Term 3 Compact Programs Block 2
Years 1 and 2: Maths
Discover the secrets that lie within your computer! Computers are amazing and we all love them, but how do they communicate? Discover the ancient code that revolutionised our modern world - binary code. All computer language is based in the binary system of logic. A system with no words, just the numbers 1 and 0! How could this possibly be true? Come along and explore the world of binary numbers and unravel the mystery behind every computer program. Join us as we explore bits and bytes and binary numbers, send secret binary messages and maybe even bleep like a computer! 1, 2, Let’s go!
Diana is an experienced primary school teacher, specialising in Gifted and Talented Education. Her fast paced, fun and engaging approach has led her to the G.A.T.EWAYS team, where she focuses on teaching like-minded individuals in an exciting, hands-on environment. Diana has a love of learning that is both contagious and inspiring!
Years 1 and 2: Science
Bridges can take all kinds of wonderful and interesting forms; some are long, some are wide, some are tall, but they all do the same job! This workshop will inspire budding engineers as they learn all about the design and construction of bridges. Join Chief Engineer Kerrie on a trip around the globe to discover the oldest datable bridges in the world. Look closely at these bridges, and the materials used to build them and explore why these incredible structures have lasted so long. How were they created and who was behind these creations? Junior engineers will then explore some more modern bridges and investigate the use of supports, shapes and other strategies that structural engineers have used. Filled with all this knowledge about bridges, our junior engineers will then create their own bridges using a simple piece of paper, test them to see how strong they are, and discover ways they could be improved to hold more load!
Kerrie has a keen interest in gifted and talented education and is an experienced primary school teacher who has worked in Australia and abroad. She has worked for G.A.T.E.WAYS for over 5 years with a variety of age groups. She has a passion for creating exciting, fast-paced, learning for gifted children. Kerrie has completed mini COGE and COGE at GERRIC, UNSW and is currently completing a Masters in Gifted Education.
Years 1 and 2: Language and Literature
Kooky and curious, Professor SpidgetFinner loves to design tricky, wacky, brain-bending word games. Unfortunately, the only thing his new 8-legged assistant is good at is getting in the way! What Professor SF needs is someone with real brain power - someone like you! He is on the hunt for clever and creative thinkers to trial his terrific ideas and help invent new ones. To prove you are the right wordsmith for the job, you must be able to pass his mind-boggling, think-thwacking challenges first. Could you climb an Adder-Ladder? Transmogrify and Expressify? Unspoodle a Spoonerism? Roll out a Rock-n-rhyme? View the videos Professor SpidgetFinner has recorded to set a series of tough tasks. Andrea is on hand to guide you through these word wanderings and she can share some top tips to topple the tests! So, if you like perplexing puzzles and playing with words, as well as laughing out loud, then come along and share your brain cells in this zany workshop. Will you achieve Professor Spidgetfinner’s special “WWWW” Award (Weird Wonderful World of Words)? Only a super solver can succeed!
Andrea believes in the power of curiosity and loves finding out where it can take imaginative thinkers and creative writers! An experienced teacher and specialist in Gifted Education, Andrea relishes presenting workshops using novel, fascinating subject matter which is explored in depth.
Years 1 and 2: Maths
Two-Dimension-Al lives in Flatland – a place where everything is 2D. He comes from a long line of shapes – triangles, squares and other polygons – all of whom were content with living a regular, boring life in Flatland… but Two-Dimension-Al has a hunch that there is more to life than angles and perimeter. When he discovers the secret ‘Operation Origami’ files of his great-great-grandfather (Orient-Al) in Area 51, he begins to understand that angles can become vertices, and with just a few folds, life can take on a whole new dimension!
Bec is a teacher with passion for Science and Maths. Having bright children of her own who relished the opportunity to be extended, she really enjoys seeing young people have that ‘a-ha!’ moment when they make a connection between theory and practice. Focusing on fun and ‘hands on’ ways into mathematical and scientific concepts, Bec is really enjoying her consultancy role with RethinkPD and presenting for G.A.T.E.WAYS.
Years 1 and 2: Language and Literature
Once upon a time, a kite got stuck in a tree, a mysterious plant would not budge from the ground, and a boat sank under strange circumstances. In this workshop, we will look at some of these toppling, tumbling tales (also known as cumulative stories), where the silliness gets bigger or louder or crazier each time you turn the page until it all tumbles down into one great big disastrous end! Do you remember what happened to the gingerbread man who ran away, or that lady who swallowed a fly? We’ll look at how some of the best-known cumulative stories use repetition and increasing tension with often hilarious results (and why we find them so funny), then try our hand at writing them ourselves. What will come tumbling down in your story?
Yvonne is both book creator and book devourer. She writes and illustrates picture books. Her short stories are published in magazines and have been animated on Brisbane City Hall. She also has an insatiable appetite for reviewing books.
Yvonne has over 20 years of experience working with children of all ages, abilities and cultures. She has a Bachelor of Children's Services and qualifications in Professional Children's Writing and Visual Arts.
