Background Information
Two of the major problems in having all students in a classroom complete science fair projects are the price of the display boards, and storage in the classroom. A great way to eliminate this problem is to have students place their science fair projects on what I call a mini-board. In the past, I have had my students make a board out of the legal paper sized manilla folders. First it is extremely cheaper than purchasing a science fair project board and you can store the project in a cabinet in your room. You can even place their research paper and laboratory notebook inside the mini-board. The science fair mini-board is simply a miniature science fair project board.
I usually hold the classroom science fair in the library and have each student or teams of students explain present their projects to the entire class. They are scored based on the New Haven Science Fair Standards. The group with the highest score will represent the class in the School-wide Science Fair. Should there be a group of students with the same score; the class can decide who will represent them in the science fair. The winning mini-board is then placed on a regular size display board by increasing the font size and placing the information on the other board.
What is great about this experience is that everyone gets to participate and they get the chance to be questioned in front of the group about their findings. This experience usually motivates kids to participate in future science fairs and get them thinking about future projects. Teachers can also keep the final products to show students examples of what an excellent project looks like compared to a poor or fair project. Therefore, they serve as a great teaching tool in preparing students for the science fair.
Project Overview
Once the students have completed their science fair investigation, they will place the necessary information on the science fair mini-board. As stated previously in the “Science Pair Project Board Section”, the students will place the following heading and the information associated with each on the mini-board: (a) Statement of the Problem; (b) Hypothesis; (c) Observations; (d) Results; (e) Limitations and (f) Applications.
According to the amount of information, the students will use a font size somewhere between nine to twelve font. They will design the board in the same method as they would have if using a regular sized project board purchased from a store. The middle part of the board can be simply adjusted by sliding the board to the left or right. The instructor should make sure the students understand that neatness and creativity in designing their board is an important aspect of their grade, along with accurate information and data.
Materials
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2 legal size manilla folders
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2 large paper clips
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construction paper
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cement glue
Procedures
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Open two manilla folder and put them together so that you have a left and right flap and one center piece. (It should look like a small science project board).
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Connect the two pieces together by placing a large paper clip on the top and bottom of the connecting center piece.
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Type out the heading stated in the project overview.
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Glue the first heading on the left flap, followed by the information that goes with that particular section. (Cement glue produces a better look and adhere to the board better than Elmer’s glue or a glue stick).
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As you place the information that goes in the center of the board, adjust the center to hold all the necessary information.
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Once the board is complete, tape the back of the board with masking tape and cement glue the center of the board together.