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Project Lead the Way

416 McKinley Ave.
Geneva, IL 60134
Phone: 630-463-3800

What is PLTW or Project Lead the Way?

PROJECT LEAD THE WAY is a rigorous, honors-level Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) program that requires students to have a solid math and science background. Students will apply their skills to an engineering-focused curriculum in real-world scenarios. The Project Lead the Way Engineering course sequence at GHS carries honors-level weight. Although significant amounts of math and science content are covered in these engineering courses, these courses do not satisfy graduation or college admission requirements in math or science. Project Lead the Way (PLTW) is a nationally recognized engineering curriculum that is aligned with many of the top engineering colleges and is supported at the state level by the University of Illinois. The target audience for the Project Lead the Way course sequence at GHS includes students:
  • with strong math and science skills
  • with an interest in engineering
  • interested in developing math and science reasoning skills
  • seeking to take a rigorous elective course 

Engineering Courses

HONORS INTRODUCTION TO ENGINEERING DESIGN: PROJECT LEAD THE WAY (PLTW)
Prerequisite: Completion or Concurrent Enrollment in Algebra I 
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
Course Fee: $30.00
This honors level course is intended for students who are interested in engineering and design or another technical career. The major focus of these courses is to expose students to the design process, professional collaboration methods, design ethics, and technical documentation. Students will develop skills in research and analysis, teamwork, technical writing, engineering graphics, and problem solving. Students use industry standard 3-D solid modeling software to help them design solutions to problems, document their work, and communicate solutions.

HONORS PRINCIPLES OF ENGINEERING: PROJECT LEAD THE WAY (PLTW)
Prerequisite: Honors Intro to Engineering Design PLTW or Consent of Instructor
Grades: 10, 11, 12
Course Fee: $30.00
This honors level course exposes students to some of the major concepts encountered in the engineering field, including energy sources, mechanisms, energy applications, machine control, fluid power, and material testing. Students will employ scientific concepts in the solution of engineering design problems. Students will develop problem solving skills and apply their knowledge of research and design to create solutions to various challenges.

HONORS ENGINEERING DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT: PROJECT LEAD THE WAY (PLTW) 
Prerequisite: Successful completion of any two PLTW courses, one must be Introduction to Engineering Design
Grades: 11, 12
Course Fee: $50.00
Honors Engineering Design & Development is the capstone course in the PLTW Engineering course sequence. It is an open-ended engineering research course in which students work in teams to design, develop, and test an original solution to a well defined and justified open-ended problem by applying the engineering design process. While progressing through the engineering design process, students will work continually to hone in their organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills, their creative and problem solving abilities, and their understanding of the design process.

Computer Science (offered in the Math Department)

COMPUTER SCIENCE & SOFTWARE ENGINEERING: PROJECT LEAD THE WAY (PLTW)
Prerequisite: None
Grades: 9, 10, 11, 12
This course aims to develop computational thinking, introduce professional tools that foster creativity and collaboration, and generate excitement about career paths that utilize computing. By incorporating multiple platforms and languages for computation, this course will help students develop programming expertise and explore the workings of the Internet. Projects and problems include app development for mobile devices, visualization of data, cybersecurity, robotics, and simulation. The course also aims to engage students to consider issues raised by the present and future societal impact of computing. Although significant amounts of math are covered in this engineering course, this course does not satisfy graduation or college admission requirements in math.
 
COMPUTER SCIENCE A: PROJECT LEAD THE WAY (PLTW)
Prerequisite: Computer Science & Software Engineering (Project Lead the Way)
Grades: 10, 11, 12  
Students taking this course will focus on further developing computational thinking skills through the medium off Android App development for mobile platforms. The course utilizes industry-standard tools such as Android Studio, Java programming language, XML, and device emulators. Students will collaborate to create original solutions to problems of their own choosing by designing and implementing user interfaces and Web-based databases. Successful completion of this course, along with extra preparation, will help to prepare students to take the Advanced Placement Computer Science A Exam if they choose to do so.  
AP/Honors Night Information
8th Grade Parent Night 
EDD Projects