Scenario	Have you ever thought about how many children are injured each year in playground accidents?  You know from personal experience just how many bumps, cuts and bruises you and your friends have gotten on your school's playground equipment, but did you know how many children are hurt each year? According to U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) data, 190,000 children in the U.S. were injured seriously enough on playgrounds to require emergency room treatment in 2001 alone.   Many of these injuries could be prevented if playgrounds were designed with safety in mind.  To keep our students safe, the P.T.A. has decided to sponsor a "Safe Playground Contest."      To enter the contest, you must first research safe playground design.  Then, you must use your knowledge of geometry and physics to create a working model of a safe playground.  Models which pass the safety test (see Assessments below) will be awarded a certificate and be displayed at the next P.T.A. meeting.      You can learn more by looking at the Video Safari playlist. Essential Question:  How can your knowledge of geometry and physics help you create a safer playground?
	First, you will form into groups of four.  Each of you is responsible for researching a specific piece of playground equipment: swings, slides, seesaws, and climbing equipment. After you gather information about ways to make playgrounds safer, you will share your information with your group. Then, you will use your knowledge of physics and geometry to design the blueprint for the playground.  Each person in the group is responsible for determining the safe fall zone, height of and distance from other equipment.  For example, the person who researched swings would calculate the fall zone; the maximum and minimum heights of the swing; and the distance the swing must be from the slides, seesaws, and other climbing equipment. Finally, your group must use your knowledge of geometric forms to build the the sturdiest and safest model of playground equipment you can construct.
Product	After you complete your research, you will use your knowledge to create: a blueprint drawn to scale showing the placement of each piece of playground equipment. Your blueprint should: be drawn to scale (1 inch = 1 foot) have a key that tells the meaning of each symbol and the maximum/minimum height for each piece of equipment indicate the fall zone by drawing a shaded circle the correct distance around the piece of equipment (see Student Resources for resources to help you). be a representation.  Remember that a blueprint is NOT a drawing; instead, a blueprint is a 2D representation of a 3D object. a model created to scale of the playground equipment.  Your teacher may choose to have you construct your models using Connects©,  straws and marshmallows, or recycled materials.  For an example of models made from recycled materials, click here. Or your teacher might want you to use this Isometric Geoboard to create your playground.
Assessments	The following scoring tools will be used to assess both the process of gathering information and your finished products: Blueprint assessment Playground assessment Safety Assessment Certificate for Safe Playground Design You will also be graded on your work in your group using this Group Work Scoring Tool.
Question	Essential Question:  How can your knowledge of geometry and physics help you create a safer playground? Subsidiary questions What makes playgrounds dangerous? How can I make climbing equipment safer? What is a fall or safety zone?   What is the maximum height your equipment can safely be?  The minimum? What geometric shape(s) create the strongest structures? How do you calculate how far away each piece of equipment must be from any other piece of equipment? What is a pendulum?  Is a swing a pendulum? How does a seesaw work?  How can I make it safer? How does a slide work?  How is a slide like a roller coaster? What is kinetic energy?  What does kinetic energy have to do with playground equipment?
Gather and Sort	Each member of your group should complete the following notetaking/planning sheets for your playground: Safe Playground Organizer Gather information about from a variety of sources. Be sure to avoid plagiarism and keep track of your resources for a bibliography.  Need help documenting your resources?  Use the interactive tools at Noodle Tools Quick Cite.
Organize	Analyze your completed graphic organizer. Synthesize your findings by choosing to answer one of  the following questions using a BCR format: Use mathematics to explain how you determined the diameter for the fall or safety zone for each piece of equipment.  You may use words and numbers in your explanation. Use mathematics to explain how you would calculate the perimeter of your playground.  You may use words and numbers in your explanation. Use this rubric to assess the BCR Evaluate the effectiveness of your research for the task. After all work is completed, use the planning checklist again to make sure that you have completed all requirements. If you are missing any information, go back and use the resources to find the missing information. Next, meet with your fellow group members to prepare your oral presentation of your research. Use this scoring tool for oral presentations for help.
Conclusion	Reflection and/or Extension Activities: How safe is your playground?  Use the research you have gathered and your knowledge of geometry and physics to assess the safety of your school's playground.  Use America's Playground Safety Report Card to record and report your findings.

Last update: July, 2004
Created by Sharon Grimes

BCPS Research Module, Copyright 2004, Baltimore County Public Schools, MD, all rights reserved. This Research Module may be used for educational, non-profit school use only. All other uses, transmissions, and duplications are prohibited unless permission is granted expressly.

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