SCIENCE FAIR

1. SCIENCE FAIR Doing it all in one semester (almost)! Nancy Brim Lakeside High School Nancy_H_Brim@fc.dekalb.k12.ga.us

2. MY SCHOOL SITUATION • 7 period day • 50 minute classes • Gifted chemistry students • Collaboration with gifted English teachers WHAT STUDENTS ARE TOLD • Ninth grade year • Difference between accelerated and gifted chemistry • Single science/English paper

3. COLLABORATION • In Science: • Library visit to choose topic • All drafts and paperwork handled • In English: • MLA and writing style explanation • Thesis explanation

4. TIMELINE/DEADLINES • Aug. 14 - Explanation of project, receive paperwork • Aug. 18- Media Center to investigate topics • Aug. 22- Project Ideas form due with signed parent acknowledgment; Go over logbook protocol; (10 pts) • Sept. 2 - Discussion of the filling out of GSEF paperwork. • Sept. 3- Science Fair Project Plan due (10 pts) • Sept. 12- Turn in completed GSEF Paperwork. (15 pts) • Sept. 24 - First Draft / Logbook due (10 pts) • Oct. 1 – Revised Project Plan due (10 pts) • Oct. 3- Deadline for all Approval Paperwork

5. TIMELINE/DEADLINES • Oct. 16- Second Draft / Old First Draft / Logbook Due (15 pts) • Nov. 5- Third Draft / Old Second Draft / Old First Draft / Logbook Due (15 pts) • Dec. 3 - FINAL RESEARCH REPORT DUE – Old Third Draft / Old Second Draft / Old First Draft / Logbook Due (15 pts) • Jan. 7- Display board due • Jan. 9- Abstract due • Jan. 13- school fair • Feb. ?- county fair • Mar. ?- state fair

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14. ASSESSING THE PROJECT • Points awarded for paper deadlines • GSEF paperwork points • Final draft gets a number grade • Drafts are read by teacher and peers and editing sheets filled out

15. OCTOBER SUMMARY This form helps with managing the ISEF/GSEF paperwork

16. EDITING DRAFTS • First Draft • edited by science teacher • edited by peers • Second Draft • edited by science teacher • edited by peers • Third Draft • edited by English teacher • Final Draft • Graded by science teacher

17. TEACHER EDITING

18. PEER EDITING

19. FINAL PAPER RUBRIC SCIENTIFIC METHOD 45% • Title Page (5) • Table of Contents (5) • Introductory paragraph, thesis (5) • Hypothesis in summary par. (5) • Ind/Dep. Variables identifiable (5) • All brand names listed (2) • Materials written in paragraph form (2) • Methods: control evident and necessary (3) • Methods: limited independent variable (3) • Methods: experiment can be replicated exactly (3) • Methods: limited independent variable (3) • Methods: experiment can be replicated exactly (3) • Methods: all metric measurements (3) • Methods: adequate sample size (3) • Methods: written in layman’s terms (3) • Methods: sound experimental design (3) • Data table and paragraph summary of data (5) • Statistical analysis used (5) • Hypothesis proved/disproved (5) • Results discussed (5) • Discussion of possible error in experiment (5) • Correct MLA citation form used for all (10) • Alphabetical, no numbers, hanging indent; double spaced (3) • Variety of sources, not website heavy (4) • Minimum of five sources (4) • Only .gov, .edu, or teacher approved sites (4)

20. FINAL PAPER RUBRIC SCIENTIFIC THOUGHT 20% • Project applicability in the real world (10) • Sound scientific thought – background research -clear support of hypothesis (25) • Innovative hypothesis (10) • Sound data collection method and presentation (15) • Valid conclusion drawn (15) • Future applicability proposed/What next? (15) • Responsiveness to changes made in past drafts (10) • PAPER FORMAT 25% • 12 pt Times New Roman, double spaced, 1” margins (6) • Logical writing with transitions (15) • Parenthetical citations used (15) • Noun-verb agreement (4) • Pronoun (indefinite, reference, ambiguous) (4) • Sentences clear, clear diction (4) • No fragments or run-on sentences (4) • Present tense – research/bkgrnd (4) • Past tense – rest of paper (4) • Active voice – research/bkgrnd (4) • Passive voice – experiment (4) • Written in third person (4) • Correct spelling (5) • Correct punctuation (5) • Correct Capitalization (5) • No start with ‘and’, ‘but’, #s, etc. (4) • First/last sentence own words (4) • No contractions (4) • Spell out numbers 1-10 (4)

