Directions Activity: Treasure Island

Amanda Adams

PROCEDURE:

1. Before class, prepare a map and three to five sets of directions. The directions should be synchronized, so that set two starts where set one finished. Place names I have used: Black Banana Tree, Blood Volcano, Secret Waterfalls, Skull Road, Locked Treasure Box, Fork and Spoon, Pirate’s Cave, Shark Point, Two Monkeys, Sleeping Dog, Cat Rocks, Mermaid’s Lagoon, and Haunted Castle.
2. Optional: Blow up the map whiting out the place markers, or draw it on the board, just before class. Make flashcards with the place names. As a warm up, have the students try to read the flashcards. Phonetically sound them out. Then, with small prizes like stamps, ask them “Where is the Beach?” Depending on student level, they can say “It’s here.” Or they can give you directions to place the marker. This is meant to familiarize the students with the map and any new words.
3. Have the students make groups of three to four people, and number off. Give each group their own map. The first student comes to you and gets the first set of directions. They return to their group and read the directions. The other students listen and follow the directions. When they know where those directions lead, the second student must tell you the place and ask for the next set of directions. And so on until they find the final treasure. If you have students who can’t read, then have the students designate one or two readers in each group, but each student can come and tell you a place name.
4. The game is not over when one group has found the final treasure. As the groups find the final treasure, have them draw out the different paths they took on their maps. A really speedy group can draw their routes on the blackboard.
5. At the end of class, review each set of directions with the larger map on the board.

NOTES:

I saw this idea in an older ALT handbook, and it has worked really well with all of my classes, as there are endless ways to add elements of fun: funny fonts and place names, actual treasure prizes, new parts to the map as the students unravel the clues, word puzzles embedded in the directions where certain letters must be gathered to find a password for the next set of directions, blanks in the directions that must be filled in based on the written directions. With preparation, this is a really fun directions activity.

The key is to ADJUST it for DIFFERENT ABILITIES. Use simple place names and easy directions for beginning students. Use complex directions, dramatic story lines, and funny place names for more advanced students. For instance, “The monkeys followed you and pushed you off the cliff.”

Warning: Be clear that the reader can’t show their group the directions or you lose the elements of speaking and listening. If you think this will definitely happen, then embed puzzles and multi-leveled clues in the directions so that it becomes a more complex reading and writing activity.

WORKSHEETS AND HANDOUTS:

An example treasure map is here:

http://teachingactivities.pbwiki.com/f/treasuremap_aadams.pdf