King School’s Grade 4 took geometry to the links as they applied lines and shapes to build mini-golf course holes. The lesson served as the culminating math exercise for the year and incorporated prototype drawings, consultations with the school’s golf team, and presentations on Grandparents and Special Friends Day.

Armed with a blueprint of a mini-golf hole, students layered ideas onto the design using concepts learned in class. Using perpendicular lines, measured angles, and geometric shapes, including polygons and quadrilaterals, students worked in teams to develop symmetrical greens. 

“I liked learning about how builders build stuff using a blueprint,” said Zach Cooper ’31. “It was hard, but interesting, using math to figure out where to put the holes on the small lawn.”

The challenges going from blueprint to actual construction were by design.

“Students had to build the golf holes based off of their blueprints, but quickly realized that some of their visions needed to be pivoted,” said Grade 4 teacher Rebecca Keogh, adding that the idea of the unit came from her time last summer at Project-Based Learning World, a multi-day conference for K-12 educators. “They had to figure out ways to keep bumpers intact, make sure the hole was possible, and use different materials to create their ideas.”

Students were given a checklist of steps they had to apply during the course of study, and they used turf and various materials to build the golf holes. Throughout the lesson, students were asked to consider the driving question, “How can we, as mathematicians, use geometric concepts to create a mini-golf course that represents ourselves?” 

“In groups of three, students were able to choose to either design a hole together that they all had an interest in, or they were able to create three separate obstacles that would represent each of them individually,” said Keogh. “This was important to make sure each student felt included in the project and gave them the opportunity for choice.

The mini-golf holes had a design feature that represented someone from the student group. For example, if someone loved the ocean, they incorporated a mermaid with geometric shapes. During the unit, students received feedback from King’s golf team and refined their design accordingly. 

“I think the students learned the importance of working together and flexibility,” said Keogh. “Some of their ideas did not work out the way they planned, but as they built, they were able to help each other and problem-solve how to make their obstacles work for their group.”

Though in some cases lofty design ideas proved insurmountable, an appreciation for the subject matter resonated.

“I felt very accomplished, even if we were disappointed that not all our obstacles fit on our turf, one obstacle fit, and that was very exciting,” said Emilia Leng ’31. “I found that geometry is a cool subject, and it was cool that my older sister is doing geometry and my other sister is doing trigonometry. I was doing the same!”

The students presented their work to their families and King community on Thursday, May 11 and during Grandparents and Special Friends Day on Friday, May 12.

“During the presentations, students were able to share four angles that they measured, geometric shapes they incorporated and other geometric concepts,” said Keogh. “Students explained their holes as people played.”