Phase 2

HATCHET SURVIVAL PROJECT

Brian has survived for months in the wilderness all alone. As time has passed he has grown to understand his environment and his surroundings more and more.

Pg. 129

USING THE SKY TO SURVIVE

I think it is safe to say that Brian has become like another animal in the wilderness. He is just another living being in the woods – not a human being different than the rest.

Group Think: How do animals navigate and understand the world?(How do animals know how to get back home? How do geese know where to fly when going south for the winter? How do whales find their way around the massive ocean?) What questions do YOU have?

Create a mind map of ideas.

BRIAN THE ANIMAL?

Brian has survived by getting in touch with his environment and using nature for guidance. For centuries people have used the stars and the sun as their

most reliable tool since they are fixed in space and our sky. Astronomy is the oldest of the sciences, and quite possibly the oldest use of astronomy is

navigating by the stars. This craft dates from prehistoric times among humans, and is even practiced by certain animals.

Dung Beetles use the Milky Wayhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH- qJ5aCAbU

Vikings used sundials http://www.livescience.com/1320-vikings-navigated-cloudy- days.html

Animal navigationhttp://science.howstuffworks.com/zoology/all-about-animals/animal-migration4.

htmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v= EbHSkZySTBw

Turtle magnetismhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeMQtl9p0q4

HISTORY OF THE SKY

• Compasses http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/hiking/compass.htm

• GPS• http://digitalgeographic.com/resources/kids/gps.shtml

MODERN DAY DEVICES

The needle on a compass always points north.

There are four cardinal points of direction: North, East, South and West

You can remember the order of these directions with your own saying. I use “Never Eat Shredded Wheat”

Draw an example of a compass and write an explanation of how it works in your own words.

COMPASSES

MIND MAP

How has Brian used the sky in his day to day wilderness living?

Guiding Questions:

How has Brian been able to count the days he has been lost?

What really is a day?

Key Vocabulary: rotation, 24 hours, counter clockwise, east, west, axis, 23.5 degrees, sun

HOW THE SUN “TRAVELS”

These two pictures of the same tree trunk in the Northern Hemisphere are an example of a navigational terrain feature. The left picture shows the northern side of a trunk, where darker and more humid micro climatic conditions favor moss growth. The right picture is south, with sunnier and drier conditions, less favorable for moss growth. The shady side is not always opposite the noon side.

http://www.magazine.ordnancesurveyleisure.co.uk/magazine/tscontent/editorials/outdoor-skills/map-and-navigation-skills/sun-moon-and-stars.html