Playground Planners

Unit Portfolio PresentationErnie Almanza

Unit Summary

To learn about the area, perimeter and circumference of the shapes all around us. Student groups become playground designers and design a new playground area for the soon to be renovated elementary school in town. Each group has a budget and specifications for the project but the actual design has several options to choose from and allows for plenty of creativity. Finally, the groups will present their design to the PTA and/or School Board for review.

Curriculum Framing Questions

• Essential QuestionsWhy are there shapes everywhere I look?

• Unit QuestionsHow would I find the area of a shape that is a combination of a triangle and a rectangle?

How do you classify quadrilaterals?

Why are the area formulas for a square, rectangle, rhombus and paralellogram the same but not for the trapezoid?

Content Questions

What are the area formulas for each type of quadrilateral?How do you find the area of a circle?Are all right triangles similar to each other?Does doubling the length and width of a rectangle double the area as well?Does increasing the radius of a circle increase the area or circumference by the same proportion?

21st Century SkillsThis project will help my students develop 21st century skills by:

Learning and Innovative Skills- demonstrating originality and inventiveness in work- communication and collaboration

Information, Media and Technology Skills- using technology to research, organize, evaluate and communicate

information

Life and Career Skills- demonstrating initiative and creativity in a group environment- utilizing time efficiently and managing workload- using interpersonal and problem solving skills to influence and guide

others toward a goal

Gauging Student Needs Assessment

Purpose of the Assessment

To determine prior knowledge and any weaknesses of geometry skills.

What I want to learn from my students?

Would like to understand level of geometry skills beyond knowing the formulas. Can they determine the dimensions of a polygon or circle given area or perimeter constraints? Can they determine the area or perimeter of figures that are NOT on the “formula sheet”?

My goals for the Course

• To successfully incorporate a project into my teaching and “throw away the book” for awhile

• To learn about different types of technology my students and I can use to make math more fun

Goals for my students

• To understand that learning can be fun and it comes in many different colors

• To be able to “cooperate and graduate”

• To become more independent in their studies

• To improve upon technological skills

• To apply their math skills to a real world situation

Request for Feedback

• Brochure or Power Point or both?

• Help with websites, checklists, rubrics

• Ways to keep the “gifted” ones and their parents from taking over the project