Session 1

In this session ākonga are introduced to using a map to locate landmarks and identify views from different locations.

1. Give ākonga copies of a kura map with the outline of main buildings and features marked on it. Only label some of the buildings and features.
2. Work with ākonga to label their classroom and to orientate the map.
3. Ākonga are to label the buildings and features on the map.
4. Ākonga then take their map and walk around their kura to check their labels and to add 2 or 3 new landmarks to the map.
5. Back in the classroom, ākonga can use the map to answer questions that require them to describe different views from locations on the map. For example:
   Which classroom has the best view of the marae?
   What building can you see from the field?
   What building can you see out the library windows?

Session 2

In this session ākonga use the kura map to describe pathways from locations.

1. Show the ākonga which direction to put the compass points N, S, E, W on their kura map.
2. Tell the ākonga that in today’s session they will be marking pathways on their map.
3. Ask the ākonga to trace with their finger on their map a pathway you describe. For example, start in the kura hall and walk south past Ruma 1 and 2, then walk west towards the sandpit, from the sandpit you can see the library, so walk south over the lawn to the library.
4. Ākonga work in pairs to give each other directions. Encourage the ākonga to use the compass directions, and to use the landmarks on the map to help give directions between locations.
5. Kōrero with your class (mahi tahi model) what they found useful when giving or following the directions.

Session 3

In this session ākonga use a local or imaginative map to describe different views they can see from different locations. They use compass directions to give the direction of landmarks from given locations. The map below is available as Copymaster 1.

1. Pose questions based on the map, which require ākonga to describe the views from different locations. For example:
   How many whare have a direct view of the marae?
   What can the children see from the playcentre?
   What can the doctor see out the window?
   If you sat in the doctor’s carpark what could you see?
   Colour in a whare that has a view of the playcentre, the dairy, and the hall?
2. Pose questions based on the map which require ākonga to use the compass directions. For example:
   What building is east of the café?
   What building is north of the hall?
   What building is south of the chemist?
   What direction is the playcentre from the church?
   What direction is the marae from the doctors?
   How many whare are south of the hall?
   From which building can you look west to see the church?

Session 4

In this session ākonga give a set of directions between two locations using distances and quarter turns to the left and right.

1. Select a map to use for this session with your ākonga, it could be the kura map you used in Session 1, Copymaster 1 or a different map that ākonga are already familiar with. Work out an appropriate scale, for example 1cm is 50m, and help ākonga make scale rulers with strips of card. In Copymaster 1, the ruler graduations will be 0, 50, 100, 150 etc.
2. On the Copymaster 1 map, the dots represent entry/exit points for buildings. Show ākonga how to turn the map around to orientate themselves as they follow directions and turn left and right.
3. Give ākonga a set of directions to follow. Focus on left and right turns, and using landmarks to help provide the distances. For example, leave the playcentre and turn right, walk along and cross the road, turn right, walk past some whare and cross the road, where are you now?
4. Ākonga can work in pairs to give each other instructions. These pairs could be a tuakana/teina model.
5. Using their scale rulers, ākonga will be able to give directions that include distances. Give ākonga a set of directions to follow. For example, leave the café and turn left. Walk 40 metres, if you turn right what will you be able to see?
6. Ākonga can work in pairs to give each other instructions that include distances and left and right turns. The tuakana/teina model could be appropriate for this learning also. 

Session 5

In this session ākonga learn about pathways and apply this to creating a fire escape plan for their whare.

1. Using the familiar map (for example, their kura map used in Session 1 or Copymaster 1) ask ākonga to draw the path from one location to another. Add conditions to the route they can take, for example draw how a class could walk from the library to the hall without walking past the office block.
2. Ask ākonga to create a Fire Escape Plan. Before completing this activity they should draw a plan of their whare and then mark the escape route out of each room. https://fireandemergency.nz/at-home/creating-an-escape-plan/
3. This activity is likely to take more than one session and can be completed as a home task.

Session 1

In this session students are introduced to the concept of drawing a map. A path will be drawn onto squares on grid paper. This path will represent a journey. The concept of a legend on a map could also be introduced.

1. Read "Hansel and Gretel" to the students (or a similar book that involves a journey, for example, "Going On A Bear Hunt").
2. Discuss the journey that Hansel and Gretel took to get to the witch’s house.
   Where did Hansel and Gretel’s journey begin?
   Where did they go to next?
   How far do you think they travelled? Why do you think that?
   What direction do you think they travelled? Why do you think that?
3. List the events of the story in sequence.
4. Talk about the ways that the journey taken by Hansel and Gretel could be recorded.
5. Introduce the concept /purpose of a map.
6. Look at examples of maps.
7. Introduce the idea of drawing a map of the path that Hansel and Gretel may have followed from their house to the witch’s house.
8. Ask students to create a draft map of the journey.

