Download the host sheet (.txt)
Your practice map: Willow Town
North is at the top, east is to the right. Columns run A to C from west to east; rows run 1 to 3 from south to north. A location's reference uses the column letter first, then the row number. This is our simple classroom grid, not an Ordnance Survey grid reference.
Treat each named place as a point at the center of its cell. Roads join horizontally or vertically adjacent points, each 200 meters apart. For road-distance questions, count these steps and do not travel diagonally. A dash is an empty road junction. Key: P means park, S means school, L means library, B means bridge and M means museum.
| Row | A (west) | B | C (east) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 (north) | P: Park | — | M: Museum |
| 2 | — | L: Library | — |
| 1 (south) | S: School | — | B: Bridge |
1. Read directions
Warmup
Which compass direction takes you straight from the school to the park?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: North
Both places are in column A. The park is in row 3, above the school in row 1.
Core practice
The museum is in which diagonal direction from the library?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Northeast
From B2 to C3 you move east and north. This describes direction; a road route still needs two separate steps.
2. Find grid references
Warmup
What is the library's grid reference?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B2
Read column B, then row 2, following the convention above.
Core practice
Which place is at C1?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: The bridge
Column C is on the right and row 1 is at the bottom.
3. Use the key and orientation
Core practice
What does M stand for on this map?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Museum
The map's key defines M. The same symbol might mean something different on another map.
Stretch
If you rotate the printed map half a turn, does the park become south of the school in the town?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: No; it remains north of the school.
Turning the paper changes which way the drawing faces, not the places' real compass relationship. Turn the north arrow with the map.
4. Measure road distance
Core practice
What is the shortest road distance from the school to the bridge?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: 400 meters
A1 to C1 is two horizontal steps. Two times 200 meters is 400 meters.
Stretch
What is the shortest road distance from the school to the museum?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: 800 meters
A1 to C3 needs two steps east and two north. Four steps total 800 meters; the diagonal is not an allowed road.
5. Follow and compare routes
Core practice
Start at the park. Travel two steps east, then two south. Where do you finish?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: The bridge at C1
A3 to C3 reaches the museum, then C3 to C1 reaches the bridge.
Core practice
One route from the school to the library goes east then north. Another goes north then east. Which is shorter?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: They are equal: each is 400 meters.
Both use two 200-meter steps. Different routes can have the same length.
Separate Final Challenge: a stop on the way
For Multiple choice, use 400 m, 600 m, 800 m and 1,000 m, with 800 m correct. Ask the team to trace a route before revealing the answer.
Final Challenge
Travel from the school to the museum, stopping at the library. What is the shortest total road distance?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: 800 meters
School A1 to library B2 uses two steps; library B2 to museum C3 uses two more. Four steps at 200 meters each total 800 meters.
Make a second map without changing the skill
Before a group game, copy only the grid, key and road rule onto a player handout. The downloadable host sheet includes answers and should stay off the shared screen. The game does not automatically add this map beside its questions.
- Keep the road rule explicit. If diagonal travel becomes possible, the original distance answers no longer apply.
- Move just one landmark, then have learners update the affected answers.
- Change the scale from 200 to 100 meters per step and recalculate all distance answers.
- For a stretch task, ask learners to give two different shortest routes and explain why they are equal.
Turn the practice into a game board
Use five categories: Directions, Grid References, Map Key, Distance, and Routes. The two questions in each numbered section make a ten-question board. Keep the Final Challenge separate. These are original practice materials; choose skills your group has studied rather than treating the result as a grade-level assessment.
Open the template library, select 5th Grade General Review, and choose Use Template. Rename the five Categories, then replace the ten regular prompts in Add Questions. Choose Open-ended for these written-response prompts and enter the accepted answer and explanation. Keep or edit the separate Final Challenge. Use Review & Launch and Practice Mode to check the board before hosting. An account is required; the downloadable text is a planning sheet, not an automatic import.
Display the map separately or give everyone the same paper copy. Read the road rule before the first question and accept meters or equivalent kilometers. This geography task is distinct from a country-location or capital-city trivia round.
Use this with the game
Create your own game. An account is required. Add selected questions manually and preview before hosting.