A science fair might be the last thing you think of when planning a kindergarten science curriculum, but the authors found it to be the perfect avenue for teaching their students science-process skills. Here they share their steps in teaching science-process skills and assembling student projects in a kindergarten classroom throughout the year. The studies culminated in the year-end science fair, an event that involved parents and gave students a chance to demonstrate their developing communication skills.
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By changing the venue from festival to a required academic exposition, the traditional science fair was transformed into a “Science Expo” wherein students were guided away from cookbook experiments toward developing a question about their environment into a testable and measurable experiment. The revamped “Science Expo” became a night for students to show each other and the community what they’ve learned about science inquiry, processes, and habits of mind.
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With the number of popular medical and forensics programs on television and many references in the media today, even elementary students can comfortably throw around terms such as cells, DNA, and artificial products. However, their questions on these topics often go unanswered, or they are left with misinformation regarding these concepts. As a result, a group of university science educators and the resource coordinator for an elementary school gifted program teemed up to create accurate, developmentally appropriate, and exciting experiences with these topics for students in grades K-5. The result of this collaborative effort was an after-school science “tradeshow,” which is described here.
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The rigid nature of most science fairs can cause panic among parents, students, and teachers alike over “doing it the right way.” In this issue, we present alternative views of a standard science fair. These views represent the process of science as more dynamic and varied than the traditional view of how science is done.
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This monthly feature contains facts and challenges for the science explorer.
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These teacher-tested ideas will guide your students in creating true inquiry-based projects. Two of the ideas, the Topic Selection Wizard and Science Project Timeline, are appropriate for all science fair programs, even new ones. For existing programs, the Black Box of Project Improvement and After-School Project Clinic improve project quality and broaden participation.
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Students get excited about science when they investigate real scientific problems in the classroom, especially when the investigation extends over several weeks. This article describes a health-science problem-based learning (PBL) investigation that a group of teachers and teacher educators devised together for a group of fourth- to sixth-grade students participating in a summer science enrichment program at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. As students participated in the problem-based lesson, they learned about diseases and how to live healthy lives while experiencing how scientists work.
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I want my fifth graders to tackle bigger science projects that are driven by meaningful and relevant questions. Is project-based science the way to go?
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One way to address this issue is to name a few questions that are not good for science fair projects. Why is the sky blue? Can plants survive without water? and What causes volcanoes? are examples of questions that aren’t so great. The reason they’re not so great is that scientists already know the answers to those questions. The purpose of a science fair, though, should be for students to answer a question, the answer to which cannot be found in a textbook.
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An exciting element of science fairs is that they give students the opportunity to explore various interests through scientific investigation. Many students, however, mistakenly think that all investigations are experiments. This lesson can help broaden students’ conceptions of science.
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The kids in today’s classrooms spend lots of time playing video games, surfing the net, listening to iPods, and text messaging on cell phones. Known as Digital Kids and the Net Generation, they have grown up surrounded by digital media of all types (Tapscott 1999). Because they are already knowledgeable, why not use digital technologies to capture students’ interest in science through an Online Science Fair? The interactive nature of the project engages students and brings a modern twist to the classic science fair experience.
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Have the winter doldrums left your students wistful for summer? Why not initiate a seashell classification activity to rekindle their interest in science and learning! Children love to handle and examine shells at any time of the year—with these favorite nature objects, you often can’t get kids to stop talking and sharing their observations about them! Whether working with commercially purchased shells or treasured collections of your own, students will delight in seeing how each shell is unique but can be connected to many others through classifications based on its characteristics.
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From children’s viewpoints, what they experience in the world is what the world is like—for everyone."What do others experience with their senses when they are in the same situation?” is a question that young children can explore by collecting data as they use a “feely box,” or take a “sensory walk.”
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The annual Philbrick Science Showcase is a family event that celebrates students’ science learning and highlights an ongoing partnership with the Boston Nature Center, a Massachusetts Audubon Society sanctuary within walking distance of the Philbrick school. At least twice a year, students visit the Nature Center to extend the science curriculum, connect with nature, and foster environmental stewardship. And, once a year, the Nature Center hosts the school’s Science Showcase, an overview of which is detailed in this article.
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