Term 4 Extended
Foundation: Maths
Poor Old McDonald is having trouble looking after all the animals on his farm. In making new pens for his animals, the measurements keep looking very wrong. It looks like the walls and roof have got jumbled up. He is also not keeping track of time and milking the cows at the wrong time of the day. He needs a team of maths whizzes to help him on the farm and work out what’s wrong. Join us for our two sessions as we use our hand and a ruler to measure everything we can find, and use our clock to read and tell the time.
Annette is an educator, a parent and a person of varied life experience with a passion and desire to contribute to the character development of children from an early age. She has been presenting with G.A.T.E.WAYS for over 8 years and she thrives on working collaboratively with children. Annette encourages students to question the world around them and to transfer their learning to real-life. She has a love of history, reading and literature, maths, story-telling, the arts and living life.
Years 1 and 2: Science
Listen…what do you hear? It could be the hum of an appliance, people speaking, or even a clock ticking. Sound is all around us. But what do we really know about sound? How is it made? How do we hear it? What is it that makes a sound musical, and how do musical instruments work?
Have you ever heard the expression ‘the sound of one hand clapping’? Or the question that does a tree falling in a forest still make a sound, even if there is no-one there to hear it? During this program we’ll answer all of these questions and more. We’ll learn how to make a wine glass sing and slime dance, what the loudest sound on Earth is, and just what we would need to do to heat up a cup of hot chocolate just by yelling at it! So, if you were looking for a little bit of quiet time, this definitely isn’t for you, as we explore the nature of sound and how to make it. Sound good?
Simon Matheson is a physicist by training and has been involved in education one way or another for most of his life; first as a student, then as a secondary school science and maths teacher, and most recently as a developer and presenter of science outreach programs with CSIRO Education. Simon’s enthusiasm for science education is grounded in the belief that all citizens of the modern world need a firm grasp of the principles upon which science (and, by extension, the world around us) are built.
Years 1 and 2: Science
We all know Zac Powers – agent rockstar and GIB’s (Government Investigations Bureau) man on a mission. But did you know that there is a lot of science behind this fiction? Whether he is sinking in quicksand on Poison Island or finding himself in deep water (literally and metaphorically), there are plenty of scientific principles involved in his secret agent antics. We will battle with him against piranhas and poison frogs to find the formula for Solution X; we’ll go subzero and sink sub-marine to protect the Safe Talker… will you be able to handle the pressure? By the end of this science mission you will know heaps more about spies and science and you’ll be on your way to being the coolest kid spy since James Bond was in shorts.
Pete Wolsenholme has a passion for finding new and exciting ways of engaging students in Science, Maths and Robotics. He loves finding hidden scientific order and mathematical patterns in seemingly chaotic situations and believes these thinking skills are particularly important for students growing up in a digital age. Having benefitted from a gifted program when he was at school, PeteE is keen to ‘pay it forward’ and provide a new generation with enriching and challenging learning experiences.
Years 1 and 2: Language and Literature
Do you like a good book?
Oh I bet that you do!
And that means that it’s likely
You like writing too?!
Well, please join our adventure
It’s a literary “How To..”
Your parents and teachers
Won't mind if you do!
We’ll zoom onto Zoom
For a program of fun-ing,
Full of reading adventures
And poetry punning!
We’ll meet some strange creatures
And visit strange places,
Writing wonderful words
As we explore our bookcases!
Dr. Seuss is our guide
To creative word play,
So grab pen and paper – let’s get on our way!
Kim teaches English literature and creative writing to university and high school students, and drama and theatre skills to both adults and kids all over Melbourne. She has run book clubs and cabarets, performed Shakespeare and written sonnets, dabbled in Dickens and is best buddies with the Brontes, and while she loves a ripping good yarn, she is still convinced everything we get to read and write in our lives is always a thrilling new adventure!
Years 1 and 2: Maths
The headline shouted: BREAKING NEWS! SUPERVILLE’S FIVE RESIDENT SUPERHEROES LOSE THEIR SUPERPOWERS. PETS SNATCHED TOO! And just below: THE DASTARDLY VILLAIN, JASPER JAKOWSKI HAS CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY AND ISSUED THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT.
