Lesson video

Hi, it's Mr. Roberts again for the third of our indoor orienteering lessons.

And the objective of today's lesson is to draw and use a map, to orientate a map, and to use that map to find our way around and to find hidden objects.

Okay, so let's see how we get on, and good luck.

Okay, so are we ready to get on with the activity? But before we start, we need some equipment, like in all of the other lessons.

So on this particular occasion, just like in the other lessons, we need to have five objects which are going to be used to be found during the orienteering.

But they don't have to be so small to be hidden on a table, like in lesson two.

So in my case, I've got my five objects.

I've got a football, a small, squishy football.

I've got my toy soldier again.

So he's back.

And to give him some company, he's got his robot friend.

They've been together for all three lessons.

And slightly different this time, I've got a rubber duck.

So I've got my rubber duck.

And I've got a fifth object, which in this particular case is a small cuddly fox.

So I've got five objects to be hidden.

That's the first thing.

The second thing is we need some paper.

Okay, so you need plenty of paper.

I've said three or more sheets on the screen, but the more, the better you can get, although remember, you could tear it in half, okay? The next thing we need is a pencil and a rubber.

So I've got those.

So one rubber, one pencil, and you need a pen.

So they are the objects you need in today's lesson.

Pause the video, go and find those objects, and when you've got those objects, you're ready to go, come back to the screen, and we can carry on.

Off you go.

Okay, so like in all of our lessons, there are some key vocabulary that we must remember, so the words that are pertinent to the lesson we're in and the subject that we're actually learning about.

So in today's lesson, we've got two key words.

The first key word is orientation.

And that means to make the map shape the land that you're standing on.

So we've got to rotate the map till it matches the way that you're pointing, and I'll explain that a little bit more as the lesson goes on.

And the second key word is the word scale, and that's the size of something on a map compared to in real life.

So they are our key words in today's lesson.

Okay, so you've got your equipment, and you know your key words, so now we're ready to get on with the first activity.

And the first activity is called making a map.

And all I want you to do is get your clean sheet of paper.

So I've got my piece of paper, and you've got your pencil.

And what you're going to do is imagine that you're in the air looking down on the room or the space that you're in.

And you're going to draw a very simple plan of that room.

So remember, scale is really important, and start with the big objects and then add the smaller objects in later.

So I'm going to give you an example.

So I've drawn a very simple example of the room that I'm in.

So I've got the sofa, okay? And I've got a rug in the middle of the room.

I've got a bookcase, TV in the corner, and the door to the side in the corner.

So it's a very simple plan of the room.

So what I want you to do is pause the video, get your sheet of paper, get your pencil, and imagine you're in the air looking down on your room, and you're going to make a very simple map or very simple plan of the room that you're in.

And I would imagine that you may want to get an adult or a partner to help you with this.

So see how you get on.

Pause the video, and off you go.

Okay, so you've drawn your map.

Well done.

So now we can get on with the first activity.

It's called orientating the map.

So what I want you to do is I want you to stand in the middle of your room so that the symbols on the map, the features on the map, are exactly as they are in real life.

So if you can see the bookcase is on your left and the map is in front of you, then the bookcase, the symbol on the map for that bookcase, should be in the same place.

So it should be on the left-hand side of the map.

If you can see there's a window in front of you, then the window on the map should be in front of you.

And the key thing is, the map must never move, so the map must always be facing the same direction.

So if you change direction, you're the person who moves, you face the other way, but the map must stay the same as the room.

So the map must mirror the room.

One thing you could do if you get good at this is throw the map up in the air, let it land on the floor, and pick it up and see how long it takes you to get the map orientated again.

So that's what it's called.

It's called orientating a map, and this basically means making sure the map mirrors the space that you're standing in.

So the map is pointing in the same direction as everything in the room, okay? So have a little practise.

See how you get on.

Pause the video, go and have a play.

Throw it up in the air, pick it up several times.

Have a go with your partner, let your partner have a go.

And the key thing is, the map must always remain the same once you've got it orientated.

And it's you that does the moving.

