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? Step1Step 2Step 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