Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forest Fun

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Learners explore orienteering and how to use a compass. They explore the importance of forests and identify some of the trees in a local forest.
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Direction on the Earth: Using a Compass

For Students 6th - 8th
Navigate the world of orienteering in an informative interactive. Earth science scholars learn practical direction skills, such as proper polar coordinates and pairing compasses with maps. The interactive map allows them to practice...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Orienteering - The Fundamentals

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students investigate the concept of a compass and it has been used in the past and in modern times. They practice using it in the wilderness in order to test its importance in various exploring activities. Each activity is accompanied by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Orienteering

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers acquaint with co-participants and identify the practice basic compass functions and orienteering procedures. They also work together to solve a small challenge. Students then identify how the challenge of orienteering...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Orienteering: Welcome to the Jungle

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students work together in groups to complete a treasure hunt. Using the school grounds, they search for pictures and stuffed animals of different species. They use a GPS to locate them and record which habitat they live. They calculate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

True North, Magnetic North

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explain why compass angles need to be corrected for regional magnetic variation. They observe the difference between magnetic and true north. Each student measures the angle of variation for a town in a different state.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Basic Orienteering

For Teachers 4th - Higher Ed
Students study orienteering. In this science lesson plan, students study the parts of a compass and use the compass to set a bearing and follow the bearing on the compass.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science: Reading a Compass

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students demonstrate how to take bearings using a compass. In pairs, they select objects in the classroom then write down its first initial and bearing. They exchange papers and try to disciver their partner's object.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cave Activity: Mapping Fractures

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students tour a cave and observe fractures in the cave's ceiling. They record characteristics of the fracture. They locate three major passages in the cave and ten major fractures.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

TE Activity: Northward Ho!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students design a simple compass. They examine how the Earth's magnetic field has both horizontal and vertical components. They determine how a compass works and work with cardinal directions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Orientation of the Earth in Space

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students hypothesize the location of the sun in the sky at diferent times of day and at different latitudes. They perform several experiments to provide evidence for their hypothesis. Experiments including observing the sun's position at...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Can You Dig It?

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young scholars investigate a fossil site and diagram a site map. They role play as paleontologists.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mid-Ocean Magnetism

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students investigate magnetic evidence that supports the theory of sea floor spreading.
Handout
Other

Geoscience Australia: Map Reading Guide: How to Use Topographic Maps [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
A topographic map can be challenging to read. This guide explains how to decipher one and how to use a magnetic compass to orient yourself to the landscape. It also explains how to use GPS coordinates.
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Topo Map Mania!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Maps are designed to allow people to travel to a new location without a guide to show the way. They tell us information about areas to which we may or may not have ever been. There are many types of maps available for both recreational...