For Science Fair #1, you handed in your folders.
Science Fair #2 requires you to do the following work. It is due January 14/15 depending on the class of which you are a member.
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Science Fair Assignment #2
Preliminary Research and Parent’s Letter
You will need to research 3 topics, fill out the assignment sheet for each one and type one page of research for each topic. After you have completed the three proposals, we will conference and decide on the best topic for you to pursue!
In addition, you need to share this information with your parent(s) and get them to signoff on this sheet and on the letter sheet.
That’s two signatures that you need as
well as your research and topic proposals!
I have read and reviewed the Timetable and Assignment #2.
Parent Signature ________________________________________________
Macintosh HD:Users:pamstewart:Desktop:Science Fair 2 2008.doc
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January 6, 2008
Dear Parents,
Your child will be taking part in a science fair, an exciting event that encourages students to think like young scientists. During the next several weeks your child will be designing a science project that uses the scientific method to solve a problem. I hope you agree that the educational benefits are numerous, as students develop skills in writing, oral presentation, creative thinking, and problem solving.
Each student will be given instructions and handouts during class for the various steps of his or her project. You can also find the due dates and all assignments on my web page, www.stewartsbiome.blogspot.com. Most of the work will be completed at home. Please review the timeline, noting due dates for each part of the project, one the first page of this folder. For suggestions on helping your child through this process — from choosing a topic to the final report — see the Web site "Surviving Science Fair" at http://discoveryschool.com/sciencefaircentral/elmers/.
I ask that you encourage your child and monitor his or her progress along the way. Your support is key to a successful project, but please do not allow your involvement to extend any further in order to assure equity and promote student learning! It is important that your child wrestle with problems and try to solve them. Guide your child whenever and wherever you can, but let the final project reflect your child's individual effort and design. Also, keep in mind that a successful project can be completed for very little money.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to watching your child enjoy this unique opportunity for scientific discovery!
Sincerely,
Pam Stewart
Parent Signature ___________________________________________
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PRELIMINARY RESEARCH**
To fine-tune the topic, ensure its viability, and help formulate the hypothesis.
This involves a combination of research as we commonly define it (using library books, periodicals and the Internet to gather information from a range of sources) and hands-on exploration and experimentation.
The goal is for you to learn as much as possible about your selected topic, as well as to refine it, test ideas, and formulate a question that leads to an effective hypothesis. For example, the question “Which makes plants grow faster: natural light or artificial light?” might lead to the hypothesis: “Plants grown under natural light will grow faster than those under artificial light.”
You may have a burning scientific question to answer, or just a few aspects of a topic you are curious about. Keep exploring, tinkering and jotting down ideas until a “problem” is uncovered, and to run some preliminary tests to see if your topic and hypothesis are viable. If this step is successful, be sure to get my approval before beginning their experiments.
MAIN RESEARCH**
To learn background information, deepen understanding of underlying scientific principles, collect pertinent data, and master the topic.
You should start researching your topic at a local or school library. Standard and science encyclopedias are a great place to start, as are relevant books in the Juvenile or Young Adult sections. The Internet should only be used once these other areas are thoroughly explored. Here are three important reminders for you:
• Use reliable sources with reliable information. (The Smithsonian Institution is a reliable source; Joe Smith’s Way Cool Science Site is not.)
• Don’t plagiarize!
• Keep track of all sources of information in a logbook, including the publication’s name, author, publisher, copyright date, and relevant page numbers.
(Down)loads of Info for Project Ideas and Research**
GENERAL AND REFERENCE
National Science Digital Library: http://nsdl.org
Created by the National Science Foundation to provide organized access to high- quality resources and tools that support innovations in teaching and learning at all levels of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
ScienceMaster: www.sciencemaster.com
An award-winning site designed for middle school and high school students, parents and teachers. Collects the best content from NASA, the USGS, the EPA, NOAA, and leading educational institutions.
National Science Teachers Association: www.nsta.org/middleschool
NSTA’s Middle School page is a good resource for both teachers and parents. In the Teacher Resources area, you’ll find the best teacher approved books and software, targeted to your grade level and subject area.
