Why Do I Need to Do Science Fair?

Real Research in the Real World!

Benefits

•Get practice in planning, organizing and implementing a project.•Increase knowledge about surroundings.•Learn the Scientific Method (Conduct an experiment, Collect Data, and Analyze the Data, and make a Conclusion based on Data Analysis)

Project Based Learning

• Increasing confidence through oral presentations.

• Creating a reason to learn and understand essential content.

•Requiring inquiry as part of the process of learning

5-E Model

•Doing a Science fair Project incorporates the five phases of 5-E Model, a model of science instruction relevant to teaching science as inquiry.

EngagementExplorationExplanationElaborationEvaluation

Interdisciplinary• The Science Fair Integrates--Analysis Base Reading and Writing-Critical Thinking and Math-Scientific Methodology-Computer Science-Statistics-Graphic Arts -Self-learning

Enhances Inquiry & Collaboration

•Students have the opportunity to get help, work with an advisor, and utilize the facilities and equipments provided by advisors. Parental support is often a critical component of a great science fair project.

Project-based Learning is a key science practice in the new Common Core Standards

Teacher’s Role

•To help students create a workable, scientifically sound experimental design

•To set a reasonable timeline for completion

•To encourage creativity and independent thinking

• To periodically check on and /or grade progress

•To assist in application to fairs

•To help coordinate between site and LA County Science Fair

Pre-Approval Certificates

•Completing the Certification Form for approval before starting experimentation:

–Certification Of Human Treatment Of Live Vertebrate Animals

–Certification Of Compliance Of Research Involving Humans

–Certification Of Health Hazards Control

–Certification of Tissue/Cell Lines Source

How to Start a Science Fair Project

•Define a Problem, conduct a research to determine both the dependent and independent variable.

•Receive approval to start the project.

•Conduct a Research

•Create a Hypothesis that is testable.

•Design an Experiment

•Name the control group that will be used for comparison.

•Record the results.

•Determine the number of trials

•Record all the activities and the Data in the Log Book

How to Choose a Topic

•Encourage students to choose a topic that matches their interest.

•Avoid topics that:Are too generalRequires too much timeDon’t involve experiment (surveys)Presents replicas or modelsInvolves experiments that merely find out “What happens if I do this?”Involves experiments that presents results

without analysis

Conduct Research

•Before generating a hypothesis:Conduct background research to understand the scope of the study.Use the research to determine both the dependent and independent variables of the study.

DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION

•Purpose•Major Findings•Was your hypothesis validated by the data?•Why or why not?•Comparisons with other Researches•Improvements and Recommendations

• The Los Angeles County Science Fair is open to all students, grades 6-12, who have been selected as winners from a local school or district Science Fair.

• Each school may send a total of 13 entries, three of which may be Team Projects (2-3 students.)

School Judging Procedure

•Preliminary Judging•Final Judging

•Judging Science Fair

Los Angeles County Science Fairwww.lascifair.org

JR Science Fair Categories• Animal Biology• Animal Physiology• Behavioral /Social Sciences• Behavioral Sciences-Non-Human• Behavioral/Social Sciences-Human• Biochemistry & Molecular Biology• Chemistry• Chemistry-Applied• Chemistry–General• Earth/Space Science• Ecology• Engineering Applications• Engineering Research

JR Science Fair Categories• Environmental Management• Materials Science• Mathematics & Computer Sciences• Microbiology• Pharmacology• Physics• Physics-Aerodynamics/Hydrodynamics• Physics - Electricity & Magnetism• Physics - General• Plant Biology• Plant Physiology• Product Science

State Science Fair

Top 1st, 2nd & 3rd in category per

County Fair

CA Science Center,Los Angeles, CA

Science Fair Calendar

• Los Angeles County Science Fair

March17 – March 19, 2016

Californian State Science Fair

May 18 – May 19, 2016

AESA Science Olympiad (TBA)

Grading Policy

• Students’ work will be graded periodically.

• Science Fair project assessments will be part of the second and third quarter grade.

Remember…

No matter how fancy & eye-catching the display …It can’t take the place of solid, well-documented and analyzed research