Cover lesson · Geography · Year 8 · Beginner
DCF: Producing → Sourcing, searching and planning digital content
Name: Class: Date:
Print: this sheet, one per pupil, and the stimulus sheet “Aberllyn: the trip, the map, the route planner”, one between two (in colour if you can; the three routes also differ by line style, so black and white works). The map, the app results and the search results are all printed, so no computers are needed. A ruler helps.
Run: 5 min read the trip brief aloud together · 8 min Step 1, grid references · 12 min Step 2, the route table · 10 min Step 3, which source to trust · 10 min Step 4, choose a route and time it · 10 min Step 5, write the route card.
Collect: this sheet. Aberllyn is an invented town, so pupils cannot look anything up; everything they need is on the stimulus sheet. The answer to Step 4 is route C, and the reasons matter more than the letter.
Your year group is going on a trip to Castell Aberllyn. A route-planner app has offered three walking routes from the station. The app does not know who is in your group, what time you need to arrive, or that one of the bridges might be shut. Your job is to check the app against the map and against what a search engine turns up, pick the route that really works, and write a route card an adult could follow.
Use the map on the stimulus sheet. Remember: easting first (along the bottom), then northing (up the side), and always use the bottom-left corner of the square.
| Question | Your answer |
|---|---|
| Four-figure grid reference of the station | |
| Four-figure grid reference of Castell Aberllyn | |
| Four-figure grid reference of the visitor centre | |
| Four-figure grid reference of Pont Droed footbridge | |
| Which bridge is in square 2061? | |
| In which compass direction is the castle from the station? | |
| About how far is the castle from the station in a straight line? Use the scale bar or count squares. |
All three routes are longer than the straight-line distance. Give one reason why, from the map.
The app's times are for one adult walking at 5 km/h. Your group walks at 3 km/h, which is 20 minutes for every 1 km. Multiply each distance by 20 to get the group time. Then fill in the rest from the app notes and the map.
| Route | Distance (km) | App time (min) | Group time (min) | Step-free? (yes/no) | Toilets on the way? (yes/no) | Any other problem? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | ||||||
| B | ||||||
| C |
The app called route A “fastest” and route B “shortest”. Why is neither label enough to choose a route for this group?
A map app only knows what somebody has told it. Look at the five search results about Pont Droed footbridge on the stimulus sheet.
(a) Which result do you trust most? Give three reasons: think about who wrote it, when, and how exact it is.
(b) Pick one result you would not trust for this trip and explain why. It might not be lying — it might just be old.
(c) So: will Pont Droed be open on Thursday 19 March?
(d) Plan two more searches you would do before the trip. Write the exact words you would type, and say what you want to find out.
| Exact words I would type | What I want to find out, and why it matters for this group |
|---|---|
Which route will you use? Explain why, and say what rules out each of the other two. Use evidence from the table and the search results.
Now make a timed plan. The group leaves the station at 09:50 and must be at the castle gate by 10:50. Remember the 5-minute toilet stop.
| Stage | Minutes | Clock time at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Leave the station | — | 09:50 |
| Walk to the toilet stop | ||
| Toilet stop | 5 | |
| Walk from the toilet stop to the castle gate | ||
| Minutes to spare before 10:50 | — |
Write directions an adult could follow with this map, without the app. Each line needs a compass direction, a landmark and a grid reference. The first line is done for you.