You have met your match. Without your superpowers, you are nothing! If you want them back, you must accept my diabolical challenge. Find the four parcels I have hidden, solve the fiendish mathematical problems each contains, win some clues as to your pets’ whereabouts, locate these furry friends which will restore your powers. You have four hours to do this…or lose your powers FOREVER!!
Dan the detective leapt to his feet. “This is definitely a case for me,” he exclaimed, “but it will take more brainpower than mine alone. I’ll need to recruit some supersmart sleuths…pronto!”. Your help is desperately needed as there is no telling what greater mischief JJ will unleash once the deadline has passed. Come join us and let’s get to work!
On arrival in Superville the crime-busting team was met by the mayor, along with Astroboy, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman. Supergirl told them that she and her friends had been present shopping for Four-footed Friends Appreciation Day. They were itching to shower these gifts on their furry friends. On arrival home however, they were shocked to be greeted not by wagging tails and woofs, but by SILENCE! As they entered their home, it was immediately apparent that their superpowers had vanished.
Sharon Leibowitz is an experienced educator with enthusiasm for ensuring that learning is creative, practical and enjoyable. She has specialised in the area of gifted education for over 20 years and has been running exciting programs for G.A.T.E.WAYS over the last seven years. She has a passion for the development of Mathematical skills across the primary years. She particularly enjoys the task of designing mathematical curriculum using the ‘thinking treasure’ of children’s literature, art and science.
Years 3 and 4: Science
Gravity is our friend. Without gravity, we would float helplessly in the vast coldness of space. We would never see stars, planets, or anything, because without gravity - you guessed it! - there would be no stars or planets or anything else. Without gravity, the universe would be a cold, dark, boring place. As a result, we kind of need to play by whatever rules gravity wants to play by. There are lots and some are pretty complicated. However, this doesn’t mean that we can’t ‘cheat’ it every once in a while! By learning what gravity is and how it works, and dispelling the common misconceptions around it, we also discover a few tricks (courtesy of Albert Einstein and Daniel Bernoulli) that we can use to beat gravity at its own game. Well, temporarily at least!
A stranger in an airport once asked Scott Hahn to describe himself. Unblinking, Scott answered, “A poet trapped in a physicist’s body.” He’d never thought of it before. Armed with these credentials, then, he set off to become a teacher, because somewhere between poetry and the physical sciences lies the entire spectrum of education. Our heavy questions deserve grave answers. Poets, physicists—and children—are absolutely the best at this.
Years 3 and 4: Science
What's so interesting about a cabinet of curiosities, a little cupboard cluttered with baubles and bibelots, knick-knacks and gimcracks? What’s so wonderful about the precursor of today’s museums, ‘The Wunderkammer’, or ‘room of wonder? Four or five centuries ago some incredibly imaginative and inquisitive individuals introduced the world to personal collections that spanned the disciplines of history and geography, science and art, philosophy and psychology, literature and life … from amazing artefacts, strange or stuffed specimens and peculiar plants to rare relics and exotic oddities. Such exhibits astonished the public and educated them about the world’s wonders. In this program you’ll meet some of these quirky curators. Unusual, like Ole Worm (1600s) who owned a now-extinct Great Auk which became an exhibit in his ‘Museum Wormianum’ upon its death. Or adventurous, like Ida Pfeiffer, an intrepid explorer who gathered objects from cultures all over the world - no easy feat as a solo-sailing female in the mid 1800’s! What a super source for our own stories, real or imagined! Each week your curiosity will be ignited as we explore assemblages of treasures! You will be challenged to think deeply and communicate in creative ways, including writing and drawing as you curate your own collection of curious ideas. Welcome to the Wunderkammer!