The map stays the same.

Okay, so we've got our maps and we're ready to go, and we know how to orientate the maps.

So the first activity we're going to do where we're actually using the map is called find five.

Now, you remember, the very first lesson we had an activity called find five.

Well, this time it's find five but using a map.

So what you're going to do is one of you, the course setter, is going to hide the five objects that you have with you somewhere in the room that you've drawn a map of.

And they can be a little bit more well hidden than previously, so they don't have to be in totally plain sight.

And they're going to hide those five objects, but they must mark on the map where they think they are.

So as you can see on my map now, I've got my five circles.

Now, notice in the middle there's a triangle.

The triangle is the symbol for the start and finish place, okay? So I've got five circles, and somewhere in the room there are five objects hidden, and they are supposed to be in the same place as where those circles indicate.

So what will happen is, the orienteer will then be given this map and they must go to those five objects using the map.

So they can't just look around and scope the room a little bit like RoboCop.

They've got to use the map to help them go and find those objects, okay? So pause the video, go and set up the map with the objects around the room, draw them on the map just using circles, and then have a go.

Give the orienteer a copy of the map.

Let them go and find the objects.

They come back, and let's see how we get on after that.

So pause the video, go and have a go, and then come back to the video when you're ready.

Excellent, so what you now can do is you know how to draw a map, and you and your partner understand what the different features are on the map.

So you know what means the sofa, you know what means the bookcase, and you know what means the door or whatever.

You also know that a circle indicates where an object is hidden, and that's called your control, so it's a control on the map.

And you also know that the triangle is the start and finish place.

So what you're going to do now is you're going to clear the map, so you're going to use the rubber that you started the lesson with, and you're going to rub everything out so that you've now just simply got the features, and you're going to do it again.

So your partner is going to hide the five objects around the room, but you've got to leave the room.

You're not allowed to be in the room when they do this.

And they're going to put circles on the map to show where those actual objects are hidden.

They will also draw a triangle to show the start and finish place, and when they've done that, they call you back in.

And what you're going to do.

So they're the course setter.

Remember that key word from the very first lesson? You're the orienteer.

So you're going to use their map to go and find those features.

However, or those objects, sorry.

However, you're not going to do that just by looking around the room.

You're going to use your map, and you're going to plan the most efficient or the quickest course that will take you to all five objects and back to the start.

So it's a little bit like join the dots.

So on my map, I can see that I've got a triangle, which is my start position, and I've got five objects around the outside.

So I'm going to decide where I'm going to go.

So I'm going to start at my triangle.

Then I'll go to the circle that's at the corner of the rug.

Then I'm going to go to the one by the TV.

Then back down to the door.

I'm going to go across to the other corner by the bookcase, back to the sofa, and back to the middle.

So I'm going to draw on my map what I believe will be the best route that will take me to all five objects, or all five controls, and back to the start and the finish place.

So once I've drawn those, I'll show that to my partner, the course setter, and he or she will then say, "Okay, off you go," and see how long it takes you to get to all five controls and back to where you started from.

Okay? That's the challenge.

So pause the video, and go and have a go.

And when you're happy, come back to the video, and I'm going to give you some challenges to make it even more complicated and even more exciting.

Well done.

So your partner's drawn you a map.

You've been around and you've worked out the best course or the best route that will take you to all five of those objects and back to the start position.

So what we're now going to do is just think about a couple of top tips.

The first thing is, as you're doing this, it's really vital that you keep the map orientated as you're doing it.

So you hold the map in front of you as you're walking around or moving around the space.

So the map has to mirror the same shape and the same space as it's all set out around you, okay? The next thing is, as you're doing it, try working out what maybe is the least efficient way of doing it.

So you join the dots up to make the best, quickest route.

Try doing it a different way.

What would be the most complicated or the most inefficient way of doing it? So have another go and work out what will be the longest route to take so you can start getting used to the idea of what's a good way of doing it and sometimes what's the less efficient way, okay? So pause the video, have another go, and work out different routes that will take you to those five different objects.

