“The formulation of a problem is often

more essential than its solution.”

--Albert Einstein

An Introduction to Cobb County School’s

Standards-Based

Science Fair!

Mark the date: The Cobb County School District

Elementary Science Fair

Deadline: All entries MUST be registered by Wed., January 24, 2012

Saturday, February 4, 2011Wheeler High School

-Grades: 3-5-No more than 3 entries per

grade level per school-Group entries are allowed-Science notebooks or journals

are encouraged

Important Details:

Projects should:

Follow scientific methodAnswer question(s)Support results with data

Follow the Scientific Method

Define the questionForm a hypothesisPerform the experiment and collect dataAnalyze data Interpret data and communicate

conclusions

What Makes a Project Great?

Students come up with their own question based on their own interests

Students design an investigation to answer their question(s)

Great projects use… Best Practices…Student initiated and completedExperiment-basedData-driven results analyzed and

writtenNo thanks:

Models (Volcano, Robot, etc.) “Research only” projects

What Kind of Questions?

Do coffee grounds affect the growth of plants?

Which type of surface can an insect walk on best?

Which sunscreen blocks sunlight the best?

What food do mealworms like best?

How long does it take a candle to go out?

Examples:

The biggest problem…is choosing a problem!

Scientific Challenge

How do I display my results?

Quantitative data includes numbers and/or units of measure

Measurements: height, weight, voltage, time, distance, quantity

Data presentation: graph, matrix, table, etc.

Comparative data that validates (proves) conclusions

Display BoardPicturesProcedureData Notebook or

Journal

How do I display my results?

Select entries from your School Science Fair

Photos by Jennifer A. Gates

Judges use a standards-based rubric to assess all entries.

Each grade level is assessed individually.

Entries are set-up the morning of the fair.The fair is open to the public and students

can view all other entries.

Cobb District

Science Blog!

http://cicobb.typepad.com/es

/

Wheeler Fairs(Elementary, Middle & High)

Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012

Deadline for submissions and applications:

Wednesday, January 24, 2012

A standards-based rubric is

used to judge all entries (3-5). Use

it to judge your school fair and give students

exposure prior to the District Fair.

An information page is available

for download. Share it with

parents, PTSA, and post to your

school blog.

More info or email list?

Contact Jennifer A. GatesDistrict Fair Coordinator

Norton Park ESJennifer.gates@cobbk12.org

Want to Help?Volunteer Contacts

Jennifer A. Gates – Fair CoordinatorNorton Park ES

Jennifer.gates@cobbk12.org

Elizabeth Jefferson – Austell IntermediateElizabeth.jefferson@cobbk12.org

Sally Creel – District Science Supervisor K-5Sally.creel@cobbk12.org