GATE Web Page
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GATE Web Page
GATE
(Gifted and Talent Enrichment)
Basic Information
District 180's Gifted and Talent Enrichment Program (GATE) provides qualified students in grades 3 through 8 the opportunity to engage in advanced learning activities that expand on the regular curriculum through field trips, guest speakers, and the creation of authentic products. GATE is comprised of a series of investigative units that focus on real world applications of skills learned in the core academic areas of reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Students choose units based upon their personal interests and aptitudes. GATE students leave their regular classes for approximately 2 hours per week on a rotating schedule to meet in small groups for enrichment activities led by Mrs. Kinsman. In addition to the report card that parents receive each marking period, GATE parents also receive a report on the level of growth their child has made participating in this program. These reports are issued twice a year, at the end of the second and fourth quarters. Mrs. Kinsman provides an overview of children's demonstrated areas of strength including critical thinking, problem solving, and creativity.
How are kids selected?
The criteria for participation in GATE include standardized test scores (SAGES-2 and ISAT), non-standardized test scores (DIBELS and Gates-McGinitie), as well as parent and teacher recommendations.
How do you contact Mrs. Kinsman?
You can contact her by calling her homework hotline (which actually is just a voicemail) at 630-734-6661. You can also e-mail Mrs. Kinsman. Her e-mail address is mkinsman@ccsd180.org.
Recent GATE Units (click to go to each unit)
Web Page Design – Students designed a GATE web page for the CCSD 180 web site. This unit was an introduction to computer programming becuse the web page was created using Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) rather than web page design software. Participants experimented with fonts, lists, tables, images, video editing and links to other web sites. Mr. Eliscu, our district Technology Director, acted as a consultant on this project. (Grades 7 and 8)
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Mystery Disease – This was an interdisciplinary problem based learning unit combining science, social studies, math, research, group collaboration, and communication skils. Students took on the role of public health officials to attempt to stop the spread of a mysterious disease. They examined evidence, made recommendations to save the lives of people who had contracted the disease, determined the most probable source of infections, and suggested steps to prevent the recurrence of a similar event. Unit participants also taught younger students about food borne illnesses and their prevention. The GATE "health officials" had a field trip to tour the DuPage County Health Department and meet with real county health professionals in the areas of environmental health, communicable diseases, and education. These same professionals later served as a board of review for student presentations of their findings and recommendations. (Grades 7 and 8)
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Science Fiction Writing – Students created future societies using the higher level thinking skills development technique known as Creative Problem Solving. They began by solving hypothetical, futuristic problems related to cloning, weightlessness, methods of travel, space colonies, robots, future foods, and distribution of food, energy sources, and environmental terrorism. These investigations provided background that assisted participants in the conception and writing of their own short science fiction stories. The unit included a field trip to view futuristic technologies on display at the Museum of Science and Industry. (Grades 7 and 8)
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Comedy Writing – Participants in this unit became comedy scriptwriters. After analyzing the nature of humor and the components of familiar situation comedies, they created main and supporting characters, a setting, and a plot for their own situation comedies. Professional screenwriter and actress Kate Henley met with the GATE writers to share her experiences in the entertainment industry and to critique their ongoing work. (Grades 5 and 6)
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Be an Inventor – Students engaged in deep levels of thinking in this unit that explored the stages of the inventing process. Participants were introduced to a technique known as Creative Problem Solving through which they found new uses for existing inventions, established the need for new inventions, developed inventions to fill those needs, and hypothesized possible inventions that known inventors might have created. They also created their own inventions from sets of specified cast-off materials. A field trip to view famous inventions at the Museum of Science and Industry was also part of this unit. (Grades 5 and 6)
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Invent – Students in this creative unit researched inventors and analyzed how their inventions have changed our lives. They brainstormed, tinkered, and created their own inventions. After seeking "patents", the inventors marketed their works and faced the scrutiny of their peers acting as a consumer advocacy group. A field trip to view inventions at the Museum of Science and Industry provided the opportunity to learn about some of the most influential inventions in history. (Grades 3 and 4)
