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GATEWAYS
Facilitated by: Mr. Smolen and Mrs. DiGiacomo2020 - 2021
GATEWAYS
What is Gateways?
Gateways is a STEM-based program that was created in 2007 to satisfy the desires of students that wanted to learn more through inquiry and hands-on activities.
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. These topics are integrated throughout what we learn all year long.
How Does Gateways Work?
Students elect to participate, with parental permission. Selection will be based upon a lottery system.
Approximately 40 incoming 8th grade students (20 boys/20 girls) will be assigned.
Even if you have participated in an integrated program at RMS, you are encouraged to still sign up. There is a possibility you will earn a spot.
4 periods (sometimes 3 depending on Period 8) spent in our classroom investigating topics within the core curriculum.
The other periods will consist of math, and two elective periods.
CourseStructure
Graded Self-contained Team-taught Differentiated Hands-on &
inquiry-based Empowering
Gateways Comparison◼ How it’s the same
– Change classes– 2 elective periods daily– All Math Levels– Grades
◼ How it’s different – Provides ability to make
connections between curriculum within all classes
– Opportunity to direct your own learning
– Greater use of cooperative and group learning
– Greater integration of technology
– Relevant field trips to connect what you have learned to the world
A Historical Approach
The year will be divided into two halves wherebiographical studies of influential scientists willprovide the framework for the core content.
September – January
Leonardo DaVinci
Galileo Galilei
Sir Isaac NewtonBenjamin Franklin
February – June
Marie CurieThomas Edison/Nikola Tesla
Albert Einstein
Bill Gates/Steve Jobs
Humanities Integration
How We Got to Now The Science of Leonardo Electric Universe Sci-fi Lit Circles Short Story Unit The Giver 12 Angry Men To Kill a Mockingbird FutureHype
Tools
Tool Shed Bandsaw Drills
Screwdrivers And many more!
PVC pipe Heat guns
Soldering iron
Wires, motors, and batteries
Circuits Dial Calipers Hot glue guns
Paint
Technology
iPads iMovie Quizizz
Apple Clips Kahoot! Notability Flipgrid Nearpod
Amplify And many more!
Snap Circuits
ChromeBooks Whitebox
CAD
Code.org
Robotics ROBOTC Building materials
Coding software
Field Trips
Franklin Institute Constitution Center Independence Hall
Liberty Bell Eastern Planetarium Engineering Firm
Cheering on our Seaperch team Singh Center for Nanotechnology Chemical Heritage Foundation
Drexel Excite Center da Vinci Lab at Temple
Challenges/Labs
Building Challenges
Rube Goldberg Foot Prosthesis Roller Coaster Lab
Building Catapults Green Cars Robotics
Independent Research Projects
Semester-long project
Research ANY TOPIC that interests you Must make an argument Research paper using sources to back up your argument
Present your findings to your classmates including interactive learning experiences
Create a research posterto share your results withthe RMS community
Independent Research Projects
Examples of topics:
Amazon is destroying small businesses. Standardized testing has more negative effects than positive effects.
Self-driving cars need much more work before becoming available for purchase. GMOs have many positive effects. Germany needs to lead the EU along with Western Asia and North Africa.
The moon landings were not fake. Asian culture has a positive effect on the success of Asian children.
Swimmers are more physically fit than runners. Net neutrality is important for equal Internet access. Parents with Munchausen’s by proxy negatively affect their children.
While the Stanford Prison Study was conducted in an unscientific manner, there is still valid information to learn from the research.
Future Cities
National competition
Planning a city from scratch Civil engineer mentor Multiple components—
Essay Model
Sim Presentation Project plan
Interview for job Prepare a resume
Practice interview questions Participate in an interview with a member of RTSD administration
Seaperch
Underwater robotics competition
Fashioned out of PVC pipe Naval engineer mentor Multiple components
Presentation Engineering notebook
Design of the perch Pool competition
Compete at Regionals at Temple University
Potential to compete at Nationals
Who is Compatible?
EVERYONE Enjoy working & learning in groups Like to explore & “dig deeper” Enjoy getting out of the classroom to explore
real-world applications to the curriculum Thrive in an environment where much of the
learning is “hands-on” Seek some independence and choice in
learning
Group Work, Group Work, Group Work
Types of groups: Literature circles Project groups Lab groups Table groups Short story groups In-class assignment partners
Working with any partner Cooperative work with new people
Skills Learned from the Gateways Classroom
Project planning Personalized challenge in the
form of differentiation Cooperative group work Writing in all content areas Engineering software Tool safety
Research skills Evaluating sources Applications to the real-world Making personal learning choices Video/movie editing Website creation Wiring motors and circuitry
What’s Next? Discuss Gateways with your parents and decide on your ranking.
If you decide you are interested, rank Gateways as your first or second choice.
All ranking forms are due Thursday May 14th. The lottery will be held on Monday, May 18th.
If your name is selected, you will have the chance to accept or give up your spot in the class.
Everyone else will be put on the waitlist, in casea student moves over the summer.
Take a chance and sign up for this challenging, yet fun, alternative for all 8th
graders. You won’t be disappointed!
The Choice is Yours!