Gateway

Gateway

• All students required to pass Gateway

• Science = April 20– Graded on:

• Science• Language Arts

• Social Studies = April 22– Graded on:

• Social Studies• Language Arts

How a Gateway question is set up:– scenario

• Tells the basic setup of the question

– Writing Task Choices #1 and #2• Read both• Look at documents

– Each Task has 1 charge and usually 3 bullets. • Make sure to answer each bullet• If you don’t know an answer, just try your best

(attempt it!)

– Make sure you use the documents!

Extra Information

• Science and Writing Checklist– reminds you of what you need

to include

• Works Cited – shows you how to cite your

documents in your essay

Science and Writing Checklist□ 1. Have you sufficiently developed all parts of the Writing Task?□ 2. Does your essay contain a clear thesis statement? Does your response maintain a

consistent focus?□ 3. Have you included supporting ideas and evidence for each of your main ideas?□ 4. Have you included information from your science courses?□ 5. Have you included relevant information from the documents?□ 6. Have you combined information from the documents with information from your

science courses?□ 7. Have you included an explanation of the reasoning you used in your response?□ 8. Is the information in your response accurate?□ 9. Have you provided a clear beginning, middle, and end to your essay?□ 10. Have you used the most effective words for your purpose and audience?□ 11. Have you written complete and correct sentences with appropriate punctuation,

coordination and subordination?□ 12. Have you varied the structure, length, and types of sentences?□ 13. Are your spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, sentence formation, and

usage correct?□ 14. Have you given credit to your sources when you paraphrased and quoted the

documents?□ 15. Have you included the following (as necessary)?□ facts □ diagrams□ concepts, principles □ graphics□ methods □ models□ procedures □ symbols□ sequence □ formulas□ scientific vocabulary

Possible Science Topics

• Biology– Cell Theory– Energy/Matter

Transformations– Genetics/DNA– Adaptation– Basic Life Functions

• Chemistry– States of Matter– Atomic Structure and

Bonding– Periodic Trends– Chemical Questions

and reactions– Radioactivity and

Chemical Spills– Solutions and

Concentrations– Acids and Bases

How you are going to be graded…

• Science– Communication– Knowledge– Process

• Language Arts– Focus and Development– Organization– Fluency– Conventions

Science• Area 1: Communication (of scientific facts,

concepts, principles)– Did you address ALL parts?– Did you EXPLAIN AND SUPPORT your

position?– Do you DISPLAY DATA to further address the

writing task?– Is your science knowledge well organized?

Science

• Area 2: Knowledge– Concepts, Models, and/or Methods– Prior Knowledge and Documents– Scientific Vocabulary– Relationships and Assumptions

Science• Area 3: Use of Scientific Processes

– Do you include systematic procedures in your response?

– Do you demonstrate a succession of and an association between ideas?

– Do you present a hypothesis that addresses the problem in the Writing Task?

Step1 Step 2 Step 3

Language Arts• Area 1: Focus and Development

– Do you respond to the task?• Beginning with thesis• Each paragraph has a purpose and support

– Do you explain yourself?• Main points are developed with examples,

comparisons, details

– Are your ideas relevant to the task?

Language Arts• Area 2: Organization

– Structure and Placement• Does your essay have a logical order• Details fit in the correct place

– Transitions: relationship between ideas and clarity of relationships • Connections between paragraphs• Connections within paragraphs

Language Arts

• Area 3: Fluency– Effectiveness of sentences– Sentence structure

• Simple, compound, complex

– Word choice• Use vocabulary outside of science• Be unique and specific

Language Arts

• Area 4: Conventions– Internal and End-of-Sentence Punctuation– Spelling– Capitalization– Paragraph Breaks– Grammar and Usage– Citation of Sources