Ilchester Elementary School

STEM Fair Guidelines

February 25, 2015

(6:00 - 7:30 pm)

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STEM (an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education has been the subject of refocus since U.S. government experts identified alarming inadequacies in the preparation of America's students for the global workforce of the future. In response to this crisis, school systems across the U.S. have been enhancing their K-12 STEM curriculum and increasing their efforts to reach all students, including underserved populations. Efforts also include offering more extra-curricular activities to students that are designed to stimulate interest in STEM careers, and providing additional training and professional development in these disciplines to educators.

Vision

To inspire, engage and prepare our next generations to be the inventors, explorers and innovators who will lead U.S. achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Mission

In response to the national crisis of preparing our future scientific, technological, engineering and mathematics workforce, the HCPSS, in collaborative partnerships with the public and private sectors, higher education and the Howard County community, will forge a new, sustainable model to inspire, engage and prepare students for higher education and/or careers in STEM-related fields. Emphasis will be placed on providing enriched and relevant curricula and programs for all students K through 12, recruitment and retention of highly qualified STEM teachers, cutting edge professional development for teachers, and dynamic partnerships with business, higher education, parents and community organizations.

Important Information

STEPS

  1. Review this handbook for STEM project guidelines.
  2. Begin planning your project. Pick a topic that interests you. There is a resource page later in this packet for you to use for project ideas if needed.
  3. Click here to register your project.
  1. Work on your STEM project (be sure to take pictures).
  1. Then begin to prepare your display board-which you need to purchase. View the diagrams below for suggestions about how to assemble a board.
  1. Practice explaining your project and your results to prepare for the event.

Special Note:

Information regarding project drop-off and set-up will be given closer to the date of the event. You will be contacted by email with specific instructions.

There are two types of projects accepted at the Ilchester’s STEM Fair:

1. Investigations

A. Experiment

This project is most often presented at Science Fairs. It is a display and explanation of an experiment that follows the scientific method.

B. A Demonstration or Working Model

In this type of project, students demonstrate a particular STEM idea or concept. Students can build a model for a specific purpose and show how they used the steps of the Engineering Design Process to complete it.

C. A Collection of Natural Objects

Collections are an assembly of items, sorted and categorized.

2. Inventions

A. Problem to Solve

This type of project directly relates to solving a real life problem using the Engineering Design Process. Students can show how they went through each step and the resulting data for each invention.

B. Process or Design

Using the Engineering Design Process, students can take an existing design and make improvements to it. This will allow the student to design the solution and explain how it should work.

Remember, a good project is one that is planned and developed over weeks or months rather than rushed through to completion in a weekend.

Start planning now!

Traditional Science Projects or Investigations

WHAT TO INCLUDE ON YOUR DISPLAY BOARD: See below for guidelines on what to display with your project. Please remember these are suggestions and can be modified for your child.

Experiment

Display Board Guideline

Experiments: The type of project most often presented at Science Fairs is the experiment/investigation. These presentations incorporate the Scientific Method and seek to answer a question -- the hypothesis -- at the beginning of the experiment.

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
  • STEP 1: Research: collecting information about your topic.
  • STEP 2: Problem: the scientific question to be addressed.
  • STEP 3: Hypothesis: your idea about the solution to a problem.
  • STEP 4: Experimentation: the process of testing your hypothesis.
  • STEP 5: Results: what happened when you tested your hypothesis, may include graphs, charts, tables, or photos.
  • STEP 6: Conclusion: a summary of the findings and what you learned from the experiment. Did you get the results that you expected?

Demonstration

Display Board Guideline

Demonstration: In this type of project, students demonstrate a particular STEM principle or fact. Students may wish to demonstrate how something works, a scientific phenomenon, how something is created naturally or in the lab. Models may be of interesting STEM objects such as bridges, towers, pulleys, the solar system, volcanoes, the inside of the earth, sea floor, etc. Dioramas of animal habitats are also a suggestion.

Collection

Display Board Guideline

Collections: Collections are an assembly of items such as sea shells, birds, nests, rocks, minerals, types of soil, insects, etc. that are labeled and grouped to show how they relate to each other and how they differ. Collections should include as many samples as possible, to fully represent the topic.

Invention

Engineering Design Process

Through the use of the EDP, students can create a solution to their real world question.

  • Ask questions and do research to determine the best way to solve it.
  • Using your imagination think about what you are going to do to solve the problem.
  • Begin to plan out your design. Pencil and paper are a great start!
  • Now you are ready to create your model and test it out.
  • Many times engineers have to improve their model to meet their needs. Don’t get frustrated if it doesn’t work the first time…try, try again!

Be sure to collect data to support and show how your solution works!

For more information and a full list of questions to use in each step of the EDP visit Engineering is Elementary.

You can also visit Science Fair Central for more information on how to complete an invention project.

SAFETY

Safety is essential at the STEM Fair.

The following rules are necessary for the safety of participants and visitors:

  • No dangerous or caustic chemicals
  • No open flames or flammable liquids
  • No live animals may be brought to school
  • Limited electrical outlets are available and must be requested in the application

Exhibits that do not satisfactorily comply with these rules will not be displayed or viewed.

QUESTIONS: We are here to help you with your STEM projects. If you have questions, please send an email to: Mrs. Kettering at .

RESOURCES:

Ilchester’s Tech Page – - Click on the link for STEM.

Discovery Education has information related to science fair projects.

Super Science Fair Project Ideas has many ideas of various projects for any child.

Education.com You can also go to the activities tab at the top of the page and then search for science activities based on your child's grade.

Science Buddyhas a tab for project ideas as well as a project guide section which could be helpful for the beginner.

Science Fair Projects World has a collection of science fair projects.

NASA Best Engineering Design has the definition of engineering as well as a few activities for students to complete.

Engineering for Kids has various examples of STEM projects for elementary age students.

PBSKids Zoom Into Engineering has several downloadable activities kids can do with the assistance of an adult.

Science Kids has a variety of activities both for science experiments and STEM projects.

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