Geo-caching is an outdoor activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and other navigational techniques to hide and seek "caches." The contents of the caches can be easily related to current classroom instruction in a variety of disciplines and can provide students with a new and exciting learning experience. The use of GPS units can also be a highly effective tool when instruction is centered on Project Based Learning. Geo-caching, waypoint marking, and other GPS activities lend themselves naturally to problem-solving and other higher-order thinking skills. A.T.E.M.S. students work in small groups to create and locate geo-caches which contain literary elements of the short story contained in their required coursework readings. Students engage in locating the waypoint, analyzing the contents of the geo-cache, and communicating the results of their discoveries in original short stories. The students work in groups to find the waypoints, locate the geo-caches, and collect the element of the short story which is inside. When they are finished with the activity, they have ten elements of a short story. The students then collaborate and write a short story using the elements of the short story which they have collected.
