It’s that time of year again! My goal is to make the school STEM Fair process as easy as possible. I will be hosting an informational meeting for 4th-8th year parents on Wednesday, October 10th at 5:30pm. The students were introduced to the STEM Fair during their Science lessons last week. During school hours, I will support the students in research, choosing variables, and creating their procedure. As parents, you are responsible for supporting your student at home. That includes understanding your child’s project, completing the required forms, supervising the experiment, and guiding your child in the layout and structure of their display board. As we have done in the past, the school will bulk order the boards and students are able to purchase them for a small fee. When the school orders the boards, we guarantee that they are the right size and color, and cheaper than purchasing one from Office Depot.
If your child needs some suggestions for a project, please look at the list that is provided by the District: PROJECT TOPICS
There is a difference between the expectations for grades 4-5 and grades 6-8. I see the STEM Fair as a learning process for the students in grades 4 and 5. Therefore, they will receive two separate grades from me: one for their STEM Fair packet and one for their STEM Fair board. The students will be judged by qualified community members but that grade will not be entered into FOCUS. That score is strictly to see who is advancing to the District STEM Fair in February. The students in grades 6-8 will receive a score from a judge and that score will be entered into FOCUS. Additionally, the students will receive a grade from me based on the ability to meet the due dates for their project and on the board.
STEM Fair Timeline for Grades 4-5:
Topic Selection: 10/15/2018
Signed Parent Acknowledgement Form: 10/15/2018
Research, References, Question/Problem, Hypothesis: 10/15/18
Materials, Procedure, Variables: 11/5/2018
Data and Results, Conclusion, Application, Abstract, Acknowledgement: 12/7/2018
Completed Project (board and packet brought to school): 12/13/2018
STEM Fair Timeline for Grades 6-8:
Topic Selection: 10/01/2018
Research Plan: 10/08/2018
All Signed Forms: 10/15/2018
Background Research and Works Cited Page in APA Format: 10/29/2018
Materials and Methods: 11/05/2018
First Data Trial Completed and Submitted for Approval: 11/16/2018
Completed Result Section (Data Tables and Graphs): 12/07/2018
Completed Project (board and logbook brought to school): 12/13/2018
Ms. Lindsey's Learners 