I serve as Curriculum Staff Developer at East Rock Global Magnet School where one of my many duties include serving as the Science Fair Coordinator and Representative for our entire K-8 population. My entire school participates in the school-wide science fair in accordance to the rules of the city-wide Science Fair. In an effort to prepare both the staff and students for the upcoming School Science Fair, I along with two other staff members are preparing thematically based units for our staff as a means of support to achieve this goal. You can find both Judy Dixon’s unit entitled
“The Aquatic Environment”
and Jacqueline Porter’s unit on
“Nutritional Influences on Illness and Disease”
within the units written for Dr. Wargo’s course. My curriculum unit,
Preparing for the NHPS Science Fair Through Environmental Science
will serve as a basic guide to the rules for the New Haven city-wide Science Fair and a tool for both teachers and students to use in order to produce science fair projects that will qualify for the fair. My curriculum unit will include the following sections:
I. The Olin-Yale-Bayer-New Haven School Science Fair Qualifications
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Laboratory Notebook
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Research Paper
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Project Display Board
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Oral Presentation
II. The Scientific Method
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Title
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Introduction
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Forming the Hypothesis
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Procedures
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Observations/Data Analysis
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Conclusion
III. Types of Science Fair Projects
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Experimental
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Demonstration
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Collection
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Research Oriented
IV. Choosing a Topic or Problem for the Science Fair Project
V. Utilizing this Unit to Design Experiments
VI Experiment I: The Effect of Earthworms on Plant Growth
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Background Information
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Project Overview
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Materials and Resource List
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Procedures
VII. Experiment II: The Effects of Pesticides on Earthworms
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Background Information
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Project Overview
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Materials and Resource List
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Procedures
VIII.Laboratory I: Earthworm Observation and Dissection
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Materials
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Procedures
IX. Additional Lesson Plans
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Science Fair Project Mini-Board
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The Worm Farm
Preparing for the NHPS Science Fair Through Environmental Science is designed to meet two basic goals that I have set for myself for the next school year. First of all, I wish to utilize the information in the first part of my paper as a workshop for our staff in order to prepare them for the Annual New Haven Science Fair. It can also be used as a guide for the students to follow when preparing their science fair project. Secondly, I will include two different experiments in the final section of the paper that my students in my CPEP (Connecticut Pre-Engineering Program) will investigate for their science fair projects. This will also serve as a guide for both the students and teachers to plan a science fair investigation for their classroom. This unit is designed for middle school students in grades 6-8. According to the New Haven Public School Standards all students in grades 6 through 8 are expected to develop abilities to do scientific inquiry where they pose a question, state an hypothesis, develop an investigation, observe and document the process, and record and determine the results.
In order for our students to meet those standards, New Haven Public Schools added the following Performance Standards and objectives for students to accomplish:
Performance Standard 1.1: Students will acquire and practice the ability to do scientific inquiry.
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Students will identify questions that can be answered through scientific investigations;
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Student will design and conduct scientific investigations.
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Students will use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze and interpret data.
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Students will develop descriptions, explanations, predictions and models using evidence.
Performance Standard 1.2: Students will acquire and practice the ability to understand scientific inquiry.
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Students will recognize and analyze alternative explanations and predictions about the world around them.
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Students will communicate scientific procedures and explanations verbally and in writing.
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Students will learn to pose different kinds of questions appropriate for the different kinds of investigation.
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Students will use technology to gather data to enhance the accuracy of analysis of their investigations.
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Students will use mathematics in all aspects of scientific inquiry.
The Olin-Yale-Bayer-New Haven School Science Fair Program has been in existence since 1993 with seven schools participating and it has now expanded to all 48 schools in the New Haven Public School System. The goal of the science fair and this paper is help students and teachers in Kindergarten through twelfth grade carry out investigative hands-on projects in order to promote skills in critical thinking, science process and communication. The actual science fair includes three different working groups. In the elementary division Kindergarten through grade two are only allowed to enter class projects. Grades three and four are allowed to enter class or team projects with a team consisting of a maximum of four members. Individual projects are not allowed in the elementary division. Middle School participants are allowed to enter the fair as individuals or as a team. Class projects are not allowed in this division. Students in grades five and six are allowed to work on teams consisting of no more than three members. Seventh and eighth graders are may work on teams of two members. High School students in grades nine through twelve may also enter individually or as a team of no more than three participants.