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Introduction

Every year, Google invites students to take something they care about, and make it better. The Google Science

Fair is looking for the best and the brightest 13-18 year olds around the world who have ideas about how we can

make the world better through science. Maybe those ideas are about making something faster. Or more efficient.

Producing less waste or more output. Our international panel of judges look forward to seeing what you will make

better!

By entering the Google Science Fair, students gets the chance to experience scientific discovery by working on

something they care about. Practicing the scientific (or engineering) method in a real world setting encourages

them to think about a challenge and give them confidence to effectively communicate their ideas.

 Entrants can submit projects in any of the following categories:

Outline

Two lesson plans, differentiated by age groups to suit your class, provide a suggested structure for introducing

students to the competition, guiding them through choosing a project and helping them to structure their entry.

 

The lessons can be delivered as they are, or as part of a wider unit developing students’ understanding of

the scientific method, the impact of science and engineering and their ability to make something better in the

world. Teachers and mentors can use these guides to help support students as they work on their projects for

submission to the Google Science Fair.

Computer Science & Math

Earth & Environmental Sciences

Behavioral & Social Sciences

Flora & Fauna

 

Energy & Space

Inventions & Innovation

Physics

Biology

 

Chemistry

Food Science

Electricity & Electronics

Astrophysics

Robotics

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Lessons and Objectives 

1. Science makes everything better

Objectives:

  • Students will be able to appreciate the diversity of work in science and engineering fields.

  • Students will be able to identify how an individual’s preferences and skills can direct scientific and

engineering progress.

  • Students will be able to develop a coherent investigation, following a scientific framework.

2. What does good science look like?

Objectives:

  • Students will be able to explain what makes a good investigation, with reference to given criteria.

  • Students will be able to evaluate their own and others’ scientific ideas against criteria, and communicate

their feedback constructively.

  • Students will be able to accept and act upon feedback in a constructive manner.

Experimental and

investigative skills

Analytical and

evaluative processes

• ask questions and develop a line of questioning based on observations of the real world,

alongside prior knowledge and experience

• make predictions using scientific knowledge and understanding

• select, plan and carry out the most appropriate types of scientific enquiries to test

predictions

• select, plan and carry out the most appropriate types of scientific enquiries to test

predictions

• make and record observations and measurements; evaluate the reliability of methodsand suggest possible improvements

• apply mathematical concepts and calculate results

• present observations and data using appropriate methods

• interpret observations and data, including identifying patterns drawing conclusions

• present reasoned explanations, including explaining data in relation to predictions and

hypotheses

• identify further questions arising from their results

Scientific attitudes • pay attention to objectivity and concern for accuracy, precision, repeatability and

reproducibility

• understand that scientific methods and theories develop as earlier explanations are

modified to take account of new evidence and ideas, together with the importance of

publishing results and peer review

• evaluate risks

 

Wider Objectives

Entering the Google Science Fair can help students develop:

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Google Science Fair lesson plans: students

aged 17-18 

Lesson 1: Science makes everything better

In this lesson students will learn about the wide range of ways in which they, as future scientists and

engineers, can make something better for everyone. Students will have the opportunity to reflect on their

strengths and interests, and use these insights to determine potential directions for their own investigations,

and will begin to develop a structure for their experiments or prototypes.

Objectives

  • Students will be able to appreciate the diversity of work in a range of science and engineering fields.

• Students will identify how personal preferences and skills can contribute to scientific and

engineering progress.

  • Students will understand how to develop a coherent investigation, following an investigative

framework.

Time Teacher activity Student activity Resources

(see below)

1 0 m in I nt ro du ce t he idea t hat s cience a nd

engineering can make something

better in the world, no matter how

big or small. Use details of historical

scientists to inspire and engage

students. E.g:

Ada Lovelace: daughter of poet

Lord Byron, was fascinated withmaths from a young age and went

on to write the first computer

program.

Thomas Edison: built his first lab

at 14 years old and later went on to

experiment with light.

Louis Braille: Blinded as a child, he

Reflect upon the background of

scientists, where they came from,

and what they were interested in

before their discoveries.

Discuss their opinions about

different discoveries, and identify

how these projects have affected/

could affect the environment andthe people involved.

Anecdotes of historical

scientists. (Teachers

should feel free to

substitute given

examples for others

that may be of interest

to them or their

students).

