Orienteering

Grade Level: 6 – 8

Academic Areas: Physical Education

Duration of service: 1 – 2 weeks

Character Virtues: Responsibility, Honesty

Technology: GIS, GPS

Service Areas: Education/Tutoring             

 

Service Learning Project:

Orienteering is an outdoor sport in which the participants use a map and a compass to find points in the landscape.  It is an activity that combines physical and mental skills that will serve all levels of participants well throughout their lives.  It is a lifetime activity for people of all fitness levels.  The objective of this unit is to get participants moving at their comfort level. 

  Participants will learn to use the GPS unit to create and execute scavenger hunts and geo cache finds.  Orientation will be a one-day training session on the use of a GPS unit.  This training will include both classroom and field experiences.  Participants will be introduced to map and compass reading skills and learn how to apply them in practical learning activities.  The older students will learn how to set up the area for scavenger hunts and/or geo caching.  Other participants will be assisted in locating the finds.   Finally, the students’ knowledge will be celebrated when they share it with the community on a community orienteering day.  They will set up and guide community members through a course, demonstrating their knowledge of GPS technology and orienteering skills.

Goals and Objectives

Academic

Learning Goal: Actively and safely participate in the physical activity of orienteering.  

Standard: NYS Standard 1 (Personal Health and Fitness – Students will have the

necessary knowledge and skills to establish and maintain physical fitness, participate in physical activity, and maintain personal health)

 

Learning Goal: Demonstrate the skills necessary to participate in community

orienteering events.

Standard: NYS Standard 3 (Resource Management – Students will understand and be

able to manage their personal and community resources).

 

Service

Community need targeted for improvement: Obesity.

Possible Community Partners:   4-H Members, Youth Groups (boy scouts, girl scouts,

church groups, etc.)

 

Objective:  Participants will learn the steps necessary to navigate their way through an

orienteering course.

 

Objective:  Promote active lifestyles.  Students will share their knowledge with the

community via a community orienteering day.

 

Technology

Learning Goal:  Students will learn how to enter waypoints in the GPS unit. 

Objective:  Participants will be able to successfully complete a geo cache find.

 

Learning Goal:  Students will be able to set up a course using the GPS unit.

Objective:  Participants will be able to successfully complete a scavenger hunt.

 

 

Character

Virtue:  Honesty

Objective:  Students will honestly evaluate their lifestyles and the effects thereof.

 

Virtue:  Responsibility

Objective:  Participants will appreciate the equipment needed for this activity. In

addition, students will learn to respect take responsibility for their bodies and the health thereof. 

 

Key Activities

Key Planning Activities

  1. Teachers will communicate with a local fitness and orienteering expert for guidance and assistance.
  2. Teachers will scout a good and safe course on school grounds, using GPS equipment to set the waypoints.

 

Key Service Activities

  1. Students will use GPS equipment to map scavenger and geo cache areas.
  2. Students will use GIS to generate a map of scavenger and geo cache areas.
  3. Students will use digital technologies (digital cameras) to create a visual record of all mapped points.
  4. Students will host a community orienteering day at which they set up and guide community members through an orienteering course.

 

Key Reflection Activities

1.      (oral) Students will hold a group discussion of their personal experiences on the scavenger hunt and/or geo cache.

2.      (written, performance) Students will reflect in a creative form (poem or performance) on how this small contribution can be applied to the larger community.

3.      oral) Students will return to their individual clubs and present and discuss this activity.

 

Celebration Activity

Their knowledge will be celebrated each time they successfully locate caches or hidden clues/items. In addition, they will host a community orienteering day at which they both set up and guide community members through and orienteering course.  Community members will be invited to the community orienteering day.