Session 2

In this session students make a map by drawing the path that Hansel and Gretel may have followed to go to the witch’s house. This is done by colouring squares on the grid sheet. (The journey may have to be embellished depending on the version of the story read! Looking at a board game like snakes and ladders may also help to reinforce the concept.)

1. Discuss the draft maps drawn by the students.
   How do we know which way to move on your map?
   Are our maps similar? In what ways?
   How are they different?
2. Show the students the grid paper. Discuss and model the drawing of the map onto this paper. Suggested details may include:
   • Starting and finishing points on the paper, e.g. bottom left hand corner square for Hansel and Gretel’s house and the top right hand corner for the witch’s house.
   • Squares must connect to each other by a side, i.e. not just by a corner.
   • Objects/obstacles that may be met along the way could be included on the map. e.g. trees, a bridge, rocks, a gate, etc. (These could either be directly drawn onto the map or a legend could be drawn and colour coded.)
   • Encourage creativity.
3. Let the students work in pairs or individually to create their map.
4. As the students work, encourage them to use the language of direction, e.g. up, down, left and right to describe the maps they are drawing.
   Where do you start in your map?
   In which direction do I travel next?
   How far will I travel in that direction?
   If I couldn’t see your map what directions would you give me next?
5. Ask students to describe their maps to a buddy using this language. This will include counting squares.

Session 3

In this session students will write directions for their path maps using the language of North South, East, and West or left, right, up and down - depending on their abilities.

1. Display the maps of the paths drawn from Session 2.
2. Talk about and discuss the use of maps. Identify N, S, E, W arrows on maps.
3. Talk about the use of compasses to find people.
4. Explain to the students that they have to write directions for their maps for someone else to follow. (Alternatively you could tell the students that the directions are for someone who is trying to rescue Hansel and Gretel.)
5. Give the students their maps and get them to record a NSEW direction arrow at the top of the page. Model writing directions using NSEW as reference points starting at the first square.
   • Move 4 squares to the East.
   • Move 2 squares to the North.
   • Move 6 squares to the West, and so on.
6. Ask the students write a list of directions using the language of NSEW. A counter could be used to help the tracking and accuracy of the directions.
7. The directions should be recorded in list form as above. This will become a ‘direction card’.

Session 4

In this session students will be asked to follow each other’s direction cards to draw the paths from the original maps. The maps will then be compared to see if the directions have been recorded accurately.

1. Students work in pairs to recreate the "paths" or maps of other students.
2. The NSEW arrow and the starting point need to be clearly labelled on the otherwise blank sheet of grid paper.
3. Students swap direction cards and then follow these directions (counters could be used to assist accuracy) to rescue Hansel and Gretel.
4. Paths are drawn and then compared with the original map to see if the directions are accurate.

Session 5

In this session the students prepare and then use treasure maps. The treasure hunt is to be carried out in their environment at school using clearly identified boundaries. A map of the area is drawn with key features. The concept of a legend is to be introduced by asking students to identify and label key features marked on the map in the designated area.

1. Discuss with the students the key features in the designated area, e.g. trees, seats, swing, classroom blocks, etc.
2. Symbols for these features are discussed and then determined.
3. The students work in pairs to create a map of the designated area using grid paper. Depending on the skills of the students you may have prepared the map with some of the key features.
4. In pairs, the students decide on a place to "bury" their treasure and then prepare a direction list using a combination of key features and directionality language.
5. Pebbles with names written on them could be left at each treasure point to mark who has taken the treasure to ensure the hunters only take their own designated treasure (this may limit poaching!)
6. The students then swap maps and direction lists with another pair to find the treasure.