Research Matters at Harvard University: www.researchmatters.harvard.edu
Smithsonian Science and Technology: www.si.edu/science_and_technology
Howstuffworks “Science Channel”: http://science.howstuffworks.com
Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress:
www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/mysteries-home.html
Elmer’s Products, Inc.: www.elmers.com
Discovery Education’s Science Fair Central:
www.discoveryschool.com/sciencefaircentral
Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge: www.discovery.com/dcysc
SCIENCE FAIR AND EXPERIMENT IDEAS
MIT’s Invention Dimension: Fun Sites for Kids:
http://web.mit.edu/invent/r-archive-2.html
Exploratorium’s Hands-on Activities:
www.exploratorium.edu/explore/handson.html
TryScience—Science Fair Project Ideas from Science Museums: http://tryscience.org/
All Science Fair Projects: www.all-science-fair-projects.com
Sports Science in the Yahoo! Directory:
http://dir.yahoo.com/Recreation/Sports/Science
SCIENCE FAIRS & EXPERIMENTS
The Scientific American Book of Great Science Fair Projects by Marc Rosner, Wiley: 2000
Fizz, Bubble & Flash!: Element Explorations & Atom Adventures for Hands-On Science Fun! (Williamson Kids Can! Series) by Anita Brandolini, Ph.D., Williamson Publishing Company: 2003
The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book: Boil Ice, Float Water, Measure Gravity — Challenge the World Around You! (Everything Kids Series) by Tom Robinson, Adams Media Corporation: 2001
Sports Science Projects: The Physics of Balls in Motion (Science Fair Success) by Madeline Goodstein, Enslow Publishers: 1999
Elmer’s Surviving Science Fair! A Guide to a Successful Science Fair Project by Steven L. Jacobs, PhD. D., Showboard: 2005
INVENTIONS
*Eureka! Great Inventions and How They Happened by Richard Platt, Kingfisher: 2003
The Book of Inventions by Ian Harrison, National Geographic: 2004
Scientific American Inventions and Discoveries: All the Milestones in Ingenuity From the Discovery of Fire to the Invention of the Microwave Oven by Rodney Carlisle, Wiley: 2004
*Fantastic Feats and Failures by the Editors of YES magazine, Kids Can Press: 2004
WORKING SCIENTISTS AND THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
*The Case of the Monkeys That Fell from the Trees: And Other Mysteries in Tropical Nature by Susan E. Quinlan, Boyds Mills Press: 2003
*Hidden Worlds: Looking Through a Scientist’s Microscope (Scientists in the Field Series) by Stephen P. Kramer, Houghton Mifflin: 2001
How to Think Like a Scientist: Answering Questions by the Scientific Method by Stephen P. Kramer, HarperCollins: 1987
*The Sky’s the Limit: Stories of Discovery by Women and Girls by Catherine Thimmesh, Houghton Mifflin: 2002
*Field Trips: Bug Hunting, Animal Tracking, Bird-Watching, Shore Walking by Jim Arnosky, HarperCollins: 2002
*What Does a Wheel Do? by Jim Pipe, Copper Beech Books/Millbrook
That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles: 62 All-New Commentaries on the Fascinating Chemistry of Everyday Life by Dr. Joe Schwarcz, ECW Press: 2002
Sciencing: Learning About the Scientific Method (Science Action Labs) by Edward
Shevick, Marguerite Jones, Judy Mitchell (ed.), Teaching & Learning Company: 1998
SCIENCE REFERENCE
The American Heritage Student Science Dictionary by American Heritage, Houghton
Mifflin: 2002
Ultimate Visual Dictionary of Science (Ultimate Visual Dictionary) by Dorling Kindersley Publishing: 1998
DK Encyclopedia of Nature by Dorling Kindersley Publishing: 1998
*Scholastic Atlas of Weather by Marie-Anne Legault (ed.), Scholastic Reference: 2004
*Received “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12” honor by
NSTA (National Science Teachers Association)
**from elmers.discoveryeducation.com
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Science Fair Topic Proposal Due January 14/15, 2008
Project: _________________________________________________________
1. What problems are you going to solve? Your Investigative Question(s):
2. What is your control?
3. Your possible Hypothesis based on your Investigative Question(s):
4. Resources (books, magazines, websites-no more than 2 websites per proposal. Be sure that you are not using someone else’s Science Fair project for your research)
Website:
Address: __________________________________________________
Author ___________________________________________________
Page(s) __________________________________________________
Published _________________________________________________
Website:
Address: __________________________________________________
Author ___________________________________________________
Page(s) __________________________________________________
Published _________________________________________________
Book/Article: Title ___________________________________________
Author _________________________________________
Page(s) _________________________________________
Publisher ________________________________________
Copyright Date ___________________________________
Book/Article: Title ___________________________________________
Author _________________________________________
Page(s) _________________________________________
Publisher ________________________________________
Copyright Date ___________________________________
Book/Article: Title ___________________________________________
Author _________________________________________
Page(s) _________________________________________
Publisher _______________________________________
Copyright Date ___________________________________
**Place at least one page of research behind proposal in your Science Fair folder.**
Your research should be single spaced, 12 point, Times font. Make sure that you can use your research to begin your project!
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