GATE: Gifted and Talented EducationTrack E-3 Descriptions
Plant Exploration: Understanding Horticulture
According to Britannica, Horticulture is the branch of plant agriculture dealing with garden crops, generally fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants. The word is derived from the Latin hortus, “garden,” and colere, “to cultivate.” As a general term, it covers all forms of garden management, but in ordinary use it refers to intensive commercial production
Students in this class will visit the MSU teaching greenhouse and discuss the trial gardens. Participants will be exposed to various plants such as orchids by an accredited judge of the American Orchid Society . All students will learn to propagate several kinds of tropical plants and will be able to bring some home with them.
Friday: Greenhouse and gardens (depending on greenhouse manager’s availability)
Satruday: Orchids, orchids, orchids
Sunday: Other tropical plants (succulents, carnivores, and maybe some cacti) and propagating plants to take home.
Speed Math
This class is all about playing with mathematics. Learn how to perform lightning quick calculations that will astonish those around you. Before you know it, you will be calling out the answers in class while the other kids are still writing down the problem!
Friday: Addition and multiplication
Saturday: Negation and subtraction
Sunday: Reciprocals and division
Minecraft
One of the most popular computer games, Minecraft at its core is a sandbox game that provides an environment for its players to explore and create. This class will focus on the Education Edition of the game to introduce students to programming to control the in-game abilities of their character, allowing them to make games that involve granting players superpowers.
Friday: Introducing and sampling the different powers that can be granted in Minecraft custom games. These include things like Speed, Invulnerability, and Flight
Saturday: Having the students work in small teams to build maps and set up the interactions using coding blocks to complete a checklist of effects.
Sunday: Play the games, identify fun and unfun parts, and begin tweaking the gameplay.