Necessarily, students have to learn the scientific foundations and the background of this complex process and understand the implications for earth and every living organism on it. One of the ways to learn and to build a scientific construct is to actually use hands-on activities and experiments following the inquiry method. Students should be able to address questions about photosynthesis. These questions will be explored and discussed in class to the point that more questions are generated bringing to light a more refined question. One of the objectives is the use of the scientific process where students will conduct experiments following the steps to test predictions and hypotheses. They will put to use these aspects of science in experiments and planting and growing gardens.
Background
The use of the scientific process is used in a science fair project or just about in any exercise that requires some sort of question or inquiry. When we read we make predictions or we anticipate an event or an outcome. One of the richest, challenging and most productive activities in the curriculum of a school is a science fair. The backbone of this pursuit is the realization that students learn better when they have the opportunity to explore, experiment and handle things on their own, with the guidance of a teacher, a mentor, a parent, or whoever has the time and ability to make a contribution. Photosynthesis and related themes are some of the possible exercises where students could apply the scientific process.
Science fair projects are of great value to the student's education and preparation for the future because these projects incorporate the skills and disciplines necessary to survive in our society today and in the future. A science project could be chosen from any of the fields of scientific investigation. We could have projects from physical science, earth science or biological science. There are several types of science projects. A science fair could have projects that involve the collection of objects. In this case we would be talking about the ability of a student to set up taxonomies, classifications, categories, and simply order. A student could also have a demonstration about some scientific fact. Some of the most favorite projects for students of all ages are inventions. Students get a kick out of any of these scientific projects when they have the ability to show imagination, originality and in many instances beauty. By far, the most challenging scientific project is the one that is built on the scientific method. We formulate a question. We propose a problem of scientific interest. We target a purpose for this pursuit. Then we must make a prediction. Our hypothesis is that we think that this and that is going to happen. This type of science project requires of the student the skills and know-how to handle a diversity of concepts and the will and ability to put it all together in a coherent way. A research paper is expected of the student as well as a presentation to judges and visitors of the school or elsewhere.
The spirit of competition is vibrant in the environment. It becomes valuable when we realize that the work of the student or students, in the case of a team, is the product of a series of efforts that involves many people. The support of the school--via the teacher, the home--via the parents, or the community-- via a mentor, is always a necessary fact for a job well done. Generally, planning a science fair in school starts in September and the fair itself would take place in March. The components of the scientific process to include in an experiment for a science fair are the following:
Title
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-Is the title very clear?
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-Do you ask a single question?
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-What is the purpose for asking this?
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-Does it make sense?
Purpose
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-What do you want to find out?
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-Why are you doing this experiment?
Hypothesis
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-What do you think is going to happen?
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-Make a clear prediction.
Materials
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-Did you list all the objects you used?
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-Is it easy for people to get these things?
Procedure
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-What are the steps that you took to do this experiment?
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-Did you write them in order?
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-Would other students be able to follow your steps?
Data
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-Did you choose a scale?
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-What measuring system do you use?
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-Are you using a table?
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-Are your observations correct?
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-Is the language clear?
Graphs
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-Do you have a dependent and an independent variable?
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-Did you choose the correct graph for the data?
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-Is the graph labeled?
Illustrations
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-Show drawings or pictures that illustrate the problem better.
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-Does it add to the display?
Limitations
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-What were some problems that you found in the process?
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-Is your experiment limited to a certain type of phenomenon?
Results
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-What did you find out with your experiment?
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-What does the data tell you about the experiment?
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-Does it make sense?
Conclusions
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-Is your hypothesis correct?
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-What happened to your predictions?
Applications
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-How are you going to use your new information in the real world?
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-Is your discovery applicable to industry? Medicine? Art?
Research paper
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-Background information: Is the information you used relevant to your experiment?
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-Did you quote?
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-Did you re-write information in your own words? Did you use paraphrases?
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-Is a bibliography included?
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-How about illustrations, graphs, tables and other related materials?
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-Does it have unity? Did you stick to the subject?
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-Is it clear and coherent?
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-Do you use the scientific language to explain, argue and demonstrate your point?
Oral Presentation
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-Did you go over all the weak spots of your project?
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-Do you understand the language of science and its implications?
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-Did you use inductive and deductive reasoning?
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-Can you argue about related material?
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-Are you ready to speak clearly and with confidence in from of an audience?
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-Can you stick to the subject?
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-Can you give supportive evidence of what you are talking about?
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-Is that evidence in your project?
Audience of Science fair
Our audience is the school population, the community and other people who are invited to judge and to visit our fair. Many times, our audience is the press: local newspapers and television.
Purpose of Science Fair
The purpose of a science fair is to increase the knowledge and interest in science of students in an urban setting. We are interested in instilling in our students the methodology necessary for an experiment using the scientific method. We want to have the active participation of students who traditionally have been left behind due to various factors. Another goal is to bring together efforts of the community and the school. We want to work together with industry, universities and people in leadership positions to share information and to bring new resources to our school. Community gardens are a great stimulation for people to work together for a common cause. We also want to train our staff with a series of mini-workshops, publications, visits to the classrooms, sharing information formally and informally. Another purpose is to bring up the scores of the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT). All this is not possible without the participation of parents. In all, students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the community put together all the resources for the undertaking of science fair to give our students the best educational opportunity they can get and for a better future for all. Science fairs are not easy to put together. They take a lot of work. They take a lot of time and effort. They take a lot of resources both human and material. Make sure that you have patience and that you don't give up. Also, and most important of all, make sure that you have lots of fun!
Procedure of Science Fair (Mini-Tasks)
Throughout all the process of preparing a science fair, a council of science and mathematics, or some equivalent body should be installed in school in order to make sure that all the elements of the fair are set in place and successful. Students in the fifth grade could participate with individual projects, or in groups of two. Students from kindergarten to fourth grade could have more than two students in a group. Kindergarten and first grade ought to have class projects. All of them, except fifth grade, should have a paper with background information together with their display board. Fifth grade is expected to have a research paper with a bibliography. All students have to be ready to answer questions and to give a presentation of their projects. In the case of the class projects, students with verbal ability should represent the class. Assessment lists are given to students throughout the process of development of the project. This material could be used to build an assessment portfolio. Finally, you must think how to use this experience to make your next science fair better?