Created by Frances Harper, Kara Kamikawa & Achani Biaou

  • High school geometry project
  • Mathematics topics: properties of circles, constructing a circle (using a compass), maximizing area given perimeter, arc length, sector areas, proportional reasoning
  • Social justice issue: students explore what “livability” means in their community. Social justice issues are not made explicit in this lesson, but there is great potential for adapting this lesson to include more explicit decisions about factors that influence “livability”, who determines “livability”, etc.
  • Overarching goal: emphasize that geometry is a powerful tool for representing and approximating real-life situations. Even complex situations can be represented and approximated fairly accurately using rather simple mathematical tools.
  • Pedagogical strategies: Complex Instruction (collaborative learning) and project-based learning.

Download Lesson Plan