Amusement Park Planning

Overview

Students will create a scrapbook-style project designing an amusement park. Through this hands-on activity, they will apply multiplication, addition, and budgeting skills to real-world scenarios. They will calculate ride costs, ticket sales revenue, and food budgets to practice math computation and financial literacy. This project encourages creativity, collaboration, and presentation skills.

---

Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

Grade 6 Mathematics

• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.EE.B.6
  Use variables to represent numbers and write expressions when solving problems.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.NS.B.3
  Fluently divide multi-digit numbers using the standard algorithm.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.EE.A.2
  Write, read, and evaluate expressions in which letters stand for numbers.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.EE.B.7
  Solve real-world and mathematical problems by writing and solving equations and inequalities in one variable.
• CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.6.NS.B.2
  Multiply and divide multi-digit numbers fluently.
• CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP4
  Model with mathematics.
• CCSS.MATH.PRACTICE.MP6
  Attend to precision.

---

Learning Objectives

By the end of this 60-minute lesson, students will be able to:

• Calculate the total cost of rides using multiplication and addition.
• Develop a reasonable ticket price and predict total ticket sales revenue.
• Create a food budget by adding multiple costs and multiplying for total servings.
• Use algebraic expressions to model their amusement park expenses and income.
• Present their scrapbook plan clearly using visual and verbal communication.

---

Materials Needed

• Blank scrapbook templates or large construction paper sheets
• Colored markers, pencils, and crayons
• Calculators
• Multiplication/Division reference charts
• Worksheets with ride costs, ticket info, food item costs
• Presentation checklist handout

---

Lesson Timeline (60 Minutes)

1. Introduction & Warm-up (8 minutes)

• Briefly introduce the project objective: planning an amusement park with an assigned budget.
• Discuss real-world uses of math in business (prices, tickets, budgets).
• Quick group brainstorming: What kinds of rides and foods might be in an amusement park? Write answers on the board.

2. Explain Task & Distribute Materials (5 minutes)

• Explain the scrapbook project structure: design rides, calculate ride and food costs, set ticket prices, and create a budget.
• Show the example template that includes sections for rides, ticket sales, food budget, and notes.

3. Activity Part 1: Ride Costs & Ticket Pricing (15 minutes)

• Each student chooses 3 rides from a menu (with fixed cost per ride and maintenance fees).
• Calculate total ride cost: multiply cost per ride by usage (e.g., expected visitors per ride), add maintenance fees.
• Decide on a ticket price for admission, calculate expected ticket revenue using multiplication (expected customers x ticket price).
• Record calculations clearly in the scrapbook.

4. Activity Part 2: Food Budget Planning (12 minutes)

• Select 3 food items to offer (e.g., hot dogs, popcorn, soda) with fixed costs per serving.
• Estimate the number of servings sold and multiply by cost per serving to find total food cost.
• Add all food items costs to build a total food budget.
• Incorporate these values into the scrapbook using expressions and calculations.

5. Finalizing & Presentation Preparation (10 minutes)

• Review pages to ensure calculations are complete and accurate.
• Students decorate scrapbook pages with drawings, graphs, or charts of their park layout and numbers.
• Prepare a 1-2 minute verbal presentation about their park (rides, ticket price, budget).

6. Presentations & Wrap-Up (10 minutes)

• Volunteers present their scrapbook projects to the class.
• Teacher and peers give positive feedback using a simple rubric focusing on math accuracy, creativity, and clarity.
• Reflect briefly: Why is it important to plan and budget carefully?

---

Assessment

• Formative:
  Teacher circulates during activities to monitor understanding, check calculations, and clarify misunderstandings.

• Summative:
  Scrapbook evaluation rubric including:

  • Correct application of multiplication and addition for costs and revenues.
  • Use of mathematical expressions to represent costs.
  • Neatness, creativity, and presentation skills.

---

Extensions and Differentiation

• For Advanced Students:
  Include a challenge to write and solve one-variable equations for break-even analysis (e.g., how many tickets must be sold to cover costs).

• For Students Needing Support:
  Use simplified scenarios with fewer rides or food items and provide step-by-step guides for calculations. Peer-pairing support recommended.

• Cross-Curricular Tie-In:
  Incorporate writing standards by having students draft an advertisement for their amusement park or write a persuasive paragraph encouraging visits.

---

Reflection for Teachers

This project contextualizes math in a fun, engaging way and integrates creativity with problem-solving. It supports mathematical practices like modeling and precision, key to Common Core standards. The scrapbook format encourages ownership and presentation skills, fostering confidence and communication alongside math fluency. Consider repeating this project with variations like budgeting a party or a school event to deepen understanding.