Welcome Parents and Students

 Purpose of workshop ◦ Help your son with his project ◦ Help his teacher with time  It will be difficult to help all students  Will be a big help if parents check their sons’ work to get things right the first time ◦ Educate parents on what is expected to go into the project so they are prepared to correct/help with their sons’ project

 For the student to become an expert in their topic  Be able to conduct successful research using credible/reliable sources  Turn what students find about their topic into a well written, scientific paper  Presenting information on a display board

 I will provide a file folder for your son to turn in his work ◦ Folder needs to stay at school  Checklist  Final approval  Hit deadlines ◦ Even if its not a perfect draft ◦ Students need to follow through in getting that FINAL Draft turned in and approved  MyBackpack will also show comments if things were turned in on time, if its been approved, etc

 Students create a “Science Fair” folder on their flash drives  Should save their files with: ◦ First Name ◦ Last Name ◦ Portion of Project  If ed to me, it is easier to know what I’m looking at  For example(s):  Jennifer Baron Research Plan  Jennifer Baron Title Page  Jennifer Baron Abstract

 1 inch margins  Double spaced  Size 12 font  Times New Roman  Proper punctuation, spelling, grammar  Don’t need name block! ◦ Items will be put automatically in the science fair folder once collected

 Students should turn in a typed page of their final topic

 Highly recommended to do early on  Topic still needs to be approved  Deadline for topic change/approval Tuesday, October 20, 2009  Needs to make-up/redo any assignments given to go with new topic ◦ Research plan ◦ Abstract/purpose statement ◦ Introduction ◦ Etc

 Should be thoughtful and creative  Of interest to the student  Challenging!! (Oh NO, hard work!)  Can cover all areas of science (computer science, electronics, astronomy, health, environmental, physiological, chemical, etc…)  At the State Science Fair, there are subject specific prizes/scholarships/$$$ ◦ Some areas of science are more popular than others ◦ This year I’m seeing more topics that could possibly qualify for the subjects which aren’t as popular, that’s a benefit!!

 Been There, Done That ◦ Volcano Models ◦ Mentos and Coke ◦ Growing mold on bread, cheese, food, etc…  Opinions/Personal Preference ◦ Which football shoes help me run faster? ◦ What baseball bat will hit the ball farther?  If an experiment, should be testable/measureable ◦ Which soda is more fizzy? ◦ How long will the flavor of gum last?

 Dangerous experiments ◦ Explosions ◦ Chemicals  Cruelty to animals  Certain tests with human subjects ◦ Special forms ◦ Permission  Guardians approval/signature

 Display  Research  Confusing terms!

 “Display”  No Experiment  Conduct research on topic and basically write and in depth, informational report  “Research”  Experiment  Conduct research on topic ◦ Helps give student background on their topic ◦ What to expect during an experiment  Write and in depth, informational report, with an analysis of what you learned from the experiment

 This is to help students set up a plan on what they will be doing for research or their experiments  What kinds of sources they will use  If doing an experiment, how will they set it up (variables, safety, number of trials)

 Must be approved  Turned in Final Draft form ◦ If revisions are necessary

 It is alright if it is not successful!  A hypothesis does not need to be always right ◦ Careful wording…  Supported  Not supported  Proven  True  False  Experiments don’t need to always go well ◦ Prediction ◦ Trials ◦ Discuss New Modifications and Why  New hypothesis ◦ New Predictions ◦ New Trials ◦ More Modifications??

 Misunderstanding  “If I add research to my paper, my experiment will be wrong!!”  Research from sources are to help provide a foundation for what students should be looking for

 Start writing parts of report  Start experimentation ◦ Documentation  When you started?  What you did for experiment?  Observations  Library/Computer Lab Time ◦ Use time wisely  Report format is all laid out for students  8 th graders from last year should know what is expected

 Double check… ◦ Spelling ◦ Grammar ◦ Punctuation ◦ Formatting

 What’s credible? What’s not?  Proper citation format ◦ Importance of giving credit to who deserves it  Bibliography ◦ Minimum 5 sources  Many complaints from students ◦ The more sources you have, the more in depth, complete, and credible the report/project

 Wikipedia ◦ Anyone can input their own information  Google, Yahoo ◦ Search engines ◦ is not a source

 I have some to purchase ◦ $10  Examples  Expectations ◦ Should be typed ◦ Big enough font to read ◦ Pictures  Give credit to sources  Photographer  With minors you need signed permission from parents/guardians