Campus Stewards Map Patrol
In patrols, students move at a brisk walk through a sector of campus with a map, mark the issues they find with agreed symbols (litter, damaged trees, dripping faucets, nests), and fix the ones they safely can on the spot. Students practice map navigation, active care for the environment, and proposing improvements.
How to play
- Intro (3 min): hand out a campus map divided into five sectors and agree on a key with six symbols for issues.
- Patrols of five choose a patrol leader, a mapmaker, two collectors with gloves and a bag, and a timekeeper.
- First patrol (8 min): each group moves briskly through its sector without leaving it, and the mapmaker marks every issue on the map.
- Collectors pick up litter that can be handled safely; anything else is only marked.
- Second patrol (7 min): switch sectors and roles; the patrol checks the previous group's map and adds anything missing.
- Debrief (7 min): combine the maps into one large map and each patrol proposes one specific improvement for its area, which can be presented to the principal.
Rules
- Nobody leaves their sector or enters closed areas or construction zones.
- Don't touch anything sharp, broken, or unknown; mark it and report it.
- Watch nests and animals from a distance and quietly.
Variations
Easier
Use smaller sectors and a key with only three symbols.
Standard
Five sectors, six symbols, two patrols with role changes, and a final combined map.
Harder
Patrols measure each issue's distance from a landmark by pacing and note it on the map.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student is the mapmaker and the patrol takes a sector with firm paths.
- Visual impairment: the student describes what they hear, such as running water or birds, and helps locate issues by sound.
- Fitness level: assign the largest sector to the patrol with the most endurance.
Learning goals
- Navigate with a map and record environmental information on it.
- Take an active part in caring for the nearby natural space.
- Propose specific, realistic improvements for the school grounds.
Equipment for a class of 25
- maps: 10
- pencils: 5
- gloves: 10
- trash bags: 5
Teacher tip
Let the custodial staff know before the lesson so the patrols aren't mistaken for a problem. Proposals work best when someone actually takes them to the principal.
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