Andrea Blake 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 3 and 4: Language and Literature
Agatha Christie is known as the ‘Queen of Crime’ for good reason. Writing a gripping story is not an easy task, and there are many questions to be answered if you wanted to write a story to grab the readers’ attention and hold it until the very last page. For example, what sort of detective would you create? Would your protagonist be famous for magnificent moustaches and ‘little grey brain cells’ like Poirot, or for outstanding deductive skills like Sherlock Holmes? Next, what sort of plot would you develop? Think codes that need to be cracked, friends who become enemies, and impossible crimes only the finest minds could solve, all found in Miss Marple’s Case of the Perfect Maid. Too many issues to tackle? Luckily, we’ve got your back! Join us to unlock your detective mind so that you can write your own whodunnit! With some inspiration from Katherine Woodfine’s famous Sinclair’s Mysteries set in Edwardian England and some help from her teenage detectives, Sophie, Bill, Lil and Joe, you will be able to create your own codes, finesse your own clues and red herrings, as well as imagine your own suspects in a one-of-a-kind period crime story like no other. Queen Agatha, you might just have competition for your literary crown!
Requirements: Bring pen and paper to all sessions.
Anna Jahjah has a masters’ degree in British and American Literature and Civilisation and a Bachelor in Arabic Literature and Civilisation from Aix-en- Provence University, in France. She has been teaching storytelling and creative writing techniques to French and Australian children for over 10 years. She also owns her own theatre company which gives a voice to characters and stories that are rarely heard in Australia.
Years 3 and 4: Maths
Farmer Pythagoras is in trouble! His perfectly fenced fields of prize-winning pumpkins and ponies are no longer perfect after his plump pigs escaped from their pen and destroyed all his fences. Oh no! Now he needs your help to measure and re-build the paddocks in the shape of right-angled triangles using geometric tips and tricks from ancient times. Armed with a knotted rope, a set square, and geometric and algebraic know-how can you help him protect the pumpkins, placate the ponies and put the pigs away before the deadline to enter his produce in the upcoming Royal Show? During this workshop we will learn about Pythagoras’ Theorem of right-angled triangles and why this fascinating equation is so important. Please bring a ruler, glue stick and scissors.
Michelle worked as a local reporter for a newspaper and a radio producer before studying primary teaching. She loves nothing more than tackling a challenging problem. Michelle is thrilled to be putting this passion to good use, inspiring the problem-solvers and mathematicians of the future. She developed a passion for working with gifted and talented students while in the mainstream classroom and has presented for G.A.T.EWAYS on a number of occasions.
Years 5 and 6: Maths
Diophantus the Magnificent, the Mesmerising al-Khwarizmi and the Amazing Hero of Alexandria all sound like the most incredible magicians… but these ancient mathematicians were magicians with a difference. They practised the mysterious art of ‘Abracadalgebra’. Many magical tricks are in fact based upon patterns, permutations and combinations. In this program we’ll look behind the apparent ‘magic' of tricks to uncover the maths in the mystifying. You’ll begin to see patterns in arrangements of cards, learn how to produce a logical ‘force’ and come away with more ‘powers’ than a quadratic equation. Using a combination of props, algebra and magical prestidigitation, you’ll be able to put on your own show where the only variable will be whether your audience will be stunned, amazed or stupefied. In addition, you’ll be armed with tricks and traps that will have your friends and family thinking that you can read their minds.
Pete Wolsenholme has a passion for finding new and exciting ways of engaging students in Science, Maths and Robotics. He loves finding hidden scientific order and mathematical patterns in seemingly chaotic situations and believes these thinking skills are particularly important for students growing up in a digital age. Having benefitted from a gifted program when he was at school, Pete is keen to ‘pay it forward’ and provide a new generation with enriching and challenging learning experiences.
