Outdoor and Adventurous Activity — Navigation — Year 5 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: PE KS2 — take part in outdoor and adventurous activity challenges both individually and within a team; compare performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement
Overview
Pupils develop outdoor navigation skills through orienteering-style activities on the school grounds. They learn to use a simple map, align it with their surroundings (setting the map), plan a route between control points, and navigate using visible features. The lesson develops problem-solving, confidence and teamwork in an outdoor context.
Learning Objectives
- Orient a simple map of the school grounds by aligning features on the map with features in the environment.
- Plan and follow a route to visit at least six control points in order.
- Work as a pair to share navigation responsibility, taking turns to lead.
- Reflect on a mistake made during navigation and explain what they would do differently.
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Walk-through of the course: teacher leads the class around the school grounds, identifying key features (the main entrance, the football goal, the corner of the field, the bike shed) and showing how they appear on the map. Pupils practise setting the map at each stop. Brief map quiz: 'Point at the canteen. Find the path that runs alongside the science block.'
How to set a map: hold the map flat, turn it until the top matches north (use shadow or a compass). Identify a feature in front of you and find it on the map. Route choice: which is faster — the direct route through long grass, or the longer path on a hard surface? Sometimes speed beats distance. Control code: each control has a letter or number; pupils must record the code to prove they visited. Safety: stay in bounds, if in doubt go back to start and restart.
Pairs start at staggered times (every 30 seconds) to prevent following. Complete a six-control course in order, recording the code at each control. Teacher is stationed at the start/finish to send pairs off and collect results. First three pairs back share their route choices.
Score course: 10 controls in any order, each worth one point, five-minute time limit. Pupils must decide which controls to visit — some are closer but worth the same as far ones. This introduces route planning and prioritisation.
Cool down: walk back to the classroom area. Ask: which control choice saved the most time? Did anyone get lost? What did you do? Introduce real orienteering: world championships exist; elite orienteers run at race pace while reading a map at the same time. What skills does that combine?
Common Misconceptions
- Pupils try to follow the map without setting it first, leading to misidentified features — reinforce: always set the map before looking for the next control.
- Running fast between controls without checking the map — speed without accuracy loses time; check then go.
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Basic map reading from geography lessons (compass directions, symbols).
- Experience of team challenges and outdoor games from earlier years.
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