Could visit the Google

Science Fair YouTube

channel for films which

feature renowned

scientists and previous

Google Science Fair

entrants talking about

their work and what

https://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/teachers-parents/lesson-plan-17-18#lessonplan-resourceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelacehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edisonhttps://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleScienceFairhttps://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleScienceFairhttps://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleScienceFairhttps://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleScienceFairhttps://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleScienceFairhttps://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleScienceFairhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edisonhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelacehttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/teachers-parents/lesson-plan-17-18#lessonplan-resources

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inspired them to pursue

science.

Could show images of

scientists as they are

discussed.

was able to write by touch by age

16 and went on to create a tactile

alphabet used across the world

today.

Ask students to name a range of

discoveries and inventions that

interest them.Point out that ‘science and

engineering’ covers a very

wide field - there is much more

than students may realise, and

renowned scientists and engineers

have come from a very wid e range

of backgrounds.

1 0 m in I nt ro du ce a ct ivit y - st ud ents ref le ct

on personal skills and interests, and

determine an area which they wish

to investigate.

Show video for Bri ttany Wenger.

Use inspiration framework to

generate ideas, responding to

question “What will you change?”

following the prompts: My inter-

ests, My skills and My desires.

Printed copies of

Inspiration Framework.

Sample Inspiration

Framework using

Brittany’s project as an

example.

Brittany Wenger

- project, video or

alternatives.

Use available resources to find

out the “state of the art” or a reas

where gaps exist in understanding

or development of their area.

Computers/laptops

with internet connection

for research, or library

access.

Printed copies of

Research Framework.

Introduce suggested resources for

further investigation of their area of

interest.

10 min

Identify students willing to share

ideas with the class, or facilitate

small-group discussion.

10 min Outline the development of their

idea (to whatever stage they are

currently at). Discuss possibleareas to investigate, and feed back

to one another using positive and

constructive language:

• “You’re good at...”

• “Have you considered...”

• “Why have you chosen to...”

• “Have you thought about...”

• “Maybe you could look at...”

White board/black

board to display

constructivelanguage prompts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcSWmoiLhzYhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://sites.google.com/a/googlesciencefair.com/science-fair-2012-project-64a91af142a459cfb486ed5cb05f803b2eb41354-1333130785-87/homehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcSWmoiLhzYhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLvf0rO_bj8V0awTSgTmC-BYplNl_gsa_https://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLvf0rO_bj8V0awTSgTmC-BYplNl_gsa_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcSWmoiLhzYhttps://sites.google.com/a/googlesciencefair.com/science-fair-2012-project-64a91af142a459cfb486ed5cb05f803b2eb41354-1333130785-87/homehttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcSWmoiLhzY

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Time Teacher activity Student activity Resources

(see below)

10 mi n Hi ghli ght proj ects that students

can take inspiration from in order

to create a great Google Science

Fair entry. Relate to judging criteria,

rules and ‘wow’ factor, mention the

importance of gathering feedback

and aiming high.

Melvin Zammit, 3-Dimensional

Display: great video; good use of

images; concise research; detailed

development.

Reflect on what they can take from

examples and incorporate into

their projects.

Melvin Zammit -

video,project or

alternatives

15 min Structure student grouping.

Support students in their reflection

and encourage use of positive

language.

In pairs or small groups, use

reflection framework sheet to

evaluate their own and/or someone

else’s entry. Use positive language:

“what works well...”, “even better if...”.

 

Students could use the Make

Better Generator - a tool to inspire

students before starting a project, or

help them to come up with an idea.

The tool enables students to find

connections and topics to explore

based on something they love,

something they are good at and a

problem they would like to address.

Printed copies of

Reflection Framework.

Google Science Fair

Make Better Generator

 

5 min

10 min

Select examples of valuable

comments which students can

share with the class.

Present judges’ report - guidance

for entrants from a Google Science

Fair judge.

Pair/share - feed back to

classmates.

• “What worked well?”

• “Even better if...”

• “Why have you chosen to...”• “Have you thought about...”

• “Maybe you could look at...”

Consider how these comments

and tips can be incorporated into

their entries.

White board/black

board to display

constructive language

prompts.

Judges’ report

video(1m20s, from 3:39

to 4:59)

