Science Fair Packet. Richland School District One Office of Teaching and Learning

Transcription

1 Science Fair Packet Richland School District One Office of Teaching and Learning

2 Table of Contents Tips for Organizing Your School s Science Fair Committees..2 Timeline 3 Judges..4 Scoring Rubrics 5 Safety Rules 9 Awards 10 Teacher Support Science Fair Information..12 Parents 13 Classroom Timeline 17 Elements of a Science Fair Project 18 pg. 1

3 Tips for Organizing Your School s Science Fair Holding a school science fair can be a rewarding and educational experience for students, teachers, parents, and volunteers. This guide is designed to help you plan and organize a science fair at your school. We encourage your school winners in grades 3-12 to participate in the district science fair on January 24, All projects need to be setup by 5 p.m. on Tuesday January 23, The Richland One Science Showcase will occur on January 25, We also encourage your school winners in grades 5-12 to plan on participating in the Region II Science and Engineering Fair held at USC in March. Committees We suggest that you form several committees to help break up the responsibilities and keep volunteers focused on their tasks. The size of your fair will determine how many of the following committees are needed. 1. Steering This committee is responsible for coordinating all other committees. 2. Judges This committee is responsible for obtaining qualified judges. 3. Refreshments This committee arranges for beverages, snacks or meals for judges, committee members, etc. 4. Awards This committee is responsible for selecting the awards (ribbons, certificates, trophies, etc.) to be presented to the winners. They are also responsible for organizing the awards ceremony or presentation. 5. Public Relations This committee is responsible for publicity (posters, school paper, local businesses, etc.). They also arrange for the tables and decorations at the fair. 6. Clean up This committee is responsible for the final clean up after the event and returning any borrowed or rented items used in the fair. pg. 2

4 Optional Timeline As a result of various time constraints, we have created a modified timeline to assist you in your work moving forward. Schools do have the flexibility to create their own timelines. However, the dates and times for setup, judging and the showcase are non-negotiable. 1. December 4 15 Planning and Logistics Organize the steering committee, select a chairperson, choose a date (January 18 or 19, 2018 school choice) and location, begin to publicize the fair. information to all teachers regarding the fair date and location and what grade levels will be participating. You are encouraged to include teachers in all content areas. Send invitations to selected judges. Finalize all other logistical matters 2. January 3-12 Work on Projects (individual, groups, partners, etc.) Review science fair expectations with students and assist them with selecting topics of interest Review the steps of the scientific method and assist students with carrying out their investigations, collecting data and organizing information on their boards Take care of any unfinished business prior to your school fair Send press release to local paper, invite media and parents to attend. 3. January School level science fair (schools decide) 4. January 23 Setup project displays for judging by 5 p.m. (location TBD) 5. January 24 Science fair judging 6. January 25 Science Showcase (location TBD) pg. 3

5 Suggested sequence of events for your science fair Day before Prepare location; set up tables, signs, etc. Students set up exhibits. Day of Morning: Judging of student exhibits. Afternoon: Organize and place student certificates and awards. Evening: Open fair to the public, hold awards ceremony Day after- Students take down exhibits. Clean location. Judges A science fair is an exhibition of student work, but it is also a competition. In order for the students to be judged in a fair and appropriate manner it is important that you find experienced individuals to serve as judges. Many people are willing to serve as judges. We suggest asking doctors, former science teachers, informal science educators and science professionals who work near your school. The University of South Carolina, Benedict, Allen, and Columbia College are wonderful resources for judges. Professors and grad students make great judges! The earlier you make contact with a potential judge the better. This gives them a chance to mark the event on their calendar. It also gives you a chance to contact more individuals if your response levels are not high. We suggest having a judge review no more than projects. pg. 4

6 Instructions to the Judges 1. Science exhibits are not intended to be contests between students or schools. Each exhibitor is to be judged on the merits of his/her investigation. 2. Even though many exhibits may show a remarkable degree of scientific knowledge, judges are asked to keep in mind that all of the exhibitors are elementary, middle, or high school students. Many of them are experiencing their first taste of scientific evaluation by a distinguished critic. 3. Use your own good judgment at all times. Be honest with yourself and the student. Only a small number of the students will ever enter actual scientific research, but many may influence the future. A valuable experience with science at this level may reap valuable rewards later. 4. Keep in mind that a spectacular looking exhibit or one composed of costly equipment is not necessarily the best science investigation. 5. When leaving comments for the students, please make sure they are positive and instructive. Do not highlight what they did wrong. Highlight what they did right and how they can improve for the future. Judging Mechanics 1. Each judging team should include two judges. 2. Each team should be assigned a specific number of exhibits to judge and should receive a list of the exhibits. A team should not judge more than 20 exhibits if possible. 3. Try to have each judging team s exhibits adjacent to each other. 4. Each judge should record the exhibit number, score the exhibit after examining the exhibit fully, and write comments that may be useful to the student. pg. 5

