The Process

This WebQuest is designed to provide students with the opportunity to take on specific roles to complete a collaborative task. It also allows students to use creativity and imagination, as well as specific mathematics skills. There is no limit to the number of groups, so this WebQuest can be done with one class or with several classes. Students will be working with an unlimited budget, to encourage them to create the “park of their dreams.” However, they will still need to keep in mind the cost of their equipment and facilities to keep the cost down to a lower limit in order to compare with other groups' budgets. Students should have calculators available for their calculations.

We suggest spending one week on this project, and providing students with a block of time daily to complete the project. If you would like to spend more time with the project, we suggest having the students create a 3-D map of their park design.

Here is a sample schedule for the week:

Day 1

Break students into groups of three, and have each person choose a role. Keep in mind that these students will be working closely together, so it is up to your own discretion whether the groups and roles are assigned to the students or chosen by them.

Present them with the project and situation of the park, then have them discuss and compare this park to those in their neighborhood.

Day 2-3

Have students research in their individual roles.

Day 4

Have students meet with their group members and present their findings; then make a final decision on their individual items.

Then students will calculate the total cost of the project. This will be the total cost of the facilities, landscaping, and sports/recreation portions.

Have them create a poster of their parks with the following components:

• Visual representations of trees, equipment, etc. They may be drawn or taken from the Web. Pictures must be cited with citations on the back of poster.
• Dimensions of the major facilities in the park to make sure it all fits. In other words, mark how long and how wide each facility is.
• Poster must have 5 pavilions that include picnic facilities and bathrooms. These pavilions are 20 feet wide by 60 feet long.
• Total cost of the park renovation in the upper left hand corner of the poster.

Day 5

Studens will present their proposals to the class, explaining various costs within their designing state, any added equipments, reasons for chosen park layout, and the total cost.

Each presentation should be 5-10 minutes in length.