GATE: Gifted and Talented EducationTrack P-1 Descriptions
Hermione Granger, Miles Morales, and Matilda: Creating Captivating Characters
Ever wish you could be best friends with a character in a book? Writers work hard to make the people in their stories feel every bit as interesting as the people you meet in real life. This class will introduce you to some amazing stories and the characters within them. And it will give you the tools to create captivating characters of your own. Each student will leave class with a character profile and image, a performance-worthy dialogue, and at least one scene from a new story.
Monday: Character research and creation
Tuesday: Writing Studio
Wednesday: Building relationships between characters
Thursday: Writing Studio
Friday: Sharing our Stories
Think Like a Scientist
The structure and rules provided by the scientific method are designed to give people as confidence in their conclusions using a “trust but verify” mentality. To that end, they’re designed to both investigate a topic while being as repeatable as possible. We’ll discuss each of these steps in detail; and those who remember them will be able to apply them to learn more about the world!
Monday: Introduce the Scientific Method; discuss Observations & Questions
Tuesday: Discuss how to create an effective experiment.
Wednesday: Discuss how to portray the conclusions.
Thursday: Look over three lab reports (some contradictions) and analyze them.
Friday: Do the experiment in the lab reports from the previous day, compare our results.
Experience Architecture: Designing Tabletop Games
When we play Apples to Apples, Ticket to Ride, or Settlers of Catan our thoughts and emotions are tied up in the game experience. But how do designers create those magical game moments that make us want to play again and again? In this class you will learn about the design thinking process as well as try out user research. Each student will leave class with a design thinking poster and a game prototype.
Monday: Introduction to game design
Tuesday: Design Studio
Wednesday: User research
Thursday: Design Studio
Friday: Sharing our games