| Science and Science Fair Information |
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Science Page: Greetings from the Lab! My name is Mr. Todd Freer. For the last five years, I have taught science at Andrew Cooke Magnet School. The information on this web-page will include topics to be covered this year, though its main focus will be information regarding Science Fair. Please feel free to contact me via email with any questions or suggestions. My email address is as follows: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it New this 2011 - 2012 school year is a Science Blog (Click here to access it). The purpose of this blog site is to provide a way for young technophiles (and their parents) another way of integrating technology into their education. Please feel free to encourage your student(s) to add to posts; let me know your thoughts. Remember, science is not a class, it is an everyday occurrence.
Lastly, I have created an account through DonorsChoose in hopes that people are willing to donate towards equipment for our science program. If you would like to make a contribution, please feel free to contact me or click on this link to go directly to my classroom wish list. Cooke, it's students, and I thank you for your generosity.
IN CLASS WORK: 5th grade students will be required to do lab write ups. If students do not finish in class, their write up is due the next day. 5th grade work (seen on Fridays) is due on Mondays (or the next school day). The lab write up form for 5th grade and can be printed by clicking here. Additionally, I have created a classroom website that contains information for grades 2-5. The site has Extra Credit Assignment Options, summaries of what was covered in class, vocabulary taught, and more. Please take a look. It is there for students and parents. It will be updated regularly and is intended as an "extra." Click here to get to the website.
UPDATED AS OF 12/20/11 Here is a video on the Scientific Method. All scientists use these steps, or standards, whenever they conduct an experiment. These steps will need to be adhered to for all science fair projects. Please click on the link to see the video.
The following documents are all printable PDFs related to Science Fair. Should you need multiple copies of any of these documents, please feel free to print them as needed. A brief summary of each document precedes each PDF. The STEPS & DUE DATES will tell you what each step of the assignment is and when it is due. There is a brief description of how to approach each section. Please note that there are different due dates for 4th grade (seen in class on Thursdays) and 5th grade (seen in class on Fridays.) Assignments will be due on class dates unless otherwise posted on this site or in class. The first assignment that is to be turned in is the SCIENCE PROJECT PROPOSAL. This assignment requires a few different things to be done: 1. A TOPIC must be chosen --- If you are having a problem choosing a topic, see the SCIENCE FAIR TOPIC LETTER for websites that will prove helpful. 2. A PURPOSE must be written -- See the PURPOSE PDF for help. A basic format to follow is, "The purpose for this experiment is to find out __________." 3. A HYPOTHESIS must be written -- See the HYPOTHESIS PDF for help. I suggest "If/then" statements. If I do this, then this will happen. Remember that a hypothesis is a testable idea that is compared to a control group (something where nothing changes.) 4. MUST BE SIGNED BY STUDENT AND PARENT/GUARDIAN. This is DUE DECEMBER 15th (4th Grade)/DECEMBER 16th (5th Grade).
FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS: This 10 WAYS TO HELP document lists a number of things you can do to help assure your student of a positive science fair experience. Please read through this document to see how you can help your child be successful in science (and other subjects as well :>)). .
PURPOSE and HYPOTHESIS PDFs -- The PURPOSE must answer a question. In one or two sentences the student should describe what they are attempting to They HYPOTHESIS is another (scientific) word for prediction or educated guess. It is also called a testable idea that is compared to a control group (something where nothing changes.) It can be written as a question: • What causes optical illusions? but it is better to write it as a factual statement: • Temperatures will affect the growth of crystals. You can start your hypothesis with the following sentence: "I predict that ____________________," of follow the If/Then statement idea and go with "if I do this, then this will happen.
Your student will need to complete a final paper as part of the science fair experience. The EXAMPLE SCIENCE FAIR PAPER shows you a very general idea of what the paper will look like in terms of sections to include. The SCIENCE FAIR PAPER FORMAT will go into much more detail. For example, section 5 on Research will give you guidelines and questions to ask yourself when collecting and summarizing your research. If your child would like to type their paper, that would be great. I ask that they follow the format of this packet. If your student would like to hand write their paper, they can do so directly on the PAPER TEMPLATE. Print it out and they can write right on the print out. I highly suggest that they print out a copy to take notes on so that when they have assignments to turn in they have all their notes in an organized place. They can then print another copy so that they can have a clean version to write their final copy on. A sloppy paper often reflects a sloppy grade. THE WRITTEN REPORT IS DUE FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2012 FOR BOTH 4TH AND 5TH GRADES.
The SCIENCE FAIR PAPER RUBRIC lists exactly what I will be looking for in the paper. If sections of the rubric are left off, points will be lost. If everything that is on the rubric is in the paper, scores will be higher. Please keep in mind that science fair will make up 50% of the third quarter grade. Make sure your student is thorough in their writing by helping them with the editing process.
If you have questions or problems viewing or printing any of these documents, please email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . |