02-middle school guide

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Intel ISEF Middle School Science Fair

A Guide for Teachers

Presented by

Berk Moss and

Rebecca Hall

The development of this guide was supported

by a grant from


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How many of you have asked

kids to come up with their owninquiry questions and watchedthem struggle because this is

something new to them?


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How many of you have asked kids tocome up with their own inquiry

questions and watched them strugglebecause this is something new tothem?

What questions could you

answer by gathering datawith these Lifesavers ?


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Why Inquiry Skills?

Inquiry skills have to be taught not just

expected.

The skills students develop doing inquiry

are the most transferable ones in science.


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Why Inquiry Skills?

The skills students develop doing inquiry are the most

transferable ones in science.

In their lives they will use these skills to

make decisions about:


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Why Inquiry Skills?

The skills we develop having students do inquiry are the most

transferable ones in science.

In their lives they will use these skills to

make decisions about: Educational plans

Taking a job

Buying a house


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Why Inquiry Skills?

The skills we develop having students do inquiry are the most

transferable ones in science. In their lives they will use these skills to make decisions about:

Educational plans Taking a job Buying a house

In each case, they need to: Clarify a question

Plan an investigation Gather information Evaluate and draw a conclusion


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Students learn these skills DOING

Science - not just learning about

science passively.


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PDF

File

Intel Education Website


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Written for teachers.

Written by teachers (and a parent volunteer) To provide extensive support middle school

teachers who are teaching science inquiry skills

and taking their students to the science fair for

the first time.


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Why middle school?

Fits the characteristics of middleschool students

Fits with the curriculum objectives

Prepares for high school

Teaches critical thinking skills


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The Guide was field tested by over100

teachers in Oregon and Arizona.

Urban Rural

Native American Hispanic

African-American Suburban


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Will this appeal to middle

school kids? Some traits of middle school age:

Action oriented

Want to do things

Growing independence

They make decisionsabout their owninvestigations


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Need structure for that independence

Will this appeal to middle

school kids? Some traits of middle school age:

Like to show off

Guidance throughthe whole process

Displays andpresentations


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Can your

students

generate theirown questions

based on

experienceslike these?


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This is good science and interestingfor kids, but can teachers survive it?

Can teachers survive this?


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Group lessons teach skills

Week 5 lesson

Introduction to Science Inquiry: Cars & Ramps

Week 10 lesson

Managing Data and Line Graphs

Week 6 lesson

Writing Procedures

Week 11 lesson

Investigative Questions

Intel ISEF Middle School Science

Fair



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Students work in pairs or alone but the

program provides structure.


Doing their own investigations


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Doing their own investigations

Week 12 lesson

Brainstorming Topics and Generating Questions.

Week 13lesson

Polishing Questions

Week 14 lesson

Background Research

Week 17 lesson

Investigation Design

Example lessons


Fair



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Students use their results and analysis to prepare a

science fair display and presentation.


Preparing displays and presentations


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Week 24 lesson

Transforming Investigations into Displays


Fair



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Parts of an Analysis Transparency

Conclusion: Answers your research

question and tells if your hypothesis was

supported or not

Error analysis: Examines the sources of

error in your work*Limitations: Discusses the limitations of

your investigation*

Week 26 lesson

Analyzing Results


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Transparency Sentence Starters for Analysis

Sentence starters:My research question was __________My hypothesis was __________

My data shows that this hypothesis is supported.

=or=

My data shows that this hypothesis is not supported.

My conclusions __________________________

One thing I was not able to control was ________Another thing I was not able to control was________

Someone shouldnt over-generalize my results because

Results might change if someone used different __________

Results might change if __________

Week 26 lesson

Analyzing Results


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Developing Your Abstract StudentHandout

The student in our example did a good job writing her

abstract. In the first paragraph she has a very shortdescription of the problem. Take a moment and write a

sentence or two about your investigation. What did you

study? What did you want to find out? Write your

purpose statement here:

_____________________________________________

___________________________


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Sample Judging Questions VolunteerHandout

Below are listed some sample questions that ajudge might ask during an interview with a

student. (Please note that not all of thesequestions will be relevant to all projects.)

Framing the Question:

What prompted you to choose this topic?

What is the question that you wanted to answer? What type of research did you have to do before

you began the experiment?


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Tips for Volunteers VolunteerHandout

Helping Students with Presentations

Students will need the most help with the following:

Making short notes on index cards - Be brief;

notes should give just enough information to jog

memory about what student wants to say

Using and referring to their board as they talk -The students should


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Is it teacher friendly?

