This information is for students in grades 6-8. Students may work in partners or individually. If working in partners, both parties need to be agreeable to share the workload, so choose carefully. There are two parts to the science fair, the written report and the poster board. The poster will be presented to the school, the judges, and the community on Thursday, November 17 in the Duffy Center. Placement from the judges has no impact on the grades (meaning, if you receive 1st place, does not mean you automatically receive a 100% on the poster). Students placing in the top three in their category will be able to participate in the Sand Hills Regional Science Fair in March 2012.
Paperwork:
There are forms that must be signed prior to starting the science experiment. Students will be given these forms, but if they are lost for any reason, they can be found at http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/document under “Document Library”.
The Poster Board:
All of the steps of the written report are to be on the poster board, which will be displayed for the school, judges and families on November 17th. This is to be a tri-fold board, that can be found in any office supply store, craft store, or stores like Wal-Mart and Target. The board should be graphic and easy to read (make sure the font isn’t too small) and include charts, graphs and photos. We will go over this more in-depth in October, as well as what is to be on-site at the judging.
The Written Report:
All assignments for the written report must be typed using font Times New Roman, font size 12, black type color, with 1” margins. The work must be double-spaced. Any variance from this will result in loss of credit. Refer to the Science Fair packet for models of each section.
Students who plagiarize (copy/paste, use others’ words/only changing a few words, not giving proper credit where due) will receive no credit for the portion in question, so be sure to correctly cite all sources used.
Some class time will be given to complete portions of the written report. If a student needs access to a computer, he or she can use the computers in the science classroom during lunch, provided that there are computers available. The teacher must be notified ahead of time that a student is coming in to work on their written report. Work should always be saved on their USB jump drive.
To reduce paper waste, all written assignments will be submitted electronically. The student should set up a separate folder on his or her USB jump drive named “Science Fair”, so any material typed or researched can be saved and easily found for future reference. On the day that the assignment is due, I will have the students upload their documents onto the 8th grade server under the “Science Fair folder>[student’s name]” where I will comment and grade each assignment (grades will not be public on the file). Only final reports should be printed and put into a report cover.
Deadlines (SUBJECT TO EDIT FOR 2011):
* August 27 – Project plan and forms due
* September 10 – Progress conference 1
* September 17 – Written Report: Introduction and Procedure due
* October 6 – Progress conference 2
* October 15 – Written Report: Data and Results due
* October 22 – Written Report: Conclusion due
* October 29 – Written Report: Title page, Table of Contents and Abstract due.
* November 2 – Final written report & poster boards due. Drop off in Ms. Romano’s room before homeroom.
* November 17 – Students will be in dress uniform for the entire day. Elementary students will view projects beginning at 9 a.m. Judging is at 1 p.m. Families and awards ceremony from 6:30-8 p.m. Students must stay for the entire hour and a half. After 8 p.m., projects must be taken home.
Failure to complete an assignment by the due date will result in a checklist and a reduction in grade.