1. PLTW Gateway at Lakeside Middle School
All PLTW Gateway courses are worth 0.5 semesters of high school elective credit. Gateway 1 & Gateway 3 are each a Semester class. Gateway 1 is taken 1st semester and Gateway 3 is taken in the 2nd semester.
Gateway 1- includes units 1 & 2
Unit 1 - Design and Modeling
Learn the design process through several engineering challenges. Use Autodesk CAD program to design and create virtual projects. Students will build and present many of their creations.
Unit 2 - Automation and Robotics 
Students use the design process to create machines and then program using RobotC software.  They will learn gears and basic mechanisms, work as design teams and together build an automated assembly line to simulate the production of a 3D printed block.
Gateway 3- includes units 3 & 4
Unit 3 - Energy and the Environment
Research different forms of energy and energy conversions; participate in an energy expo.  Design, build and test a wind turbine.  Investigate physical properties of different materials and use that data to design and build a “penguin shelter”.
Unit 4 - Flight and Space  
Learn about the forces affecting flight as well as Bernoulli’s principle and Newton’s laws of motion.  Investigate these forces through several building projects such as balloons, kites and gliders.  Design and build a Mars rover out of everyday materials.

2. LMS Vex Robotics Class/ Club
Students will walk through the design and build of a mobile robot called Clawbot. During this process they will learn key STEM principles, and robotics concepts. At the culmination of this class, they will compete head-to-head against their peers in the classroom, or on a local stage in the VEX Robotics Competition which is VEX club.
This modular and project-based curriculum teaches the design process in an engaging, hands-on manner to help teachers challenge, motivate, and inspire their students. By moving students through an actual engineering project, students quickly understand the relevance of what they are learning.
The curriculum is created to ensure that students with varying learning styles and levels can accomplish the lesson goals. No prior robotics experience is required; beginners are able to advance sequentially through the units to gradually increase their knowledge and skill level.