Lesson 4 • Our playground story

Revise: We are answering the question: What would we have in a playground where everyone in our class can have fun? To answer this question, we conducted a class survey, and we represented the data as a poster.

Identify 4-5 of the most popular activities and make a label for each activity on separate sheets of paper. Ask students to line up behind the label of their favourite activity. This creates a human data display. Students can see that they represent a single data point and also contribute to the whole class dataset.

Record the data by writing on the board each activity and the number of students in the group and/or taking a photo of the students represented as human data.

Discuss the story that the data tells, which may include:

• what students like to do most.
• what students don’t do as much.
• equipment that can be used for more than one activity.
• whether the most popular activity might need extra equipment, as so many students like it.
• activities that make the playground fair.

Pose the task: You are going to use this data to plan your new playground design as it tells the story of what our class likes to do in the playground.

Provide each student with a sheet of A3 paper and coloured pencils/markers. Explain that they will use the evidence from the data to create a second playground design. Emphasise that this playground needs to be a playground where everyone can have fun.

You may find that some students focus on what they would personally want to have in the playground, rather than referring to the evidence in the data. Remind students that the data shows the class's favourite equipment. Students should use the data to inform their new designs.

Display students’ new playgrounds around the classroom so students can look at what others have designed.

In preparation for the gallery walk next lesson, ask students to consider the similarities and differences they notice between different playground designs.