1. Playground Planners Unit Portfolio Presentation Ernie Almanza

2. 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.

3. Curriculum Framing Questions Essential Questions Why are there shapes everywhere I look? Unit Questions How 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?

4. 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?

5. 21 st Century Skills This project will help my students develop 21 st 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

6. 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”?

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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