Week 99 mocklesson

The Teacher Helicopter Ride

Overview Students construct helicopter and teacher

rides it

Teacher to Teacher BackgroundMany teachers find the promise to ride the helicopter themselves

motivating for the students.

Youll want to find your crash helmet.See if you can get a parent volunteer who had built a helicopter before.Make a transparency of Helicopter Assembly Steps for students to use.

Teacher Tasks Before the Session


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Week 99 mocklesson

The Teacher Helicopter Ride

Be sure to provide good helicopter plans.Are you sure that you put gas in the gas tank?

Does someone have the number for the medics?

Tasks During the Session

Teacher Tasks After the Session

From now on, you will be able to commute by helicopter.

Send pictures to your Fair Director.


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SECTION III Appendices

Appendix A: Glossary

Appendix B: Guide to Forms

Appendix E: Resource list

Appendix C: Comments on Rules

Appendix D: Sample Calendars

and Integrated Unit

Index


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Appendix D: Sample Calendars and Integrated Unit


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and Integrated Unit


Fair



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and Integrated Unit


Fair


This year:

First year of the school: 85 kids in the program. All

students completed projects and competed in our

fair.

6th graders could pair up, but 7th graders had to

work alone.


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and Integrated Unit


Fair


This year:First year of the school: 85 kids in the program. All students completed projects and competed in our

fair.

6th graders could pair up, but 7 th graders had to work alone.

Three teachers on the team: The entire project was integrated.

Math teacher used the Guide to teach datacollection and transformation.


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and Integrated Unit


Fair



fair.



Math teacher used the Guide to teach data collection and transformation.

Language Arts teacher used the Guide to teach

descriptive writing, editing, analyzing, and writing

the abstract.


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and Integrated Unit


Fair



fair.



Math teacher used the Guide to teach data collection and transformation. Language Arts teacher used the Guide to teach descriptive writing, editing, analyzing, and

writing the abstract.

Science teacher used the Guide to teach

scientific process, investigative design, and datacollection.


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and Integrated Unit


Fair



fair.



Math teacher used the Guide to teach data collection and transformation. Language Arts teacher used the Guide to teach descriptive writing, editing, analyzing, and

writing the abstract.

Science teacher used the Guide to teach scientific process, investigative design, and datacollection.

All teachers taught the display and

presentations lessons.


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and Integrated Unit


Fair



fair.


At the end, all 85 students competed in our fair.

10 projects went on to the state fair.


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Club vs. classroom

Pros and cons of both the science class model and

the integrated team model. Support for each modelis in the book.

Pros and cons of organizing a special club or using

and existing group and guidance on some of the

issues which arise.


Program DecisionsTeacher guidance


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Which Intel ISEF Fair to participate in.

Organizational guidance on holding a school

fair.


Program DecisionsTeacher guidance


Fair



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Help in recruiting volunteers

Materials for orienting volunteers as they start

Structure for volunteers to use as they work

with students and the program.

Week by week plans and model calendars

Lots of activities

Transparencies

Handouts


Teacher guidance


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Help in recruiting volunteers

Materials for orienting volunteers as they start

Structure for volunteers to use as they work

with students and the program.

Week by week plans and model calendars

Lots of activities

Transparencies

Handouts


Teacher guidance


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. What to do next?

Eugenia time

revise


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Teach the lessons

If you want to use this program

in your ownclassroom:

Plan, plan, plan

Find a mentor

Make a calendar of your own

Go through the book yourself

A middle school teacher experienced in science fairs

A high school teacher experienced in science fairs

A middle school teacher starting out in science fairs

Form questions

Design an inquiry

Collect and organize

data

Analyze results and

draw conclusions


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If you want to help others use the program

Go through the book yourself

Identify a pioneer group of teachers for your first efforts

Orient and train them. Training is a key. It is very important to have trainingto fully implement the program successfully

Plan support activities

Encourage !

Follow up trainings

Follow up e-mailsSchool visits by mentors


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Woodside ConsultantsScience Education Leadership

Berk Moss Science Science Curriculum Specialist (Retired)1215 E. 4th street Beaverton Schools

Newberg OR 97132 [email protected]

h (503) 537-0777 c (503) 781-7932

Rebecca Hall

Science TeacherRachel Carlson Environmental Middle School

Beaverton OR 97006 [email protected]

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