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  Middle School Science/Algebra:  Week of February 6:

  •  The 6th graders complete their earthquake-proof buildings this week.

  • The 7th & 8th graders will need to show me their science fair journals on Wednesday, February 15.

  • The 8th graders have a test on wave energy (mostly sound & light) on Wednesday, February 15

  • Guidelines for the science fair project are available at the bottom of this page.

 Links:

Science Fair Ideas & advice:

Sciencebuddies.com

school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/

Science fair advice for kids


 

OSPI Science Standards: 

Washington State K-12 Science Standards  

 

Homework For Mr. Tice's Home Room:

 

Wednesday, February 8:

Regular Math: math test signed, pg 217 1-43 odd

Zero Period Math: pg 255 1-55 odd

Science: Notes p. 110-117


 


 

          

 

Homework for Science and Algebra, Wednesday, Feb. 8:

6th Science:

Notes on p. 156-161

7th Science: 

Notes p. 110-117

8th Science:

None

Algebra I: 

None

 

 

 

St. John School Science Fair

Student and Family Information

2011-2012

 

Dear 7th & 8th Graders and Families:

 

The Saint John School Science Fair for this school year will take place on Tuesday, March 20, 2012.  Since designing and carrying out a full-scale scientific investigation is an important outcome of the science curriculum, all 7th and 8th graders are expected to participate.  It’s going to be a lot of work, but, if you choose a project of interest to you and prepare ahead of time, it will be manageable and rewarding.

 

General Overview:

 

Your main job for the science fair project is to provide a detailed record of an experiment that you will design and carry out on your own.  You may do one of the following types of investigations:

 

  1. A technology project: Design, build and test a device that makes life easier at home, school or in the community. 

 

  1. Test a hypothesis: think of a question you have about the world around you, propose a hypothesis that gives an answer to that question, and design and carry out an experiment that tests your hypothesis. 

 

No matter what type of project you choose to do, you are expected to carry out the steps of the scientific method:  Pose a question, make general observations about this “problem” based on what you already know, make a hypothesis, design an experiment that tests the hypothesis, collect date, analyze your results, and come to a conclusion about the accuracy of your hypothesis and the reliability of your data. 

 

 

What You Need to Show Me:

 

On the day of the science fair, you will need to present the following things to the Saint John community:

 

  1. A complete lab report.  This is a detailed, formal record of your investigation from beginning to end.  It must include:
  1. A title page.  Include the title of your project, your name, the date,  the name of your homeroom teacher and a picture that relates to the project in some way.
  2. The problem or inquiry question.  This should be written as a question (“What type of metal conducts electricity most efficiently?), and needs to be narrowed down to a single independent variable.  Don’t make so broad that you can’t stay focused on a single goal  (“What things improve grades?” is too broad to be meaningful.)
  3. A statement of interest.  Say why you chose the project that you did in one or two sentences.
  4. A hypothesis.  Make a clear, reasonable prediction about the outcome of your experiment, and give concise reasons for your prediction.  This needs to be 4-10 sentences long; I need to see some evidence of thoughtfulness here. 
  5. A materials list.  This needs to be a specific list of all the materials you used.  Don’t just say “boards.”  Tell me how many boards, and what size, etc.
  6. A procedure.  Give me a specific, step-by-step description of everything you did to complete your experiment. 
  7. A data section.  The more data you have, the better.  For most projects, I expect this to be the largest section of your lab report.  For most experiments, quantitative data will need to be used.  I expect to see all of your data presented in table form, and then in one or more graphs. 
  8. A results section.  Give a summary of what your data tells you in the form of a short paragraph, 3-5 sentences long.  Be as thoughtful and specific as you can.
  9. A conclusion.  Describe what happened in some detail, say whether or not your hypothesis is correct, and why you think you got the results that you did.  Then discuss any possible problems with the way you conducted your experiment, what some other possible outcomes may have been, and what you could have done differently.  This part is extremely important; make sure you take the time to put some thought into this.

 

  1. A display board.  You will need a three-panel display board that can stand up on its own.  It will contain the same information as your lab report, but in less detail, and adds some visual elements (pictures, artwork) not included in the lab report.  This is not as important as the lab report, to be honest, but it’s still important, especially for the judges, other students and parents, since most of them won’t have time to read through the entire lab report very carefully.  Please see the diagram at the back of this packet to see what the display board should look like.