Years 5 and 6: Language and Literature
Odysseus, the Sirens, the Cyclops, Penelope… have you heard of these famous characters? They all appear in The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Homer almost thirty centuries ago. It tells the story of the grand Greek hero Odysseus (also called Ulysses) who, after fighting in the Trojan War, tries to get back home. It takes ten years (yes, ten!) to reunite with his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus. During his adventures, he meets numerous mythological characters, such as the Cyclopes, Princess Nausicaa and Circe the magician, until he finally makes it back home. Because of its amazing narrative, striking allegories and beautiful poetic style, The Odyssey still speaks to us in powerful ways and continues to influence our own culture, arts and literature today. James Joyce, the famous Irish writer wrote a whole book about it, the Coen Brothers made a movie loosely inspired by it, and the French collaborated with the Japanese to create a unique TV series with a futuristic Ulysses flying from one planet to the other in his spaceship! How would YOU make this wonderful story your own? In this program, we will explore the original version as well as the ideas it triggered in the arts to get some inspiration. Our goal? Write not one, not two but three stories inspired by The Odyssey!
Anna Jahjah has a masters’ degree in British and American Literature and Civilisation and a Bachelor in Arabic Literature and Civilisation from Aix-en- Provence University, in France. She has been teaching storytelling and creative writing techniques to French and Australian children for over 10 years. She also owns her own theatre company which gives a voice to characters and stories that are rarely heard in Australia.
Years 5 and 6: Maths
Let me introduce you to Sir Mathias Duffy. He may be famous, he may be titled, he may consider himself to be a mathematical genius. However, the main thing you need to know about him is that he is a totally eccentric hare-brain. He is forever getting himself into scrapes and having to be rescued by his loyal sidekick and valet the Honourable Reginald Sidebottom. Unfortunately, Reg’s mother has come down with a dreadful ‘lurgie’ and he’s had to rush off to her bedside in the wilds of the Yorkshire dales! Who knows what will happen next? Fortunately, he had the foresight to advertise for a new companion to keep Sir D from going off the rails. Congratulations…that person is YOU! Come and join him on his next adventure and PLEASE…try to keep him out of trouble!
Katrina Sims has a masters’ degree in gifted education. She is an experienced teacher of specialised mathematics classes for gifted students. She is a member of the Australian Mathematics Trust Challenge Problem Solving committee and has presented professional development workshops for teachers within Australia and overseas. She has received a Bernard Neumann Award for contributions to Mathematics Enrichment for Australian Students and National Excellent in Teaching Award for her contributions to Gifted Education. She has a passion for problem solving in mathematics.
Years 5 and 6: Science
Consider your immune system as your body’s very own superpower! Most of us have had a cut or graze, but after a day think nothing of it. Most of us have gotten sick, before very quickly recovering. And most of us have received plenty of vaccinations, without so much as a second thought. All of these things seem incredibly ordinary, yet, from a scientific perspective, they are nothing short of small miracles. Take away our innate immune defences, and that small cut may soon lead to toxic shock. Take away our adaptive immune cells, and that annoying cold could suddenly lead to death. It is actually quite incredible that all of the small injuries and illnesses that we commonly experience do NOT result in similar outcomes. In this program, we will explore the different components of the human immune system, in a quest to discover just how important it is to our survival.
Rengen Parlane has a Bachelor of Science (Advanced) and is currently studying the Doctor of Medicine at the University of Sydney. He is passionate about both disciplines and how they inform us about the world around us. Rengen has shared his passion for science with young learners for the past four years, including as a Brainwaves Club leader, Eureka and Journeys presenter, and loves sharing the inspirational world of science with eager young minds.
Testimonials
"I just want to extend a huge thank you for all your efforts with our children. My child literally did not stop talking about G.A.T.E.WAYS yesterday. It was by far the highlight of his week.”
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"From an organisational perspective we have found the G.A.T.E.WAYS Online programs very easy to manage. At our school we have set aside Wednesday afternoons for G.A.T.E.WAYS and we alternate each week between the older age group and the younger students. The students gather together in the hall and they connect online with their G.A.T.E.WAYS group. There is a lovely buzz in the air as the students interact with the facilitator and other children from around Australia."
"Given the current climate and its implications for all stakeholders, it is wonderful to know that teachers of Gifted and Talented students can continue to access the fantastic suite of G & T programs previously offered by G.A.T.E.WAYS in an online format and feel supported by the team in the process."