21. FINAL PAPER RUBRIC • DUE DATES 10% Project Ideas 8-24-07 Project Plan – revised 10-22-07 Project Plan 9-6-07 2nd draft/1st /logbook 10-31-07 Fair Paperwork 9-26-07 Third draft/2nd/1st 11-14-07 1st draft/logbook 10-10-07 Final paper 12-3-07 • TOTAL POINTS – EACH SECTION • Scientific Method – 45% • Scientific Thought – 20% • Paper Format – 25% • Due Dates – 10% • Each teacher that grades your paper will fill out a rubric gradesheet. The scores will be averages for your final project grade in all classes.

22. FINAL PAPER • Science teacher grade • Counts under the “Assessment during Learning (20%) or the “Guided, Independent, or Group Practice (45%). SECOND SEMESTER • Display Board due first week in January. • Abstract due first week in January. • Fair is second week in January.

23. SUMMARY • Collaboration leads to: • better writing • High overall grades • Choosing the topic is the hardest part • Use a web quest to help with this • Paperwork organization is 2nd hardest • All my forms can be found at http://nancyhbrim.wordpress.com/lhs-science-fair/

24. GETTING STARTED – Choosing a Topic • Selecting a topic for a science fair project may be the toughest part of the process.  • The Internet and the media center or Public Library are good places to find a topic, but most students are not focused when they begin their search. • Without knowing what it is that you are looking for, it is almost impossible for you to come up with something that is going to work as a topic.

25. GETTING STARTED – Choosing a Topic FIRST STEP • Pick an area of science in which you have a particular interest.  • You are going to be with your topic for 6 months….If you don’t pick a topic interesting to you, it will be a very long six months.  • Look closely at your interests, experience, and resources before settling on a topic.

26. GETTING STARTED – Choosing a Topic SECOND STEP • Go to the sciencebuddies.org website and select the Topic Selection Wizard on the left hand side.  • You can also go through the Idea Finder in the bottom left hand corner at the Discovery Education.com website.

27. GETTING STARTED – Choosing a Topic THIRD STEP: there are several other places to look: • Search Engines and Subject Portals • Web Sites for Topics/Ideas • Research Magazines and Other Traditional Periodicals

28. REMINDER! • BE SURE YOU CHOOSE A TOPIC THAT YOU CAN TEST AND TEST USING MATERIALS AVAILABLE TO YOU…

29. GOOD TOPIC SITES • Education.com  –  http://k12pages.r8esc.k12.in.us/allen/swacs/sciencefair/ideas.html • Science Project  –  www.scienceproject.com/index.asp • The Ultimate Science fair resource  –  http://www.scifair.org/ • Science Fair Home Page  –  http://www.cdli.ca/sciencefairs/ • Science Fair projects and Experiments  –  http://www.juliantrubin.com/fairprojects.html

30. GOOD TOPIC SITES • All Science Fair Projects  –  http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/ • ScienceNews for Kids – http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/mysnk/for-kids • Terimore Institute Inc.  –  http://www.terimore.com/ • Science Stuff.com • http://sciencefairproject.virtualave.net/ • Super Science Fair Projects • http://www.super-science-fair-projects.com/

31. WEBQUESTS • https://sites.google.com/a/viacademy.org/tania-tanzir/ • http://www.questgarden.com/05/80/4/051229120054/index.htm • http://libby-gray.wikispaces.dpsk12.org/ Scientific+Method+Web+Quest

32. IMPORTANT ADDRESSES • Forms:http://nancyhbrim.wordpress.com/lhs-science-fair/ • GSEF Information at http://www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/youth/academic-special-programs/georgia-science-and-engineering-fair • ISEF information at https://student.societyforscience.org/forms