 

3.   A journal.  This is an informal yet very detailed record of all the work related to your project.  It could include dated entries of note-taking sessions, rough drafts of your collected data, qualitative observations that may or may not end up in the formal lab report, copies of work submitted to me, pictures, reflections on your progress, and notes from your research paper. This should be done by hand in a small three-ring binder, or, if you prefer, in another format approved by me.

 

 

  1. What you used to complete your experiment (apparatus).  If you did a technology project, you should bring your device with you.  If you did an experiment with plants and animals, you should bring them.  Think of it as a “show and tell.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five Paragraph Essay Requirement:

 

In addition to the actual science fair project, you will be expected to complete a five paragraph essay that provides background information related to your project. This essay must:

  1. be typed;
  2. include a title that relates to the topic;
  3. Include a short bibliography that includes at least four separate sources.  (The sources do not need to be cited in the body of your paper. )

 

 

Instructions and Guidelines:

 

  1. You will work individually on this project. 
  2. You may work with animals if you wish, but I discourage it.  If you do choose to work with animals, you are expected to make every effort to keep the animals from harm both during and after the project. 
  3. You need to get approval from me before you start any project.  I generally approve any project that is safe, ethical, has mostly controllable variables, and is appropriately challenging for middle school students. 
  4. You may not spend more than $75.00 for this project, including the cost of the display board.  (If cost is an issue, please see me privately.)
  5. Make every effort to do original work.  The internet is full of good ideas, but, please, don’t let a science-related website do your thinking for you. 
  6. Except for advice, material support, and possibly the judicious supervision of the use of power tools, I expect that parents do absolutely nothing for this project. 

 

 

Timeline:

 

November 11:  Proposal for your project due, written in the form of a short 3-5 sentence paragraph.

November 28:  “Problem,” due, written in the form of a question.  Include a statement of interest at this time.

January 13: Five paragraph essay due.

January 20:  Problem, statement of interest and hypothesis due.

February 6:  Problem, statement of interest, hypothesis, materials list, and procedure due. (You may have to re-do this if I foresee problems with it.)

February 30:  Oral report of progress due.

March 19: Display board due for review and editing.

March 20: Science Fair 1:00-3:00 PM & 7:00-8:30 PM.  Your attendance is required at both sessions.  At this time, you will submit your lab report to me.

 

 

North Deanery Science Fair:

If you are willing to complete your project as much as a month early, you may participate in the North Deanery Science Fair.  (The date has not yet been announced.) I will award 50 points extra credit to any student willing and able to do this.  The requirements for this science fair are almost the same as for the St. John science Fair.  If you’re interested, I encourage you to see me for details.

 

If you have any questions or concerns about this project, please see me as soon as you think of them.  I’m willing and eager to help you with your project.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Science Fair Project Evaluation

 

 

Name: __________________________________________

 

Title of Project: _______________________________________________________

 

Scores:

Each item below has a maximum score of ten points unless otherwise noted.

 

Display:

___ The display board suggests that time and effort were spent in its creation

___ The display board clearly displays the project’s problem, a statement of interest, hypothesis, materials, procedure, data, results,  and conclusion

___ The independent variable, dependent variable, and three controlled variables are clearly mentioned

___ The display board makes it easy to see what the student did, why they did it, and what they learned by completing the project

___ The apparatus are appropriately designed and displayed

___ The project represents the student’s own work

___ The journal and lab report are included as part of the display

 

Scientific Thought:  

Journal:

___ The journal presents consistent, appropriately detailed, and relevant entries; that is, it tells a complete story of a work in progress (30 points)

___ The journal is consistent with prior conversations with the student and with the contents of the formal lab report

Lab Report:

___ The problem is clearly stated

___ Reasons are given for student’s interest

___ A logical cause-effect hypothesis is clearly stated

___ Materials list is detailed and clear

___ Procedure is logical, easy to follow, and actually tests hypothesis

___ The independent, dependent and controlled variables are clearly identified

___ Data is detailed and complete

___ Tables and graphs are used to present data

___ Results are clear and detailed, and reflect the data given

___ The results show whether the hypothesis was correct or not

___ Conclusions are borne out by data

___ At least one thoughtful inference was drawn (20 points)

___ Other potential outcomes/and or solutions are noted (20 points)

___ A complete title page is included in the lab report

 

Total Score:  ________/300      Grade: _________

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 







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