- Year 5
Orientating a map to locate points
I can orientate a map, locate points on the map and then record what I find at those points.
- Year 5
Orientating a map to locate points
I can orientate a map, locate points on the map and then record what I find at those points.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Move: orienteering requires us to complete the course in the fastest time, so we must move quickly around the course.
- Think: strategies like orienting the map, identifying features and problem solving help us complete the course quickly.
- Feel: doing our best, even if we’re not the fastest on the course, shows perseverance.
- Connect: cooperating and listening to our partners helps us be more successful when completing an orienteering course.
Keywords
Orienteering - using a map to navigate through unfamiliar terrain, aiming to find specific checkpoints in the fastest time possible
Course - a set route marked on a map with checkpoints, or control points, that you navigate through to complete the activity
Features - the elements that help users understand the layout, details and information the map represents
Common misconception
Pupils hold the map the wrong way round, not matching it to their direction of travel, making it harder to locate points accurately.
Make sure pupils orient the map so it matches the direction they're facing. They must turn the map until the features on the map line up with what they can see around them.
To help you plan your year 5 physical education lesson on: Orientating a map to locate points, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 5 physical education lesson on: Orientating a map to locate points, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom.
Explore more key stage 2 physical education lessons from the Outdoor adventurous activities: orienteering unit, dive into the full primary physical education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Orienteering course, orienteering map, whiteboards and pens, 1 per pair
Content guidance
- Risk assessment required - outdoor learning
- Risk assessment required - physical activity
Supervision
Adult supervision required