Cross-Curricular Project 3

Hidden Treasure

Introduction | Task | Process | Guidance | Conclusion | Questions

Introduction
Are you intrigued by the idea of hidden treasure? Did you know that a fantastic gold mine might exist in the Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix? According to legend, Jacob Waltz discovered gold there in the 1870s and kept the location a secret. Hundreds of would-be prospectors have searched the Superstition Mountain region in vain to find the mine. The table below shows how the value of gold, based on the value of the U.S. dollar, has changed over the years.

In this project, you will use quadrilaterals, circles, and geometric transformations to give clues for a treasure hunt.

The Task
You work for a national company that plans to market treasure hunts to radio stations, television stations, and other organizations in various cities. Your company will profit by selling these hunts to the organizations. You need to present a sample treasure hunt to your boss. You may select any city in the U.S., or the world, if you prefer. After your hunt has been designed, you need to prepare a portfolio including the map to be used, clues, questions, and answers. If you prefer, you can prepare a Web page with this information that others can view. Then customers for this product could view a sample treasure hunt. Be sure that your portfolio or Web page contains the following information:

• the name of the city to be used for the treasure hunt and a map that participants will use;
• at least five clues that will help treasure hunters find the location. One of the clues must be based upon a quadrilateral, one must involve a transformation, and one must include a circle. (see the Questions for sample clues);
• at least five questions that the participants must answer correctly in addition to finding the location of the treasure. The questions must relate to geometry. (see the Questions for sample geometry questions).

• Select a city and find a map for the city. For help, try these Web sites.
  www.yahoo.com and search for the city you want to use
  www.embassyworld.com/maps
  www.maps.com
  www.expedia.com/pub/agent.dll?qscr=mmfn
• Write at least five clues that will lead hunters to the location of the hidden treasure. See the Questions for examples of clues.
• Write at least five questions that require a knowledge of geometry to answer. See the Questions for examples of geometry questions.
• Be creative. Add some additional data, information, or even pictures to your portfolio or Web page.

1. Use geometric figures other than quadrilaterals or circles for your clues.
2. Design a treasure hunt for a U.S. state, a several-state region, or for an entire country or continent.
3. Include the names of tourist attractions in your clues.
4. Trade your project with one of your classmates. Have your classmate try to locate the treasure using your clues and answer your questions. Have your classmate critique your clues and questions.
5. Make a brochure of your map, clues, and questions. Add the names and locations of tourist attractions to your brochure.
6. Make a treasure hunt for your own city or state.
7. Write a different set of clues that will lead to the same location for the treasure.

• Present your project to your class or at a family night. At the family night, give parents and students maps of the city you have chosen. Have them work together to find the location of your hidden treasure.
• Present the information on a Web page. Have other students critique your project and help you to make improvements to your project.
• Write a one-page summary of your project, including what you have learned from creating the clues for the treasure hunt.

Lesson 7–2
Alan is creating a treasure hunt for Seattle. Print a copy of the map of Seattle at www.seeseattle.org. Select “maps” and then download the “Downtown Seattle–printable PDF.” (You may want to make several photocopies of the map to use for the exercises in this WebQuest.) Follow the directions that Alan gives as clues for his treasure hunt. Answer any questions and keep your work for this exercise to use in the WebQuest exercises in Chapters 8 and 9.

1. Clue:
   Connect the following four locations with line segments. Try to locate the four points at approximately the center of each intersection.
   Point A: the intersection of Bell and 2nd
   Point B: the intersection of Stewart and 2nd
   Point C: the intersection of Virginia and 4th
   Point D: the intersection of Lenora and 4th
2. Question:
   Classify the quadrilateral in Exercise 1. Justify your reasoning using features on the map.
3. Question:
   How does the distance along the portion of 3rd street inside the quadrilateral compare to the lengths of the sides of the quadrilateral lying on 2nd and 4th?

1. Clue:
   Use quadrilateral ABCD. Reflect quadrilateral ABCD over the line represented by the portion of 6th Avenue that is parallel to 4th Avenue. Label the new quadrilateral AīBīCīDī.
2. Question:
   E is a point on Where will Eī be on quadrilateral AīBīCīDī? Explain.
3. Question:
   How will the angle and side measures of quadrilateral ABCD compare to the angle and side measures of quadrilateral AīBīCīDī? Explain.

1. Clue:
   Label Point F as the intersection of Thomas and Exeter. With radius , draw a circle with center Aī. Mark the point where the circle intersects Blanchard as T.
2. Question: What is the circumference of the circle with center Aī? Give the circumference in miles using the scale given on the map.
3. Location of the Treasure: The treasure is located near T. Describe the location of the treasure in relationship to other locations on the map of Seattle.