5SW

Artist in Residence

Over the past few days, we have been exposed to a new world of technology. We had the opportunity to meet and work with the wonderful Miss Deb, our Artist in Residence. We have been learning how to use a GPS. “GPS” stands for a Global Positioning System. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it seems. Once you start and repeat the steps a couple of times, you really get the hang of it.

On day one we used a map to help us find our checkpoints set up at our school. We had to have a big discussion before we went outside and we watched a video about a girl who started out not liking orienteer racing then her dad got her into it and now she goes all over the world to race. We learned that if you are out on a race in a different country and you get lost, most of the people do not speak the same language you speak. These professional races can go from twenty minutes to five days.

After our introduction we went outside to try out what we had learned. Running all around, our hearts were beating so hard. There were 10 checkpoints to find and it took us a long time to find all of them. We were out there for at least an hour and a half!
On day two, we learned how to use the GPS. The GPS that our group was assigned was not cooperating so well. When Miss Deb came over to us, then we realized we’d done something wrong. You always want to make sure you follow the directions given to you by a professional. We continued to practice and tried out our skills at school. Even though it was rainy and cold, it was still fun to try the GPS.

On the third day we each were split into groups and we were assigned drivers. We had to use our GPS to direct drivers around town to find “points of interest” that were marked for us. In one group, whenever we would find the correct marker, our driver gave us a little treat to nibble on. In the end some groups found that some of the answers they thought were right, were wrong.

Some of the markers that we found were quite interesting. I think that the one where we found out Paul Revere made the North Hampton Town Hall bell, and where the First School House of Little River on Woodland Road was, that was really cool! I never thought that we had a schoolhouse from the 1700’s in our little town!

Thanks once again to our drivers and being patient with us! Also thanks to Miss Deb and Mr. Caron for teaching us all these new map and GPS skills!

Quotes from Student Reflections:

“A G.P.S. system is either in a car or a small/medium size device that you can use when you are lost or trying or get somewhere.”

“ ‘Huh?’ Is what we said on Monday. After a crash course on orienteering, we learned the many confusing steps of using a G.P.S.”

“GPS is an expensive an oval shaped device, used for navigating, finding caches, or for orienteering.

“The closest we came to finding any bones or corpses or any clues was an antler of a deer. This was very interesting. We persevered and still didn’t give up.”

“At some points when we were using the map we also looked at the GPS, and sometimes they would both be pointing different ways, which was incredibly frustrating.”

“ I thought that it was really fun learning how to orienteer and how to use the hand-held GPS system. To me the highlight of this experience was actually getting to go around North Hampton with a GPS system and a map to look for landmarks with clues to a puzzle.”

“I felt very confident that my group could find a few markers because we all were helping each other when we got stuck so we didn’t make any mistakes.”

“The chilly winds beat against my pink nose as I ran through the tall trees, keeping my eye out for a yellow slip of paper, hidden somewhere in North Hampton. We weren’t exactly sure where we were going, seeing that we only had the guidance of a map, a G.P.S., and our teammates.”

“Today we rushed over town, searching over and under for the hidden clues, while also having to use the map and a G.P.S. to find our destination.”

“We worked as a group to do that. Someone would be leading with the GPS and another person would lead us with the map. Some kids had their eyes set in the spot that they thought markers just might be in. Other kids would help the driver in case she didn’t understand what the direction she was being told to go in. Everyone was included while trying to find all sixteen markers.”

“The hardest part about the trip was reading the map because we all thought different ways to go and also things weren’t labeled so we didn’t know that well where we were going.”

“ As soon as we rounded the corner, and found the correct answer, I was petrified. There was a bathtub in front of a church with four gargoyle carved into it. I knew I was going to have nightmares for days.”

“Even though my group did not find all of the clues to take back with us, we got a great experience to take back, and to me that is all that maters.”

“Racing away like a bull was chasing us, the fifth grade promptly departed, running to every bench in sight, checking for the key.”

“My favorite part had to be finding the key to the treasure chest.”

“When the final answer as to where the key was, was reveled and the “hunt” began. I walked right past where the key was hidden thinking that it was litter and not picking it up. . . Ooops!”

“Do you want to open that chest? ARRRRRGH!”

“FINALLY, the treasure chest was open, and inside there was chocolate coins and lollipops. All of the teamwork, participation, frustrations, learning, and effort put into orienteering and using a G.P.S. really paid off in a fun way-the treasure hunt.”

“Patience was one, I had to give everyone a chance to be heard and to share ideas. Also I had to give everyone a chance and not get mad at one person because they might had done something wrong, but I had to forgive and forget like I would hope they would do to me.”

“I thought that was a really fun trip. I want to do this once a week from now on because I had so much fun doing this!”

“Overall this experience taught me a lot about how working with others could really be an advantage.”

“The good thing about the GPS racing, was that we learned how to work as a team and we learned how to use are time wisely and not rush but work at a good pace.”