Managing a Whole School Science Fair

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Managing a Whole School Science Fair
A Workshop Presentation by the Science and Math
Departments of Health Careers Academy A BPS
Horace Mann Charter School Seneca King, Grady
McClinton, Karen Jarousiewicz, Mwanza NzuriWatu,
Marielle Postava-Davignon, Caren Walker
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Introduction The Why of Science FairResearch
shows that children learn best when they have
choice and when they take responsibility for
their own learning.

• Students become involved in a long term project
• Students exercise choice and choose what
  interests them more
• Students work at their own guided pace
• Its a beautiful form of authentic assessment
• We are a college prep school

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Establishing a Time Line

• If you aim at nothing, youll hit it every
  time.
• -Anonymous
• A time-line encourages students to pace
  themselves
• Gives students a time frame to help them pace
  themselves by setting reasonable goals
• Reduces student and teacher anxiety

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Its a Whole School Curriculum

• SF is an excellent opportunity for thinking and
  writing across the disciplines.
• Language Department teachers can use the students
  research paper as part of their writing process
  and assessment.
• Foreign language teachers can help students write
  summaries of their projects in another language.
  This may be quite helpful to some non-English
  speaking parents.
• Math teachers can help students with the analysis
  and display of statistical data, drawing graphs,
  etc.
• Technology teachers can help students with
  Powerpoint and other forms of media
  presentations.

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Science Fair Central

• A classroom resource center where students can
  have access to resources ranging from project
  ideas to the actual hands on experimental process
• The SF Resource Center can be as simple as a
  couple of trays on a window shelf, or a corner of
  a classroom.
• Use of the Resource Center again helps to build
  student responsibility as science researchers as
  they learn how to use resources efficiently and
  replace them in a timely manner so that others
  can also use them.

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Establishing a Weekly SF Class

• Devoting a single lesson to help students with
  the SF process
• After school help
• Builds healthy interactions among students, and
  between students and their teachers

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Oral Presentations

• Rubric and checklist to help students prepare
• Rehearsals are necessary
• Dress for success
• Knowing your project
• Being passionate/excited about your project

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Displaying Projects

• The pros and cons

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Administrative Support

• This is crucial to the success of any science
  fair
• Recruiting and contacting judges
• Judges orientation
• Whole school participation in some aspect of the
  actual SF exhibition
• Assessments of project
• Letters to parents
• Alternate activities for students who did not
  qualify for the SF exhibition, or who choose not
  to participate in the exhibition
• Appreciation and awards

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SPED Modifications

• No child should be left behind in the preparation
  process for SF

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State Requirements

• Every potential participant should fill out the
  basic sections of the form.
• Special details can be added later as required.
• Students can be debarred from competing at the
  state level if these forms are not completed and
  submitted by the required deadlines.

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Experience Speaks!

• Suggestions learned from experience
• Make SF exhibition materials such as display
  boards, markers, glue, etc. easily available to
  students for a reasonable fee.
• Try to find a space to store projects temporarily
  if students need to put on finishing touches at
  school.
• Start planning for the next SF as soon as the
  current one finishes. Practice does make perfect.