Introduction

Have you ever been to a park and wished it had something else? Have you ever thought of what
your ideal park/playground would look like and what it would have? Good news! Today, you and
your design team will be creating your own park.

Task

You will be designing a park on newly discovered, unused land. You will be submitting a proposal
to the town mayor as to why your park should be built in the town. You must include how much
land your park will take up. Additionally, the mayor would like to create a fence around the park
to allow children and dogs to have the freedom to run around. Thus, you must be sure to
include the dimensions of fencing needed for your park. Your park should include at least two
sections/items (pool, picnic area, playground, etc).
o

This is your own park, so include anything youve ever wanted in a park a pool, a seesaw, a concession stand, a merry-go-round, a skate area, basketball courts, picnic area
you name it!

Your end product will be your proposal to the mayor as well as a floor plan of your park,
including the dimensions of everything in it. This means you will need the following dimensions:

Length and width of park

Dimensions of every item in the park

Where the components of your park are placed

Dimensions of the components (only length and width)

i.e. Swimming pool is 16ft x 32ft

Your proposal should include the following:

o

An explanation as to why you included these items in the park

Why it will be a good addition to the town

As well as a short explanation as to

The process you went through to create your ideal park

Why you placed the components where they are

How you came up with the dimensions

i.e.: Did you try different perimeters?

i.e.: Why did this one work well?

What was your biggest struggle in designing your park?

Process
1. In order to start designing your Ultimate Park, you and your design team must agree upon what
components you want included in your park. You should take a few minutes, without talking, to
think about what would be included in your ideal park.
2. After thinking quietly, you and your design team should come together and share out your
components. Discuss these ideas
a. Which components will you definitely use?
b. Are there any that will be difficult to include?
c. Think of the logistics
3. Once you have decided on your components, it is time to think about the layout
a. Where will you place everything?
b. What are the dimensions of your components?
c. Have you left space between your components?
d. Are there designated walkways for park-goers?
e. Based on your park components, how much land will you need?
i. What is the best layout/dimensions?
f.

How much fencing will this require?

i. Is there a different layout you can make using the same amount of land but less
fencing to be more cost efficient?

4. Once you have figured out dimensions and where everything will go, it is time to set up your
map. Your floor plan should be set up as if someone is looking at it from an airplane (areal view).
5. Discuss the process of designing your park and write up your proposal to the mayor.
Resources

When you are working on this task, below is a list of resources you might find useful:
o

http://www.shodor.org/interactivate/activities/ShapeExplorer/

http://www.onlinemathlearning.com/geometry-games.html (Shape Up)

http://illuminations.nctm.org/ActivityDetail.aspx?ID=108

http://www.factmonster.com/math/knowledgebox/player.html?movie=sfw41560

Conclusion

Congratulations! You and your design team have done a wonderful job. The mayor of the newly
discovered town is excited to incorporate your park design in the town!

Rubric

Floor Plan

Excellent

Good

Satisfactory

Poor

Students floor plan

is neat. Dimensions
of the park as well
as the components
of the park are
clearly and
correctly labeled
with units.

Students floor plan

is neat. Floor plan
is missing one or
two dimensions of
park components,
or units.

Students floor plan

is not neat. Floor
plan is missing
some dimensions
and the
components of the
park are not clearly
labeled.

Students floor plan

is messy. Floor plan
is missing most or
all dimensions.
Components of the
park are not clearly
labeled and/or
units are missing.

OR
A few dimensions
are not clearly
labeled.

Proposal includes
all components
(Why to include
this park, process
in designing the
park, biggest
struggle).

Proposal is missing
a component

Spelling/Capitaliz
ation

Proper grammar,
punctuation,
spelling, and
capitalization is
used in the
proposal.

Proposal contains a Proposal contains

few grammar
some grammar
errors.
errors.

Proposal contains
several grammar
errors.

Content

Floor plan and

proposal
demonstrate clear
knowledge of area
and perimeter and
the
importance/signific
ance in real life.

Floor plan and

proposal
demonstrate
decent knowledge
of area and
perimeter and the
importance/signific
ance in real life.

Floor plan and

proposal
demonstrate some
knowledge of area
and perimeter and
the
importance/signific
ance in real life.

Floor plan and

proposal
demonstrate little
to no knowledge of
area and perimeter
and the
importance/signific
ance in real life.

Team Work

Design team
worked very well
together. All
members
contributed and
worked towards
the common goal.
Students were
always on task.

Design team
worked well
together. All
members
contributed
towards the
common goal.
Students were on
task most of the
time.

Design team
worked okay
together. Not all
members
contributed a fair
amount. Students
were rarely on
task.

Design team did

not work well
together. Students
were rarely or
never on task.

Proposal

OR
Proposal is missing
some
explanation/detail.

Proposal is missing
several
components
OR
Proposal is not
well-detailed.

Proposal is missing
most components
OR
The proposal has
no detail.