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Posted in Counseling.

Project Lead The Way

 

 

Project Lead The Way (PLTW)

Project Lead The Way (PLTW) is a national program that is training students to be the engineers of tomorrow.  It has a rigorous curriculum that is hands-on and based on Science,Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) principals that let students experience what it might be like to be an engineer.

 

T.H. Bell is a PLTW School with the Gateway curriculum which is currently in the 8th grade.   In this curriculum, at this school, there are two options of study.

  1. Design and Modeling & Science and Technology - Which focuses on design and 3D modeling and uses the program Inventor (students will also build their designs in the shop and gather data from the design)
  2. Magic of Electrons & Automation and Robotics - Students study and build analog and digital circuits, and learn about mechanical devices and gears as well as program and build robots.

 

Students that want to go on in the engineering field can apply to be accepted into PLTW at the high school level.  This is done in the Spring of the year.  Contact your counselor for information.  Colleges and Universities know that students coming out of PLTW schools have been pre-trained as engineers and this gives these students an edge into entrance in their engineering programs. 

Each jr. high school in the district has the same number of students accepted into the program.  With T.H. Bell being a smaller jr. high school, your chances of being accepted are better than some of the larger schools in the WSD.  There are no prerequisites for applying to PLTW for 9th grade.

Students that are accepted take their first 3 periods at the Weber Innovation Center (WIC) in the morning and built into the schedule is time for travel.  There is bus transportation to take the PLTW student to WIC and back to T.H. Bell Jr. High where students in PLTW continue the day by taking their core classes at our school.  Project Lead the Way classes at WIC are Introduction to Engineering Design, Principals of Engineering, Digital Electronics, Robotics and Automation, Civil Engineering and Architecture, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science Principals, and Engineering Design and Development. 

To explore what these classes are more fully enter the WIC PLTW webpage.