The Geography of Cuyahoga Valley

We were off to a great start this past weekend when we met in Cuyahoga Valley for some history, a great hike, and a lesson in map reading and compass work. We were joined by a sizable group of students, and gorgeous weather. We had canceled the previous weekend due to torrential downpours, so we were all excited to get out into nature.

Of course, the objectives for the course deal with more than the weather, and as such, we trooped off into the wilderness, new cameras in hand, for what became an awesome day.

We hiked over to the Ledges Shelter from Happy Days, and stopped along various places on the way to discover, learn, and explore. The students were responsible for completing a scavenger hunt of sorts that took them to various meta cognitive places within the park. We stopped at Octagon for an apple and some water.

Then, after lunch, we got to explore the sport of orienteering - getting around the woods using a map, a compass, lots of running, and all the spatial awareness you could ask for.

At the end, we were all a bit tired, but felt satisfied from the day's events. Make sure to read the students' own journal entries, reflecting on the day's events, as well as their constructed RAFT. Feel free to leave comments.