A Blank on the Map
Contents
Information
Created By: Jonny Huck
Currently Used By: Jonny Huck
Location: Newlands (Cat Bells)
Instructions
Gather the students outside the front of the centre and give out the equipment. Explain how fundamental the map and compass is to any Geographer.
Get the students to work out exactly where they are (to the millimetre) - get them to orientate the map as part of this, explaning what this is and why it is important.
Explain the main parts of the compass (north needle, north arrow, capsule, direction of travel arrow, mirror) and get them to use the needle to verify their map orintation.
Select a student to navigate the group to Skelgill Farm. Stop half way up the road and get them to identify Swinside. Stop a bit further up and get them to identify Skelgill Bank (as opposed to Cat Bells further along).
Once they arrive at Skelgill Farm, make them prove it using the buildings, the shape of the road and the footpaths. Demonstrate the use of the mirror to take a bearing to the tip of the triangular mine scar on the opposite valley. Select a new student to navigate to Cat Bells Terrace.
Stop them shortly after the gate to do another bearing to the 'V' shaped trees on the summit of Swinside. Stop just before the car park and ask them exactly where they are - allow them to come to the conclusion that it isn't possible to tell with the map alone. Do another bearing to the 'V' shaped trees on Swinside, this time plotting the ray onto thir maps in order to identify exactly where on the path you are. Continue to Cat Bells Terrace.
Go up the terrace until you can see the church at Keswick and the mast at Castlerigg over the trees. Ask them where they are and allow them to identify that once again they can't tell exactly where they are. Explain that this time we are aiming for two points in order to get our location more precisely - explain that this is called resection. Ask them to identify two features that are suitable to use for taking a bearing (the church and the mast are the correct answers) and get them to give it a go, seeing how close they can get the cross in the lines of sight to the footpath (enabling them to see the level of uncertainty in their measurement).
Once they are happy with this process, take them further up the terrace so that you can see the 5 islands in the lake. Explain the task to them - they need to map the islands back into the lake by locating themselves on the terrace then plotting the ray from their location to the left and right side of each island (the smallest island just needs one central measurement). Doing this exercise from two locations sufficiently far away from each other allows them to locate the sides of each island and so draw them in.
Once they have finished (or time is running out), you can allow them to compare their results to the complete map on the Staff Handout. You can then have a discussion about how they think the islands were formed (they are drumlins).
Leave 30 mins to walk back to the centre.
Equipment
Each student should have:
- 1x Student Handout
- 1x Clipboard
- 1x Pencil
- 1x Compass-Clinometer
Staff require:
