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Lesson 4: Map Symbols

"Every color, shape, and line on the map means something you can see and touch"

Time	30-60 minutes
Space	Schoolyard or local park (needs real features for map symbols)
Materials	Orienteering maps, Symbol reference cards or legend handouts, Checkpoint markers, Checkpoints (with animal pictures), Map key (legend) poster or handout, Symbol-O clue sheets, A planned route through varied features, Map legend (poster or handout), 2 sets of symbol cards (one per team), 2 sets of text cards (one per team)
Setup	Choose a route through the space with varied features (paths, trees, fences, buildings, open ground); place checkpoints at features that correspond to distinct symbols
Vocabulary	Symbol, Legend, Feature, Orient the map

Activities

core

Symbol-O

Find checkpoints by matching map symbols to real features.

core

Map Walk

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

variation

Symbol Relay

Team relay to learn map symbols competitively.

Goals

Orienteering Goals

• Identify basic orienteering map symbols (path, building, fence, tree, open ground, water)
• Use the legend to decode unfamiliar symbols
• Match symbols on the map to features on the ground
• Walk a route while keeping the map oriented
• Track your position on the map as you move

PE Standards (SHAPE America)

Standard 2: Movement & Fitness Concepts

• Applies movement concepts and strategies for safe movement within dynamic environments (2.5.1). Students orient their maps and use symbols to navigate to checkpoint locations during Symbol-O and Map Walk.
• Demonstrates problem-solving strategies in a variety of games/activities (2.5.5). Students match map symbols to real features and use the legend to decode unfamiliar symbols.

Standard 3: Social Skills

• Uses communication skills to negotiate roles and responsibilities in a physical activity setting (3.5.2). Partners discuss which symbol matches each feature and negotiate route choices.
• Solves problems independently, with partners, and in small groups (3.5.5). Pairs work together to find checkpoints at features matching specific symbols.

See PE Standards alignment for the full framework.

Delivery

1. Boundary Run: quick warm-up
2. Symbol introduction: gather students with maps
   • Compare the orienteering map to the pattern maps from Lesson 3
   • Point to a nearby feature (a path, a building, a tree) and find its symbol on the map
   • Orient the map so symbols line up with real features
   • Introduce the legend
3. Symbol-O: in pairs, find checkpoints placed at features that match specific symbols
   • Start with 3-4 easy symbols (path, building, fence)
   • Add harder symbols (vegetation boundaries, small features)
4. Map Walk: walk a route as a group
   • Teacher leads; students follow on their maps
   • Stop at each feature: "What symbol is this on your map? Point to where we are."
   • Students practice keeping the map oriented as the group turns corners
5. Symbol Relay (if time): teams race to match symbols to features

Reflection

• Which symbols were easiest to recognize? Which were hardest?
• How is the orienteering map different from the pattern maps we used before?
• What helped you keep track of where you were on the map?
• When you turned a corner, what did you have to do with your map?

Extensions

• Symbol Relay: team competition to identify and locate map symbols
• Students create their own symbol quiz for a partner
• Walk a new route; students lead and narrate what they see on the map
• Identify features visible from one spot and find all of them on the map