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Lesson 4: Visit Checkpoints in Order

"In orienteering, you find checkpoints in order using clue sheets"

Time	30-45 minutes
Space	Gym, schoolyard, or local park
Materials	Checkpoints (cones with animal pictures), Clue sheets, Start/finish markers, Cones (optional, for marking boundaries)
Setup	Place animal checkpoints around the space; prepare 5-animal clue sheets (and 10-animal sheets for pairs who finish all six)
Vocabulary	Clue sheet, Course, Checkpoint

Activities

warm-up

Boundary Run

Warm up: run the boundary together.

readiness

Explore & Find

Quick review: explore to find checkpoints (if students need a refresher).

core

Animal-O

Find the animals in order using clue sheets.

Goals

Orienteering Goals

• Use a clue sheet to visit checkpoints in order
• Check the animal picture at each checkpoint to confirm the right one
• Build spatial memory by repeating courses
• Work as Navigator and Checker

PE Standards (SHAPE America)

Standard 1: Motor Skills

• Demonstrates a variety of locomotor skills with the concepts of space, effort, and relationship awareness (1.2.1). Students walk and run between checkpoints while navigating with a clue sheet.

Standard 3: Social Skills

• Responds appropriately to directions and feedback from the teacher (3.2.4). Students follow instructions for using clue sheets and switching roles.
• Uses communication skills to share space and equipment (3.2.3). Navigator and Checker share the clue sheet and communicate about which checkpoint to visit next.

Standard 4: Personal Skills

• Recognizes movement strengths and the need for practice for individual improvement (4.2.7). Students notice improvement when repeating a course and reflect on what helped them get faster.

See PE Standards alignment for the full framework.

Delivery

1. Boundary Run: quick review of the boundary. If students need a refresher on checkpoint locations, start with a quick round of Explore & Find.
2. Show the class a clue sheet. "This tells you which animals to find and what order to find them in. You always start at the top and go down." Demonstrate with the whole class: read the first animal on the clue sheet together, go find it as a group, check the picture, then come back. This makes the top-to-bottom order concrete.
3. Pair up. One partner is the Navigator (holds the clue sheet and leads the way), the other is the Checker (looks at the checkpoint to confirm it matches the clue sheet). They stay together.
4. Animal-O: pairs use clue sheets to find all 5 checkpoints in order.
5. Switch Navigator and Checker roles and do the same course again. Can you do it faster now that you know where the animals are?
6. Challenge: try it from memory. Put the clue sheet away and see if the two of you can remember the order. What helped?
7. Pairs who finish all six 5-animal clue sheets get a 10-animal sheet.

Reflection

• How did you know you were at the right checkpoint?
• Was it faster the second time? What do you think changed?
• What is the Checker's job? Why is it important?

Extensions

• Track times on a whiteboard; try to improve
• Move the checkpoints to new locations and start over
• Have students draw a map of the area showing checkpoint locations