Session 1

1. Give the students a copy of a street map of the area around the school. The map might be obtained by screen grabbing a Google Map view of the area. Ensure that you capture the scale as well. Draw a grid system on the map before you photocopy it (See Copymaster 1). Use an interactive whiteboard, screen or projector to display the map.
2. Help the students to orientate themselves with the map by asking them to locate some local features. Choose places of particular significance to your students. For example, ask the students:
   Where is the school on the map?
   Where is the local park/sports ground?
   Where is a local shop (dairy, petrol station, bakery, church etc)?
   Where is your house?
3. Ask the students to describe the locations of the school, sports field, shop, house. Students may describe the location using street names (the dairy is on Somerville Street), other local features (the church is beside the Bushlands Park), or with directional language (e.g. north, to the left). Explain to the students that grid references are a useful way to describe locations on a map because they define what part of the map the place is in.
4. Choose several examples of places on the map.
5. Show the students Copymaster 1 as an introductory activity to using grid references.
   How would you tell someone else where The Mole and Chicken Restaurant is located? (B3)
   Where is the Taupo Hospital? (E2)
   What landmark is in the grid G5 (Parts and Service)?
6. Ask students to work with a partner using Copymaster 1. Tell them to create eight new landmarks on the map, e.g. a dairy, a service station, a pre-school centre, a marae and Tom’s house. Ask them to make up 8 problems for another group about locating one of the landmarks. For example, What landmark is at D4? In what grid would you find Tom’s House?
7. Ask groups to exchange Copymasters and solve the problems that the other group has set. Compare and self-correct the answers.
8. Return to the local map on the interactive whiteboard. Suppose you were asked to create an index for your local area. The index shows the location of important landmarks. Ask your students to help by specifying four landmarks and identifying the grid reference for each landmark. Students need to record the references.
9. Share the grid references by beginning the compilation of an index in alphabetical order.
10. Show students an index page from an old map book which uses co-ordinate grid references. Some maps are more specific M12 NW means the location is in the northwest sector of the M12 grid.
11. Discuss: Paper maps are not used much these days. Why would that be?
    Mobile phone technology has made maps redundant and almost removed the need for navigational tools as well. When have you needed to use a map?
    Can you imagine a place where a map might still be useful?
12. Remote locations often do not have GPS (Global Positioning System) signals so a paper or digital map is an important safety tool. You might look up a news story about lost and found trampers, and locate the place the trampers went missing using Google Maps.

Session 2

1. Give the students a copy of the local street map from Session One. Imagine that a friend from school is coming to stay. You need to give them instructions about how to get from school to your house. Let’s imagine you live at (address, e.g. 45 Willberry Street).
2. Use Google Maps to locate the address and get directions from the school. 
   What instructions might we give them?
   Instructions must include turns (right and left), distances and important things to look for (Street names, buildings, parks, etc.)
3. Ask: How can we find distances on the maps?
   Students may know about the scale.
4. Take a strip of paper and place it under the scale on the map shown on the interactive whiteboard. Mark a distance from the scale onto the strip, e.g. 200 metres. 
   This distance on the strip equals 200 metres in real space. Let’s tell our friend how far they need to walk along (Street name). Align the strip with the street beginning at the place where the friend starts walking. For example, “They will need to walk about 300 metres up Taharepa Road.”
   
5. Discuss how parts of the scale will need to be calculated to get an accurate measure. Finding fractions of the scale to get more reference marks is an excellent way to apply fractions as operators, e.g. ¾ of 200.
6. Ask students to develop a set of clear instructions for their friend to walk from school to your home. Support students who have difficulty with transactional writing by introducing iconic symbols, as would appear on a navigation app for mobile phones.
7. After completing a set of instructions students can trial the instructions with a partner. The partner follows the instructions exactly as recorded to see if the result matches the intended destination. Turns on maps are particularly challenging, and strategies to complete turns should be discussed. A right turn is relative to the direction of travel so the navigator needs to orientate themselves to that direction before making the turn.

Session 3

1. Grid references are one way to represent a location. A3, for example, represents an area on a map so the location is not precise. That lack of precision can be problematic when an exact position is needed, e.g. courier delivery, parachute drop, police or military operation. Coordinates provide a precise location and are more associated with other ideas in mathematics than grid references.
2. Show the students Copymaster 2 on the overhead projector.
   What differences can you see between our grid map and this map?
   Do students notice that the numbers are located on the lines rather than between those lines?
3. Ask: If you went to (5, 2) where would you be?
4. Students learn that the first number in an ordered pair, is the horizontal distance from the origin (0, 0). The second number is the vertical distance from the origin. So (5, 2) represents five squares across and two squares up. That location is just outside the café. If the directions are reversed then students end up at (2, 5) in the forest.
5. Invite the students to identify other landmarks and give the location of those landmarks using coordinates. For example:
   What is at (6, 2)?   (school)
   What are the coordinates for the Fountain?...the Fire Station?...Ferris Wheel?
6. Provide students with Copymaster 2 in pairs. Ask them to:
   Put ten new landmarks on the map. Label each landmark, e.g. Hospital, MacDonald’s Restaurant, Skate World, Church, Marae. Students should be encouraged to choose landmarks important to them.
   Write down a set of ten coordinates for the landmarks in the order you want another team to visit them. Try to make the trip an interesting shape.
7. Once pairs complete their landmarks and coordinates, their map can be given to another pair to document the journey in two ways:
   1. Record the name of the landmark beside each coordinate
   2. Draw the path directly between coordinates in order to see what interesting shape is made. Name the shape.

