At the start of the first class, I will welcome all of the learners and give an overview of the course. I will then transition to asking to questions to get everyone thinking using the Google Slide add on Pear Deck. Why are map and compass skills still important? Do any of you know someone who still uses a map and compass to navigate? Students will get to respond to these questions within the presentation.

Next, I will demonstrate to all of the students to hold their compass flat in their hand and I will go over some basic features of the compass. This includes: "Base, dial, needle, and degrees." I will ask each student to hold the compass flat until the needle can swing freely and then move the dial until "Fred is in his shed." I will then show three different photos with an arrow pointing to a part of the compass and students will be given a multiple choice pop quiz.

The next activity is to have the students choose an object in the room and point the "direction of travel arrow" toward that object, put Fred in his shed, and then identify exactly what degrees the object is from where the student is sitting.

The students will then look at a topographical map (to be provided as an attachment when you sign up for this class) and learn some basic features of a map including "contour lines, elevation, flat areas, steep areas, water, land, and more..." Students will again be given three photos with arrows pointing to different map features and have a multiple choice pop quiz.

At the end of class, students will be able to use their compass to orient the map and pick a point of interest and explain exactly what direction (in degrees) to walk to get there. Before the class is over, the students will play a game where I will call out one degree angle with a cardinal direction and one landmark and each time the students will race to figure out the landmark for the first one and the degrees for the second one. I will be answering all questions in the classroom comments.

The second class will involve a deeper look at features of a map by first reviewing the features learned in class 1 and then applying this knowledge to discuss strategies for how to find the information necessary for triangulation and navigation in general. Before the class is over, the students will play a game where I will call out one degree angle with a cardinal direction and one landmark and each time the students will race to figure out the landmark for the first one and the degrees for the second one.I will be answering all questions in the classroom comments.

The third class students will be reviewing the compass skills learned in the first class and be introduced to how these skills are used in triangulation. Before the class is over, the students will play a game where three slides on Pear Deck will show three different assessments: one degree angle with a cardinal direction and one landmark and each time the students will figure out the landmark for the first one and the degrees for the second one. I will be answering all questions in the classroom comments.

In the final class, students will put all of their knowledge and skills together into one of two projects. The first project involves drawing a basic map of the "landmarks" in the room where the student is taking the class, orienting the map and using 3 of the "landmarks" in the room. The second option is for the students who are able to go outside and give this a shot in a real setting. The students will be asked to print out a map of the area where they live (this map will not be shared in class as knowing anyones address is a violation of the privacy policy) and go outside to triangulate their location using the 3 most obvious landmarks around them. I will be answering all questions in the classroom comments and providing feedback for all of the final projects.

This is a beginner level course so no experience is required to join.