceSchoolyard, local park, or forested area with an orienteering map
MaterialsOrienteering maps (1 per student or pair), Checkpoints (orienteering flags, streamers, or cones), Punch cards or index cards, Pencils, A planned route through varied features, Scorecards and pencils
SetupPlan a walking route through varied features; place Score-O checkpoints around the area
VocabularyFeature, Orient the map, Score-O

Activities​

core

Map Walk

Walk a route together, matching map symbols to real features.

Map Walk
core

Score-O

Find as many checkpoints as you can in the time limit.

Score-O

Goals​

Orienteering Goals
  • Read an orienteering map and follow a route on it
  • Orient the map using visible features
  • Match map symbols to real features in the terrain
  • Navigate independently to find checkpoints
  • Build confidence that the map accurately represents the space

Delivery​

  1. Safety review (5 min): quick reminder of boundaries and gathering signal. Introduce the buddy system rule for Score-O: pairs stay within earshot. Review time management: if you hear the signal, come back right away, even if you have not finished.
  2. Symbol recap (5 min): quick review of map symbols from Session 1. Hold up the map and quiz campers on a few symbols. Point to features around you and ask what symbol represents them.
  3. Map Walk (20 min): walk a planned route together. At each stop, students orient their maps, identify the feature they are standing at, and find it on the map. Use the thumb technique: keep your thumb on your current location.
  4. Transition (5 min): hand out Score-O maps and punch cards. Explain the rules: visit as many checkpoints as you can before the time limit, recording codes at each one. You do not have to go in order. Demonstrate the pin punch: show what the flags look like, how to line up the punch, and what the mark looks like on the card. Emphasize accuracy over speed: finding one checkpoint correctly is a success. Some campers will find all of them, others might find two, and that is fine. The goal is reading the map, not racing. For this first Score-O, keep checkpoints relatively close to the starting area so campers build confidence before tackling a larger course.
  5. Score-O (25 min): pairs navigate independently, using what they learned on the Map Walk to read the map and find checkpoints. Remind them to orient the map and use the thumb technique.
  6. Scoring and wrap-up (10 min): score punch cards, discuss results, and celebrate. Who found the most? Which checkpoint was hardest to find?

Reflection​

  • Which map symbols were easiest to remember from the Map Walk? Which were hardest?
  • How did you keep track of where you were on the map during Score-O?
  • What strategies helped you find checkpoints faster?
  • How is navigating on your own different from following the group?

Extensions​

  • Clothespin-O: pairs take turns hiding a clothespin or streamer in the terrain, then giving verbal directions or drawing the location on a blank map for their partner to find. Builds spatial language (north/south, left of the building, near the fence) and bridges between the Map Discussion and independent navigation
  • Photo Map Walk: take photos of features and match them to symbols back at camp
  • Score-O with more checkpoints or a larger area
  • Individual Score-O instead of pairs