Our Local Area Touch Map
Stage: Year 5-6 / Upper KS2 (Ages 9-11) Time: 2 hours (across two sessions) Subjects: Geography, History, Computing Board: SPOKE (full board) — required for the Video Playback page
Learning Objectives
Research and present information about the local area
Understand how touch input can trigger digital media
Practise map-reading and spatial awareness
Work collaboratively on a shared class project
Overview
As a class, pupils build a large map of their local town or school area. Each landmark is wired to a SPOKE sensor, and touching it plays a short video the pupils have researched and recorded themselves using the SPOKE Video Playback page.
Materials Needed
SPOKE board
Large printed or hand-drawn map of the local area (poster size)
Aluminium foil or copper tape
Crocodile clips and wire
Computer or tablet with a web browser and camera
SPOKE Video Playback page (spokeboard.com/play)
Instructions
As a class, choose 5-8 local landmarks to feature (school, park, library, high street, etc.)
In small groups, research one landmark each and write a short script
Record a short video (30-60 seconds) for each landmark using a tablet or camera
Mark each landmark's position on the class map and apply conductive material (foil or copper tape)
Connect each landmark to a SPOKE sensor pad using crocodile clips
Load the videos into the SPOKE Video Playback page and match them to the correct pad
Test each connection as a class, touching each landmark to check the right video plays
Display the finished map and let pupils present their landmark to visitors
Teacher Tips
Keep group videos short and focused on one or two key facts
A class list mapping "landmark → pad number → video filename" avoids mix-ups when wiring
This project works well displayed for a parents' evening or open day
Extension Ideas
Add a simple quiz element — guess the landmark before the video plays
Extend the map to cover a wider area studied in a geography topic
Compare with the Interactive Touch Map format used at KS3 for a world or historical map
This lesson uses the SPOKE Video Playback page at spokeboard.com/play, which reads the SPOKE board's default sensor mapping directly.