Entry guidance (including

 judgi ng criteria)

https://sites.google.com/a/googlesciencefair.com/science-fair-2012-project-ahjzfnnjawvuy2vmywlyltiwmtjydwssb1byb2ply3qyjcyhda/homehttps://sites.google.com/a/googlesciencefair.com/science-fair-2012-project-ahjzfnnjawvuy2vmywlyltiwmtjydwssb1byb2ply3qyjcyhda/homehttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/teachers-parents/supplement-packhttps://sites.google.com/a/googlesciencefair.com/science-fair-2012-project-ahjzfnnjawvuy2vmywlyltiwmtjydwssb1byb2ply3qyjcyhda/homehttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/competition/previous-yearshttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/make-better-generator/enhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/make-better-generator/enhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/make-better-generator/enhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhHpQQXbGGs&feature=share&t=3m29shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhHpQQXbGGs&feature=share&t=3m29shttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhHpQQXbGGs&feature=share&t=3m29shttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhHpQQXbGGs&feature=share&t=3m29shttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/make-better-generator/enhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/make-better-generator/enhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/make-better-generator/enhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/competition/previous-yearshttps://sites.google.com/a/googlesciencefair.com/science-fair-2012-project-ahjzfnnjawvuy2vmywlyltiwmtjydwssb1byb2ply3qyjcyhda/homehttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/teachers-parents/supplement-packhttps://sites.google.com/a/googlesciencefair.com/science-fair-2012-project-ahjzfnnjawvuy2vmywlyltiwmtjydwssb1byb2ply3qyjcyhda/homehttps://sites.google.com/a/googlesciencefair.com/science-fair-2012-project-ahjzfnnjawvuy2vmywlyltiwmtjydwssb1byb2ply3qyjcyhda/home

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5 min Remind students of entry deadline

(17 May 2016) and resources

available to them for inspiration,

research and completion of their

entries.

Praise student progress in entries,

summarise most important points

for students to remember when

continuing their work.

 

Link back to students’ ability to

“change the world” - the Google

Science Fair is just one framework

through which they can do this.

Commit to completing Google

Science Fair entry and supporting

one another in their efforts.

Register on www.

googlesciencefair.com 

and begin to fill out

entry for submission.

Homework

• Gather feedback from peers, family and other sources in order to plan the best possible investigation.

• Conduct their investigation.

• Complete Google Science Fair entry and submit before 17 May 2016.

  • Once students have filled out their project information on the Google Science Fair website, they will be able

to share access to their project with their teachers. While the work should ultimately be their own, teachers are

encouraged to give feedback, advice and support. The student should recognize any help in the Acknowledge-

ments section of their project.

15 min Support and comment upon

student work.

Begin/continue own entries,

incorporating feedback and ideas

from classmates, teacher, judges.

Computers/laptops

with web access to

Google Science Fair

site. If unavailable,

paper and pens to

continue planning.

 

Completed copiesof Investigation

Framework from

previous lesson.

https://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/https://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/https://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/https://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/

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Google Science Fair lesson plans: students aged 17-18

Resource summary

Lesson 1: Science makes everything better Lesson 2: What does good science look like?

Videos:

  • Google Science Fair YouTube channel

  • Brittany Wenger - project, video or alternatives

Printed resources:

• Inspiration framework

  • Research framework

  • Planning framework

  • Google Science Fair entry guidance 

Other resources: 

• Computers/laptops with web access for

research,or library access

  • White board/black board

Videos:

  • Melvin Zammit - video, project or alternatives 

• Judge’s report video (1m20s, from 3:39 to 4:59)

 

Printed resources:

  • Reflection framework

  • Google Science Fair entry guidance

 

Other resources: 

• Computers/laptops with web access to

Google Science Fair site, or paper and pens for

planning

  • White board/black board

https://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleScienceFairhttps://sites.google.com/a/googlesciencefair.com/science-fair-2012-project-64a91af142a459cfb486ed5cb05f803b2eb41354-1333130785-87/homehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcSWmoiLhzYhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLvf0rO_bj8V0awTSgTmC-BYplNl_gsa_https://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNWlJ-Xz_3ghttps://sites.google.com/a/googlesciencefair.com/science-fair-2012-project-ahjzfnnjawvuy2vmywlyltiwmtjydwssb1byb2ply3qyjcyhda/homehttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/competition/previous-yearshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhHpQQXbGGs&feature=share&t=3m29shttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhHpQQXbGGs&feature=share&t=3m29shttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/en/competition/previous-yearshttps://sites.google.com/a/googlesciencefair.com/science-fair-2012-project-ahjzfnnjawvuy2vmywlyltiwmtjydwssb1byb2ply3qyjcyhda/homehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNWlJ-Xz_3ghttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.googlesciencefair.com/website/static/2016-1-0/downloads/en/supplement_pack_2016.pdfhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLvf0rO_bj8V0awTSgTmC-BYplNl_gsa_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcSWmoiLhzYhttps://sites.google.com/a/googlesciencefair.com/science-fair-2012-project-64a91af142a459cfb486ed5cb05f803b2eb41354-1333130785-87/homehttps://www.youtube.com/user/GoogleScienceFair