7 Scoring Rubrics The next 3 pages have science fair scoring rubrics you may use. You may also develop your own to meet the needs of your school. Judges scores should NEVER be used as a grade. The teacher must grade the projects because he/she understands the level of instruction the student received. Allow students to preview the rubric beforehand and answer any questions that they may have. This will give them a set of clear expectations. Consider showing students an exemplar project that was previously scored along with the rubric. pg. 6

8 Judging Procedures and Suggestions This is a guide for individuals who serve as judges for the USC Region II Science & Engineering Fair. It can be used in conjunction with, but not apart from, established Science & Engineering Fair Judging Procedures. Judges will evaluate the creative and technical skills of the students by carefully examining the exhibits and interviewing the students regarding their knowledge of the project. All individuals are to be judged without regard to race, creed, sex or national origin. The science and engineering projects must be solely the student s own work. A good project should involve the Scientific Method Purpose + Hypothesis + Procedure + Results = Conclusion Judges should use the criteria below, and may ELECT to use the scoring sheet. Criteria to Assess: Creative Ability: Does the project show creative ability & originality? Scientific Thought/Engineering Goals: Is the problem stated clearly or does the project have a clear objective Thoroughness: Does the project carry out its purpose to completion within the scope of the original aims? Skill: Does the student have the skills required to do all of the work related to the project? Clarity: How clearly is the student able to display and discuss the project? Possible Points: 0-30 points 0-30 points 0-15 points 0-15 points 0-10 points Student Points: To be used if Interviewing the Student: When interviewing the student competitors, consider the following questions: What is the objective of the project? What prompted you to pursue the project? Who are some of the authorities in the field you referred to for source materials? How would you organize your research if you could pursue your project in greater depth? What help did you get in preparing the exhibit? pg. 7

9 Science Fair 2018 Project # Grade: Project Title: Low High Question: (well written, testable) Materials: (listed and metrics used) Test Design: (plan to validate or confirm hypothesis) Variables and Controls (variables are identified) Data Collection (graph correct and appropriate interpretation) Results/Conclusions (thoughtful, significant conclusions identified) Visual Display (quality of construction, organization, spelling) Repeated Trials (at least 3 trials) Judge s Comments: pg. 8

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11 Safety Rules The following rules are necessary for the safety of exhibitors and visitors. Exhibitors that do not satisfactorily comply with these rules should be disqualified. 1. All electrical equipment must be constructed according to standard electrical safety law. 2. Only suitably rated UL 110 volt toggle or push button type switches mounted on panels or switch boxes are allowed. 3. All wiring, switches, and metal parts carrying 110 volt current must be grounded properly and out of reach of visitors. 4. All electrical points must be soldered and taped properly (following UL regulations). 5. Nails, tacks, and un-insulated staples must not be used for fastening wires. Use porcelain or other approved types of insulators. 6. All wiring must be properly insulated for voltage used. 7. Dangerous chemicals, open flames, flammable liquids and explosives are strictly prohibited. 8. If bacteria are displayed, the must be in sealed containers. Pictures are a better choice. 9. No live animals, vertebrate or invertebrate, are to be displayed at the fair. Again, pictures are a better choice. pg. 10

12 Awards It is important to recognize students for their hard work. You may want to give ribbons or pins to the top winners and certificates to every student who participates in your school fair. Public Relations It is important to spread the word about your science fair. Publicity should start in the fall and continue all the way through the fair. Poster Design a poster or flyer that is eye-catching and has the date, time and location of your fair. These flyers should be posted throughout your school. Have the flyers available at PTA meetings and other school events. Press Release Media coverage is a great way to generate excitement and motivation for students and volunteers. Send a press release to The State newspaper. Invite a newspaper and/or TV reporter to visit your fair and write a story on the event. Winners of School/District Science Fair We want to encourage your school s winners in grades 3-12 to participate in the district fair on January 24, The district science showcase will be held January 25, 2018 at the Heyward Conference Center. Students in grades 5-12 can then move on to the USC Region II Science and Engineering Fair held on March 16, Students must register for the Region II Fair by January 31 st to participate. pg. 11

