GATEWAY Newsletter BUES April 2025

GATEWAY (Gifted and Talented Education With All Youth) Mission:

To support all students through talent development and to identify, challenge, and encourage academically advanced and creative learners.

Grade 4

We have started a new unit, At the Mall with Algebra: Working with Variables and Equations. It is a fun and challenging unit designed to develop algebraic reasoning. As students learn about variables, equations, and expressions, they’ll use their number sense, logical reasoning and problem-solving strategies. Students are introduced to these concepts through interesting problem solving situations. They substitute variables to find solutions to expressions. They’ll be working backwards and using inverse operations to determine the value of a variable, and they’ll be using these strategies to solve puzzles and figure out mathematics behind tricks.

Grade 5

Fifth-grade mathematicians are now masters of division! We recently spent time developing our skill with the long division algorithm. They have done a tremendous job with this - willing, eager, and capable of learning a “new to them” (yet, OG) method of dividing. Along the way we also investigated a few other topics such as ordered pairs on a coordinate plane, applying area, perimeter, and common sense to solve a real-world problem, and probability. Next, we will begin our unit on the order of operations and how to use this to solve multi- step expressions.

Grade 4

Our 4th grade engineers researched different types of bridges in order to be prepared for the different challenges in the Bridge Unit. The Paper Bridge Challenge was the first challenge in this unit. Students built a bridge with only two pieces of paper and glue, which needed to support the weight of 100 pennies. A few of the groups were successful and we discussed what made their designs successful. We also discussed how they could have improved their designs. The challenge they’re facing currently is to build a bridge using 50 craft sticks and glue that can hold as much weight as possible. For this challenge, students also have a $1000 budget to buy extra materials from the “Bridge Supply Store”. Final presentations and tests happen this week!

Grade 5

The 5th grade engineers have become automotive engineers in order to create ‘self-propelled cars’. They acquired background knowledge by researching and studying Newton’s Laws of Motion. Students then had a chance to put these laws into action using toy cars and a variety of ramps and tubes. Teams of ‘engineers’ are now working together to design and build their own cars, propelled by either a rubber band or a balloon, using everyday items. As always, they are applying the Engineering Design Process as they plan, create, test, and improve their product. Final races happen this week!

Students always ask ‘Why do I need to know this?”

Making real world connections with math and science can increase student engagement. What real world connections do you and your student make at home with math and science?

Grade 4

Students have been working hard on Inside Out and Back Again. Students prepared to engage with the novel by making predictions, discussing the author's background and purpose, and gaining familiarity with the setting. Each week, students are assigned either independent reading homework or creative assignments in order to engage in weekly lessons and discussions about the novel.

Please note the importance of completing the reading homework for the success of students and the entire class. Students are also encouraged to complete at least 1 assignment in Tier 2 during their WIN blocks (What I Need Block/Intervention Block) a month, as they are enrichment and extension activities directly related to the units in their general ELA class.

About Inside Out & Back Again:

Inside Out & Back Again tells the story of a young Vietnamese girl named Hà, who is forced to flee her home in Saigon with her family during the fall of the city at the end of the Vietnam War. She navigates the challenges of adjusting to a new life as a refugee in Alabama, where she faces cultural differences, racism, and the ongoing grief of a missing father while trying to build a new life for herself and her family.

Grade 5

Students in Tier 3 have just finished Brown Girl Dreaming this week! Students will complete a survey to determine what they’re most interested in for the rest of the year, such as analyzing poetry and creating our own, a research unit, etc..

Please note the importance of completing the reading homework for the success of students and the entire class. Students are also encouraged to complete at least 1 assignment in Tier 2 a month during their WIN blocks (What I Need Block/Intervention Block), as they are enrichment activities directly related to the units in their general ELA class.

About Brown Girl Dreaming:

Brown Girl Dreaming is a 2014 adolescent verse memoir written by Jacqueline Woodson. It tells the story of the author’s early childhood life growing up as an African American girl in the 1960’s and depicts the events that led her to become a writer. The book has been considered one of the exemplary pieces of modern children’s literature by critics who have analyzed the book and has gained positive reception. It has won multiple awards, including a Newbery Honor.