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My Lights – Participants in this writing unit studied the format of well-known children's magazines and created their own. They developed the skills of prewriting, drafting, revising, elaboration, editing, and publishing as they produced pieces in a variety of genres and "sold" them to the magazine publisher (Mrs. Kinsman). These submissions were then compiled in a magazine format. This unit included a field trip to the offices of the Hinsdale Doings newspaper, where students engaged in a question/answer sesion with an editor, a writer, and a photographer. A tour was also provided. (Grades 3 and 4)
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Current GATE Units (click to go to each unit)
Polls – Students will learn about polls, develop a questionnaire, conduct a scientific opinion poll, compute the results, and analyze their findings. Emphasis will be placed on learning how to spot bias to prevent it from emerging in the design of our own polls. The importance of polling in a democratic society (particularly in a presidential election year) will be covered, including how polls can influence public opinion and serve as a catalyst for social action. (Grades 7 and 8)
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Archaeology – This unit will engage students in hands-on activities designed to provide an understanding of the nature of archaeology and scientific techniques for data collection, recording, and analysis. Hypothesis development will be focused on with regard to the choice of archaeological sites and the interpretation of the artifacts, archaeological features, and ecological remains found at those sites. (Grades 7 and 8)
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Etymology – Participants will delve into study of the evolution of written language and, in particular, the English language. Written communication systems studied will include prehistoric cave paintings and petroglyphs, Sumerian cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Old English, Middle English, Shakespearean English, and the divergence of American from British English. Students will gain an understanding of the factors causing linguistic change and create and communicate in their own planned language. (Grades 7 and 8)
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Number Systems – This math unit will explore the development of number systems throughout human history including the Egyptian, Babylonian, Roman, Hindu-Arabic, Quinary, Binary, and Mayan systems. Students will develop an understanding of the concepts of numerals as number symbols, as well as the principles that were used in conjunction with these symbols. As number systems are analyzed, we will seek to understand why some have survived into modern times while others have not. (Grades 5 and 6)
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Create a Culture – Students will become anthropologists as they learn about the universal aspects that are part of all human cultures including family structure, power structure, living quarters, economic organization, education of the young, and language. They will further develop their understanding by designing original societies and producing artifacts representative of their cultural traits. (Grades 5 and 6)
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Math Quest – Participants in this unit will learn problem solving strategies within the context of a race to collect riches in four mysterious mathematical worlds. These strategies will be applied to the creation and solution of word problems. The math quest will be complicated by a variety of random obstacles that must be overcome. Skills taught will include making charts, graphs, diagrams, tables, and pictures as part of the problem solving process. Emphasis will be placed on the recognition that there may be multiple ways to solve a problem and that problem solving strategiescan be applied to new situations. (Grades 3 and 4)
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King Lexicon – Students will learn about medieval times in this language arts unit in which they will strive to advance from the fank of page to squire and, ultimately, knight. Unlike the knights of old, our weapons of choice will be dictionaries. These mighty weapons will teach the skills needed to advance in rank: alphabetizing, pronouncing, determining multiple word meanings, recognizing inflected forms of words, and studying word origins. Our ultimate challenge will be to discover King Lexicon's secret word and complete his puzzle. (Grades 3 and 4)
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Photo Gallery
(Student working on newspaper structure)
Ooooooooohhh !!!??
(Student examining structure layout)
Aaaaaahhhhhh!
(statistics unit)
Woooooooooaaaah!
(Mayor of Burr Ridge)
Coooooool!
(school bus)
Gee willikers!
(newspaper structure)
Woweeeeeeeeee!
(poetry unit)
Poetry is cool!
(6th grade gate students)
Keep up da good work kiddos!
(Poetry unit)
Whooouch
Links
Illinois Association for Gifted Children
IAGC
National Association for Gifted Children
NAGC
Hoagie's Gifted
HG
This webpage design is done by students in the "Web Page Design" class. We have worked really hard and we hope you enjoy this site.
CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO THE SCHOOL WEBSITE!