Years 3 and 4: Maths
You are an agent of S.M.A.R.T.I.E. – Secret Mission Agents Ready To Investigate Equations. One of your fellow agents (Pronumeral Agent X) arrived at headquarters with a locked box (containing another locked box in another locked box) and a coded message from the evil organisation D.U.M.M.M.B.O. – Deceptive Underground Mission Making Maths Boring Organisation. Through investigating the equations and learning the history of our numeric system, can you crack the D.U.M.M.M.B.O. codes and open the boxes? Can you discover what they are trying to hide?
Pete has a passion for finding new and exciting ways of engaging students which has led him to his current role with RethinkPD and teaching with G.A.T.E.WAYS. He loves finding hidden order and patterns in seemingly chaotic mathematical situations and believes these skills are particularly important for our increasingly online world. Having benefitted from a gifted program when he was at school, Peter is keen to ‘pay it forward’ and provide a new generation with enriching and challenging learning experiences.
Years 3 and 4: Technology
Are you smarter than Siri? Can you outwit Alexa? Would you take a nap while your Tesla drives you to school? Just how clever is Artificial Intelligence? If you’re itching for the day when you could have your own R2D2 as a bestie, then join us as we explore exactly what AI is and how it works. Learn how computers can see, hear, learn and make decisions and even write novels, compose music and create art! We’ll look at how AI is transforming lives and then we’ll have a go at creating our very own chatty robot using Scratch.
Jess is a technology educator and instructional designer with a passion for STEAM education and the Maker movement. She has over fifteen years’ experience designing and teaching technology programs catering to all areas of the community including kids, teens, teachers, parents and seniors. Since becoming a parent, she has become increasingly passionate about preparing our kids for a STEAM enhanced future. As Founder and Lead Educator at Flying Start Kids she enjoys designing education programs reaching out to schools, parents and communities, helping to ensure all kids have access to the tools they need to be confident and creative with technology.
Years 3 and 4: Forensic Science
Blimey! A terrible crime has been committed at Hogwarts – Mrs. Norris has been kidnapped! The cat, belonging to the Hogwarts caretaker Argus Filch, was last seen near the Owlery, which sits atop the castle’s West Tower. A ransom note, delivered to Filch by owl, has demanded the lifting of a curfew on all students in order to obtain the cat’s release. Unfortunately, all magical attempts to solve the mystery have failed. Given that an anti-magic spell has been used to block all attempts to find those responsible, a crack team of Muggle forensic experts have been called in to examine the few meagre clues left by the criminal, or criminals, responsible. As members of the Muggle team, you will examine the forensic evidence to find both the missing cat and those behind this nefarious deed. Do you have what it takes to crack the case?
Years 3 and 4: Science
What can you find in EVERY living thing on earth? Cells! Without them we couldn’t exist… but how do they work? What do they look like? Are there different kinds of cells? Why are they important? We’re going to get microscopic and see these structures up close and personal. We’ll find out the difference between animal cells, plant cells, single-cell organisms and multi-cell organisms. We’ll even have the opportunity to make our own take away scientific diagrams of different cell structures and DNA. So what are you waiting for? Come and find out what you’re made of!
Jen has a Bachelor of Science majoring in Neuroscience as well as a Master of Teaching. She is an artist and children’s book author living and working on Guringai and Darkinjung land on the Central Coast. Jen loves to find ways to bring creativity and storytelling into her teaching and believes the greatest gift of learning is our deepened connection and love towards ourselves, each other, the earth and universe.
Years 3 and 4: Language and Literature
Star light, star bright, words can’t describe how beautiful you are tonight… but wait! What about that other celestial body in our night sky? The moon is just as beautiful – just as mysterious – and maybe even more inspiring than its twinkly little counterparts. Throughout time writers, cartoonists, musicians and artists have been moved to immortalise their connection with the moon. Shakespeare, Aphra Behn, Claude Debussy, Louisa May Alcott and Georges Méliès, among others, have all used the moon throughout their work to symbolise mystery, poetic beauty, or as a recurring motif in exciting adventures. Once you’ve explored others’ work, blast off into writing tasks designed to tap into your own connection with this symbol. Is it an adventure waiting to happen? Is it the magnifier of all things magic and spellbound? Is it a light to guide a lost traveller? It will be one giant leap in creativity and inspiration!
Anna has a master’s degree in British and American Literature and Civilisation and a Bachelor of Arabic Literature and Civilisation from Aix-en- Provence University, in France. She has taught storytelling and creative writing techniques to French children for over eight years but one day realised that her heart belonged to Sydney! Twenty thousand kilometres and twenty-four hours later she found herself presenting writing and drama workshops to Australian children and has never looked back.
Years 5 and 6: Maths
Mathematicians, we need your help! Green globs are invading, and we need to discover the most efficient way of destroying them… and quickly! Green globs have begun to appear at random on our computer screens and the only way we can destroy them is by creating lines (straight or curved) that will strike them and destroy those pesky green targets. The lines are generated by equations and so the better you are at understanding graphing equations the better your chance of winning! We will be using straight lines in an attempt to destroy the globs and then tackle more challenging curves like parabolas. Are you up to the Green Glob challenge?
