The 7th Grade Chance Carnival
Who says math can't be fun?
Design thinking with a mathematical purpose
The Chance Carnival is a multi-layered, multi-class project that partners our Lower and Middle School. Seventh graders use design thinking to plan and prototype games of chance while learning about probability, statistics, accounting, and marketing with a focus on their Lower School audience.
Math: Calculating probability; using statistics to determine likely and possible distributions of outcomes
Design-thinking: Ideating, designing, and prototyping a product with a focus on the 4th grade audience
Language Arts: Writing clear rules and explanations of payouts; creating catchy titles and compelling copy to entice players to choose their game
Social Emotional Learning (SEL): Collaborating with group-mates to develop the games; guiding younger players through the process of playing games of chance; gathering feedback on their designs from peers and teachers around campus; reflecting and performing self-evaluations
Music and Fine Arts: Designing and creating colorful game boards using scrap materials; documenting the carnival using photography and videography; choosing a musical backdrop
Dramatic Arts: Creating a carnival atmosphere and entertaining the players!
On the big day, 4th graders are invited to try their luck (7th graders now know there’s no such thing!) while 7th graders take on the roles of hype people, cashiers, accountants, prize counters photographers, and videographers– there’s even a DJ! In the end, 7th graders analyze the data to see how accurate their predictions of the results were and reflect on their learning together.