GATE: Gifted and Talented EducationTrack C-1 Descriptions
Vexing Variables
In an emoji math puzzle, some of the numbers in the equations have been replaced by symbols. By combining equations and using logic, you’ll be able to solve the final equation, but be careful-the puzzles will get trickier as the class progresses!
Day 1: Emoji math 1 (warm-up)
Day 2: Emoji math 2 (warm-up)
Day 3: Emoji math 3 (head-scratcher)
Day 4: Emoji math 4 (head-scratcher)
Day 5: Emoji math 5 (mind-bender)
Five-room Dungeon Design
The heroes take up the quest to stop the villain, traveling out into harm’s way to stop their dastardly plans. But have you ever wondered where the villain came from? What goes into those plans? What do these adventures have in common? We’ll discuss the classic narrative structure of a short story and how they pertain to the interactive storytelling that are tabletop RPGs, and we’ll use that knowledge to write and draw our own “dungeon” to challenge friends with!
Day 1: Discusses the initial hook and the dastardly villain the heroes must defeat. Introduce the “five rooms” with three examples: The Entrance, The Puzzle, The Setback, The Boss Fight, The Reward. Discuss the literary beats that each room performs.
Day 2: Give the students some time to select their villain and decide upon their rooms.
Day 3: Using graph paper, designing the dungeon itself. Drawing out both a standard top-down map and an isomorphic map of the dungeon. Discusses the geometry involved in the isometric viewpoint.
Day 4: Draw and finalize the notes for their dungeon, answering some questions
Day 5: Present their little dungeons to one another.
Podcasting
Music, Murder, Mystery and Mayhem. Whatever you enjoy, there is a podcast for it. Looking to laugh, for news, politics, stories, gossip or just the experience of connecting with the outside world. A podcast is a digital broadcast made available on the Internet. The word “podcast” is derived from “pod” as in Apple’s iPod, the popular portable audio player, and “cast” from “broadcast”, meaning “to transmit for general or public use.” ~Learning Times. In this class, students will have a unique opportunity to work with MSU’s radio station IMPACT 89FM to develop their own podcast. They will work with the IMPACT staff to develop a podcasting topic, learn about interviewing, develop artwork with one of the graphic designers, record the audio, edit using audio software, and how to post it to their social media.