Jacob has completed a Bachelor of Aviation and a Masters of Teaching at the University of Melbourne. He has a strong passion for mathematics and digital technologies and believes firmly in firing imagination and interest in STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) with hands-on learning. Jacob considers himself an amateur yogi, an avid cyclist and a keen gamer and he is looking forward to sharing his experience and creating exciting new learning opportunities for your budding mathematician.
Years 5 and 6: Science
Have you ever wondered what makes certain foods spicy and hot, while others are as cool as a cucumber? Or considered why freshly cut grass or popcorn smell so good, while wet dogs and poo do not? Did you know that the aroma of oranges and lemons are produced by chemically identical molecules that are simply mirror images of each other? So, is an orange just a left-handed lemon? Would you be concerned if your doctor prescribed tarantula poison as a pain killer? All these questions and more will be explored as we delve into the very cool world of molecular chemistry to discover how patterns in the composition and shapes of molecules can tell us a lot about their smell, colour, toxicity or taste and to look at what science ‘says’ is the best way to cool a burning mouth if you eat a hot chilli.
Please read the optional *EQUIPMENT LIST* for this program.
Robyne is a passionate and enthusiastic educator with over twenty-five years of experience teaching primary, secondary and tertiary students. Robyne is particularly keen on providing bright students with multiple opportunities to creatively explore their ideas and thinking through a range of hands-on, minds-on activities.
Years 5 and 6: Neuroscience
Did you know you have over 100 billion neurons that produce your thoughts, memories and actions? But what exactly is a ‘brainwave’? And is your head really full of electricity? How does your brain behave when you are calm or when you are solving a maths problem? In this workshop, we’re strapping on an electroencephalographic headset and watching our thoughts come to life. Using Brainlight, an interactive artwork you control with your mind, we’ll be exploring the latest discoveries in neuroscience and the exciting world of your brain!
Laura has many years of experience in leading science workshops for primary school students, as well as experience mentoring youths and undergraduates through intensive project-based courses. She has a multidisciplinary background, holding a Masters in Illumination Design, a degree in Fine Art and further studies in biology, science communication as well as curatorial and museum studies. Laura is looking forward to working with eager young minds with a passion for science.
Years 5 and 6: Maths
In the centre of the beautiful island of Logarithia is an active volcano which frequently creates earthquakes of differing magnitudes. As a seismologist, you have been given the task of graphing and comparing the magnitudes of these earthquakes using the Richter scale, developed from Napier’s logarithm tables. All new buildings must be constructed to withstand the constant tremors so it’s up to you to get these figures right! Exponential numbers, graphs and algebra will all be utilised to calculate the enormous numbers needed by the architects and engineers! What are you waiting for? Grab your scientific calculator and lend a helping hand!
Katrina has a Master’s Degree in Gifted Education. She has taught enrichment mathematics classes for gifted students in the primary system as well as mathematics to students in Years 7 to 10. She is a member of the Australian Mathematics Trust Challenge Problem Solving committee and has a keen passion for problem solving in mathematics. Katrina is the recipient of a National Excellence in Teaching Award and a BH Neumann Award for her contributions to Enrichment of Mathematics for Australian Students. She has presented teacher workshops at National and international Gifted and Talented and Mathematical Conferences.
Years 5 and 6: Language and Literature
Historical stories are based on truth, but built of our imaginations. But what is truth? How do we know what happened for real? Can you guarantee the authenticity of what you write? The wreck of the ship Batavia off the coast of Western Australia in 1628 launched a riveting true story full of murder, mutiny, desertion, fierce battles, and daring rescue missions, but if each person described what happened differently, can we trust them as witnesses? If YOU came ashore on a deserted island in the middle of the ocean and a crazed villain tried to convince the survivors to turn on each other, what would you do? Would you submit and join the evil doers, would you spy and plot and escape, or would you fight back? This dramatic event gives us all the material we need to write a gripping piece of historical fiction – based on factual evidence for authenticity but with life-or-death stakes for our characters thrown in for dramatic impact as each one takes shape as truly good, terribly evil, or merely weak and lost. Will your main character survive the wreck and aftermath, and stand the test of time?
Years 5 and 6: Science
Oh dear! You have done lots of work on your new farm, carefully planting crops in rows and digging furrows between them for water to flow through from the nearby dam when you discover a very big problem… You have run out of money to buy a pump to transport the water! You do not want to damage the dam to get to the water so what can you do? In order for you to irrigate your farm, you decide to use a siphon. It’s the only way you can transfer the water from a higher level, raising it above the walls of the dam, to a lower level, where your furrows are!
In this workshop, you will explore the science behind the siphon, a mechanism used to transport water through tubes without needing a pump. You will apply your knowledge of scientific concepts including cohesion, water pressure, pressure differences, and gravity to learn how to construct your own variety of siphons, to make sure that all the crops on your farm stay well-watered and healthy for a bumper harvest!
Esther is an entrepreneur and an educator with over ten years teaching experience. She holds a PhD and runs her own business called 3C Learning. Her passion and understanding of students' different learning styles has led her to develop many enrichment programs, including gifted and talented programs for GERRIC and G.A.T.E.WAYS.
