As part of their study on exploration and technology, the fifth grade social studies classes learned how faster ships, better maps, and new navigational tools helped European explorers sail to the Americas in the 1500’s. The classes were introduced to the concept through an exciting presentation given by a retired Naval Captain. Captain Abbaspour started by briefly reviewing the history of early navigational tools such as, astrolabe, sextant, gyro, and compass. He later taught the fifth graders a couple of navigational skills, connecting the lesson with his interesting real life experiences in the navy. A highlight of the visit was learning how to make a compass out of a needle, a leaf, and water. Our guest speaker’s lesson concluded with an activity in which students learned how to tell the directions using their own body orientations. Captain’s workshop provided a nice introduction to their upcoming project on making navigational tools.