13 Teacher Support Richland County School District One Office of Teaching and Learning Page 11

14 Teacher Support As a teacher, it can be a daunting task to assist and support your students as they work towards a successful science fair project. This packet will help you help your students. After all, we want all of our students to be successful and they will need our help in achieving that. Science Fair Information Students need assistance in order to make science fair projects educational and a true learning experience for them. These are some tips that may help you help your students. Teachers should approve the students ideas for a project. Help them to flesh out the details. If they want to make a rocket find out why, what is the purpose, what will they be testing? Guide them in their thinking. Encourage younger elementary students to work together in cooperative groups to complete their projects. Walk students through the scientific method. Science Fair projects can be independent, group or class projects. If necessary, provide a science mentor for students who may need extra assistance. Give a timeline to students. This should include due dates for each part. The teacher must provide instruction about each part and support to help the student successfully complete each chunk of the project. A checklist for students can be helpful. Send home a note to parents to let them know what is expected from them. Provide some time during school for students to discuss their ideas, ask questions and complete the board. Provide the scoring rubric when introducing the project. Follow the deadlines of the Regional Science Fair. pg. 12

15 Parents First, let parents know what is expected of them as well as the students. Send a letter home with the expectations outlined. Some parents will not be able to provide a lot of support and some parents will provide too much support. Please be clear on the expectations. A sample letter is on the next page. You can use this one or modify it. You can also use one of your own. The important thing is to communicate with parents and to be clear on the expectations. Parents need to know that their child may need some guidance from them, but that the ultimate responsibility for planning and completing the project belongs to the child. Parents should receive a copy of all due dates. pg. 13

16 Date:_ Dear Parents: A major goal of the South Carolina Science Academic Standards and Performance Indicators for Science is to equip students with the skills necessary to plan and conduct their own investigations. One activity we will be using to accomplish this goal is by having students complete a science fair project. This will provide your child with the opportunity to select a topic of interest and work through the investigation process just as a scientist would. You, as the parent, play one of the most important roles in your child s education. There are many things you can do to help your child with a science project. 1. Although this is your child s project and i s to be his/her effort, there is no substitute for your support. Encourage your child. 2. Listen to and praise your child. Let your child know you are interested in his/her ideas. 3. Help your child follow the schedule the teacher has given to him/her. 4. Provide a space at home where your child can work without worrying about siblings or pets. 5. Help your child take all of the necessary safety precautions. 6. If there are any questions about the project, contact his/her teacher. 7. Realize that the real prize of a science project is the development of your child s skills, not the blue ribbon presented by a science fair judge. As a parent, you have an important role in this experience. Your child will probably face some stumbling blocks during this process and will turn to you for help. The Parent Tips for Science Projects provides some useful information. If you have any questions, please phone Sincerely,. or me at pg. 14

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18 Sample Timeline Week Student Assignment Teacher Task Due Date 1 Select a project topic Send letter home to parents 2 Revise topic as needed; create a testable question Conference with students on topic and question 3 Create hypothesis Work with students to refine their hypothesis 4 Identify variables Work with students to identify all variables 5 Materials lists and procedures 6 Select type of table and graph 7-10 (May require more time) Begin to conduct the experiment and collect data for at least 3 trials 11 Create data graphs for the project display; Analyze data and write conclusion 12 Create project display board; Finalize all log book entries 13 Class presentation of project Provide models/examples of materials lists and wellwritten procedures Provide instruction on setting up a project log book Provide ongoing review of the process; check in with each student for progress; encourage students to take pictures for evidence during their investigation Provide class time and guidance for creating the graphs using DRY MIX (grades 6-12 should use Excel); Discuss requirements of project display board Provide class time for printing of project display items; Conference with students to assess needs for completion Have students present projects in class; prepare to set up projects for school science fair. pg. 16

19 Elements of a Science Fair Project The following pages contain the elements that each science fair project should include. You may use these as you teach the process with your students. Also a sample of a science fair board is included. There are many ways a display board can be laid out. The flow needs to make sense to the reader. Pictures are always a nice touch. Boards should be neat and colorful with no spelling or grammatical errors. This may be helpful for your students. Purpose Title Procedure Data Table Question Graph Hypothesis Variables Conclusion Materials Abstract pg. 17

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26 Science Fair Packet Richland School District One Office of Teaching and Learning