Okay? Off you go.

Excellent, so you've done really well, and we've done some simple orienteering making your own course, your own route, depending on where the things were hidden.

And you drew them on the map, a little bit like join the dots, as I said.

So you planed the best route, the worst route, the most awkward route or whatever it might be.

So the next challenge is, you're going to give the map back to the course setter.

He or she is going to clear the circles off.

So they're going to use the rubber to clear it off, remove your lines, or it might necessary by now, you might need to draw a new plan of the room.

And what they're now going to do is they're going to send you out, so you're not allowed to see where they're hiding things, and they're now going to hide the five objects again somewhere around the room.

But they're now going to introduce some obstacles as well.

Now, it doesn't have to be big, awkward obstacles such as furniture and so on.

It could be just putting things on the floor.

It could be a few toys.

It might be they might put a pile of Lego in the middle of the carpet.

Just make sure you tidy it up after you've finished.

They might put a chair somewhere different.

But we've now got some obstacles on the floor that you might have to take into account when you plan your route.

So they've drawn the obstacles onto the map, they've also drawn the circles onto the map, and they've drawn the start and finish position.

When they've hidden those objects, they call you back in, and what they're now going to do is give you back the map, and you're now going to have a look at the whole room in front of you.

The first thing you do is you orientate it, and now you're going to plan your route, using a pencil again, like a join the dots.

But you now have to take into account the obstacles that are in front of you.

And it might be that you can't just go wandering straight through that pile of Lego.

You can't just climb straight over the chair that has now appeared in the room that is now marked on your map.

You're going to have to work out a route that will actually take into account those obstacles that are now on the map.

So you have to go round them in the same way that if you were out in the fields or out on the mountains, you couldn't just go straight through the middle of a lake.

You'd plan your route around the lake.

So it's the same principle.

It's a very small-scale version of the proper map reading that you'll do outside when you can get outside, okay? So your partner will give you your map.

You're going to draw a new route, but you have to take into account those obstacles.

Then once you've done that, you have a go and work your way around and see if that route was the best way of doing it as you went round those obstacles that you've actually taken into account on your map.

Okay? So let's see how we get on.

Pause the video, go and have a go, and then come back to the video when you've had a go and you've been successful.

Excellent, so you've done really, really well where you're planning your own routes.

One variation on this could be where the course setter gives you your map, just like my map, okay? They give you the map, and you have to simply follow their map, okay? You don't know what you're going to find when you get to each particular control.

And when you come back, you've got to tell them what you found when you got there, okay? So you might start at the triangle, you go to the first control, and you find that that's where that small football was hidden.

You then go to the second control, and that's where the cuddly fox was.

And you go back to them and tell them, yeah, that's where I found the football.

That's where I found the cuddly fox.

That's where I found the robot or whatever it might be.

So they've set you your course, and you've got to follow their course and see how you get on.

And they'll be interested to know whether you can remember what you found at each control.

So pause the video, go and have a go, and when you're ready, come back to the video and I can tell you what we're going to do next.

Excellent stuff.

So you've made some really, really good progress in this lesson.

So you've actually done some activities involving orientating a map, drawing a map, putting controls onto a map, planning a route, planning a route with obstacles, planning a route for someone else to follow.

So a couple of questions for you to think about and for you to discuss with your partner.

So the first question is, did you find it easy to keep the map orientated as you're moving around, or did you find that you wanted to rush ahead without looking at that map? What you must remember, it's always vital that you keep your map orientated all the time whenever you're doing orienteering or any activity involving reading a map, okay? The second question for you to discuss is, what route did you take? How did you decide what route? So when you had that map in front of you, was it a simple question of just join the dots, as I described, or did you start thinking about it a little bit more strategically or a little bit more tactically? And did it make it a bit more complicated once you got obstacles put in front of you? So have a think, have a chat, and what did you come up with, okay? You've made really good progress.

You've had three really good lessons of indoor orienteering.

And the challenge now is to take those skills outdoors.

So good luck, stay safe, and hopefully see you again soon.