Stairs: Summary - Best Practices from CACPS

Author:	Karen M. Crounse
Description:	The Staircase Expedition is a mathematics expedition focusing on the mathematics behind understanding and designing safe staircases.
Participants:	This expedition is for middle or high school mathematics students. Currently, it is introduced in the 10th grade, however it could be divided between the end of the 9th grade year and the beginning of the 10th grade year.
Schedule:	The expedition is divided into two parts: Part 1 focuses on data collection and analysis and Part 2 entails understanding state building codes and redesign. The classroom curriculum supports the content in Part 1 and takes approximately one trimester to complete. Part 2 can be completed independently by the student while the course content focuses on other topics.
Goals:	The overarching goal is for students to understand the elements of staircase design and how they relate to mathematics. The mathematics content goals include understanding and applying concepts relating to statistics, linear equations, slope, parallel and perpendicular lines, scale graphs and the Pythagorean Theorem. There is also an emphasis on communicating about mathematics and using data as evidence to support ideas through written journals, open-response questions, letters and reflections.
Products:	The overall product of the expedition is a binder of student work, culminating with the redesign of a staircase that is deemed unsafe into a staircase that meets building codes for safety.
Assessment:	The assessment is rubric-based by individual product within the staircase expedition binder. Each task is assessed on a 1-4 basis using a grading rubric.

The Staircase Expedition is a mathematics learning expedition, linking the elements of expeditionary learning with the required mathematics content based on the Massachusetts state standards. To deeply understand staircases and their design, students must understand the concept of slope, which in turn requires understanding linear equations. Throughout the expedition, the in-class discussions and investigations focus on understanding the mathematics necessary for understanding staircases. Students apply their learning through completing the products that serve as the benchmarks within the expedition. The idea is to use the real-world topic to give a concrete entry point into the mathematics as well as to strengthen student understanding of mathematics and and its connection to the world around them.