Session 4

1. Use a globe to discuss lines of longitude and latitude. Ask: Why might putting a coordinate system over the Earth’s surface be useful?
   Students might think of situations where giving a precise location is important, e.g. Flights to a Pacific Island, searching for lost trampers, tracking ships, etc.
2. Point out that the Earth is close to a sphere, like an orange, so it is tricky to lay the lines onto a flat space. Lines of longitude emanate from the poles, and lines of latitude finish at the poles.
3. Give students these names of New Zealand towns.
   Ask: Do you know where these towns are in Aotearoa?
   • Gore                46.1028° S 168.9436° E
   • Raglan             37.8° S 174.8833° E
   • Dargaville        35.9333° S 173.8833° E
   • Wairoa             39.0333° S 177.3667° E
4. Ask: What do you think the numbers to the right of each town mean?
   Students might suggest that they are coordinates.
5. Search for a video online using “Longitude and latitude explained.” There are some clear explanations available that students will find easy to understand.
6. Go to Google Maps NZ. Put in the coordinates for each town in the search bar. Google takes you directly to the town so you can confirm its location. You may need to Zoom out so other familiar parts of Aotearoa are visible.
7. Draw students’ attention to the use of decimals to more precisely define the coordinates. For example, the longitude of Wairoa is one third the distance between 177 degrees East and 178 degrees East.
8. Provide your students with Copymaster 3, an old French map of Aotearoa dated at 1896. The map clearly shows lines of longitude and latitude. Ask students to mark the locations of the four towns on the old map.
9. Watch to see that students:
   Locate the towns using the coordinates
   Use the decimals to get improved precision.
10. After locating the four towns ask students to use the same map and locate cities, towns, or islands that are significant to them. Exact coordinates can be found using Google Maps or sites such as https://www.geodatos.net/en/coordinates/new-zealand/.
11. Students might exchange coordinates and find the matching location. You might frame the activity like a Great Race as seen on television. Each location can be a checkpoint.

Session 5

In this session students create a map that will be of future use to them. They screen grab the map from Google Maps and impose their own coordinate or grid system on it.

Using their own map students might write instructions using cardinal compass directions (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW) and orientation instructions. In pairs the students follow each other’s instructions. The activity can be made more challenging by asking students to include an appropriate scale on the map.

Game

This game is a version of the traditional game Battleships, which uses ordered pairs on a co-ordinate grid to specify position. Since the “treasure chests” are represented by multilink cubes, which have an area of 2 cm x 2 cm, students can think strategically about which co-ordinates (ordered pairs) to choose.
For example, finding out that B 2 is not a co-ordinate for a treasure chest effectively eliminates the co-ordinates A 1, A 2, and B 1. If E 2 also is not a co-ordinate for a chest, that effectively eliminates C 1, C 2, D 1, D 2, and E 1. Note that this strategy is good for locating the approximate position of treasure chests, but to finish the game, students must give all four corner co-ordinates of each chest.
An interesting variation of the game is for students to use 16 unit place-value cubes to make four “gold nuggets”. These nuggets can take any shape the player wants them to within the squares.
For example:

Answers to Activity

Game
A game using co-ordinates

In this activity, the students will gain experience in reading and plotting positions on a grid. The activity explores the idea of using letters to explain the position of something. The students need to realise that the order of the letters is important. For example, in A,F , Prema’s guess, the across letter (the distance along the horizontal axis) is written first. Note, though, that the labels refer to the square spaces rather than the intersecting lines of the ordered pair and co-ordinate system.
Explain to the students how we need such a location system when we find places on maps or find a seat at the movies. A possible introduction could be to prepare two sets of alphabet cards labelled A to H and model the grid on the classroom floor. Students could be randomly assigned to a square on the grid or could be placed on a spot and asked to state the label of their square.
Question 2 will be useful for sharing and discussion. The students need to realise that Clara’s second cowpat lands on two squares.
Some extension ideas include:
• Two students play a game similar to Battleships. Each player has a grid and marks on it a trail of cowpats in adjacent squares that starts on one side of the grid and goes to the other. The other player tries to find the trail by calling out labels of squares where cowpats might be. The first player to complete a trail as marked on their partner’s grid wins.

• Two players each have a grid on which they place six items typically sold at a school gala, for example, fudge, a pot plant, a drink, clothing, comics, and books. The players take turns trying to collect all six items into their basket by calling the correct labels for squares. Their partner is required to indicate a near miss if a player’s call is only one square away.
• Two players have a 6 x 6 grid between them. They throw two dice marked A to F or spin a spinner. One throw or spin gives the horizontal reference, and the second gives the vertical reference. The player puts a counter in the square. The first player to have three of their counters in consecutive squares (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal) is the winner.
Treasure Trove on pages 6–7 of Under the Sea, Figure It Out, Levels 2–3, also deals with grids and co-ordinates. Note, though, that this activity uses co-ordinates that refer to intersecting lines rather than the square spaces.

Answers to Activity

1a.

b. F,E
c. Eva
d. Theo, Jack, and Sam

2.