Teacher information: Finding Your Way With Maps and a Compass
The grounds at Mottisfont are perfect for learning map-reading skills, with plenty of space and
features to find around the garden.
Curriculum links: KS1 and KS2 Geographical Skills and Fieldwork
Aims:
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Introduce the compass and use to find direction
Understand and use simple maps
Practical experience of using a compass and map to find specific features in fieldwork
Activities in preparation for fieldwork:
1. At school, introduce the compass and the use of a compass to find direction on the surface
of the Earth; lining up North; main points of the compass (N, S, E and W for KS1; NE, NW,
etc for KS2); refer to a globe of the Earth and maps to illustrate their orientation, N, S, E &
W, etc
2. As preparation for the visit to Mottisfont, explain the scale of maps, including 1:50000
(smaller scale, less detail) and 1:25000 (larger scale, more detail) Ordnance Survey maps;
first, use a map of South East England to find the nearest towns to the school and then a
1:50000 scale map to locate the main towns in and around Mottisfont, including
Basingstoke, Andover, Winchester, Eastleigh, Romsey and then Mottisfont itself; for KS1,
finding N, S, E and W on the maps and talking of ‘left/right’ and ‘near/far’; for KS2, using
grid references, plus 6-figure grid references for more able pupils in Years 5 and 6
3. Look at the main features on a 1:50000 scale map: roads (of various colours/types); rivers,
railways, woods; towns and notable buildings, e.g. places of worship; again finding
directions and discussing relative distances on the map; also practise using grid references;
maybe using laminated maps and non-permanent felt pens to locate and trace the main
features
4. Plot the route that you are likely to take from school to Mottisfont, also using laminated
maps, working out the approximate distance and likely time for the journey (assuming no
major delays); in which directions will you be travelling at various stages of the journey?
Resources:
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Ordnance Survey Digimaps for Schools
Hard copy maps (available at Mottisfont), including Ordnance Survey Landranger Map 185
(Winchester, Basingstoke, Andover, Romsey & Mottisfont), 1:50000 scale; from Digimaps,
map of Mottisfont, including National Trust House and grounds, 1:1250 & 1:2500 scale
Compasses (10 available at Mottisfont)
Clipboards (60 available at Mottisfont)
With thanks to Ordnance Survey for supplying Mottisfont with resources.
Activities at Mottisfont:
Give pupils a quick recap on the work in school on maps, compasses and directions to get them
ready for the activities.
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Show children how to hold a compass in the palm of your hand, finding North and the other
directions. Mention the sun as a way of finding South, particularly during the middle of the
day (why is the sun in the South for us?)
Find the features on the 1:2500 Digimap of Mottisfont, including the coach park, House,
Stables, Paddock, North Lawn, South Lawn, Abbey Stream, River Test, paths, bridges,
houses in Mottisfont village
Learn how to hold a map (on a clipboard) so that it is directed towards the North; then using
the map and compass, go on a guided walk to find several key features around the Abbey
and the garden, marking the direction you have travelled and the location of the key
features on the laminated Digimap 1:1250 scale (see above for compass directions and grid
references to be used at KS1 and KS2):
The Great Plane Tree: find it by going from the Stables, South of the House and then East
towards the Abbey Stream
The Ice House: find it by going from the Great Plane Tree, North of the House and then West
around the back of the Stables
With thanks to Ordnance Survey for supplying Mottisfont with resources.
The Orchard Oak Tree: find it by going from the Ice House in a North West direction, keeping
North of the trees above the Ice House and following the South side of the metal fence
The Font: find it by going South East from the Orchard Oak, crossing the Paddock and the Main
Drive and going East then South around the fence of the Winter Garden
Follow up work either at Mottisfont or back at school: use the 1:1250 Digimap with the route
of the guided walk and the key features marked on it to add approximate compass directions that
you used.
Ideas for additional activities:
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Draw one of the key features using a cardboard frame to locate the picture and a sketch
pad
Write, factually or creatively, about how you used the map and compass to find your way to
some key features at Mottisfont (‘Mottisfont’ comes from an Old English word: ‘mottere’ =
meeting place’ and a Latin word:‘funta’ = a spring; in Anglo Saxon times the village used to
hold meetings by the spring]
Find out more about: the uses of wood from plane trees and oak trees; what Ice Houses
were used for on country estates; where springs like the ‘font’ at Mottisfont come from and
why springs were so important for people in Anglo Saxon, Roman and earlier times
For more able children in Years 5 & 6, include the finer points of the compass, ENE, NNE,
etc; 6-figure grid references; why compasses should not be held near metal objects and
what distorts the movement of the needle; electronic maps and route-finders, for example,
Sat Nav, Google Earth
With thanks to Ordnance Survey for supplying Mottisfont with resources.