Orienteering

New Mexico Grade 8 Science Standard I (Physical Science):  5-8 Benchmark III.
 #6:  Know that the Earth has a magnetic field.

This could be a 2-minute lecture on the earth having a magnetic field.  But when it's the last day before spring break, why not make it an entire 90-minute class period?

Welcome to Orienteering 101!

I handed out the little compasses to each student and we practiced learning how to use them.  Always remember that North is with North.  Then find your direction.  

I then took the class outside to the baseball field. I had closed it off to everyone else with big signs, and during my prep period (there have been many times I’m grateful that prep is first for me) I set up the orienteering course.  It took me about an hour to get everything set right, and then the rest of the period to perfect it and get everything ready

 

My first class did awesome.  They were in groups of two and each had a different course to take.  There were 8 markers around the field.  They got their first clue from me in the center, and then went off in the direction of their clue.  There they would find a new clue for their group that would send them in a different direction to another marker.  The first group back to me with all of their markers in the correct order won and got a prize.  It was fun, because the first group back actually didn’t have their markers in the correct order, so I sent them back at their second marker where they had first messed up.  They ran back.  I had a couple other groups come back with answers really close, but had 1 or 2 wrong.  In the end, we had a winner.  There were only 15 minutes of class left when everyone had finished (of a 90 minute class), and it being the last day of the week I told them they could do whatever.  Some joined the PE class on the next field in playing soccer.  Other sat in the shade of the dug-out.  I went around and made sure all of my clues were at the right markers and then sat in the dug-out with my class.  

My second class came in and didn’t do as well.  They could not figure out that North had to go with North.  They were trying to get the needle in the compass to move instead of physically changing the direction of the compass to match the needle.  I still had a winning group, but it was harder with this group.  I think it’s a combination that I missed a step in my introduction and that this groups had a higher percentage of lower abilities than my last class.  Also, it was much hotter this time.  But we only had to do this for half the class because this class had finally earned their class party.  After the winner came in, I gathered them all up and we went back inside.  They were good enough to help me pick up the markers and take down the signs before we left, though.  Then they sat in my classroom for the party where they ate chips that they brought and listened to music.  It was pretty chill.  But it worked.  :)

An example marker.  The Marker paper should be under the rock.  This is what happens after kids have been by.