Grades 7-8: How are things going? I hope your planning is going well and that you have been able to identify a problem you are hoping to solve through the engineering process! Check out the following slide show about how to plan and refine prototypes in your project.

Grades 3-6: I hope your planning is going well! Please check in with your science teacher about your ideas before moving forward with your project. Check out the following slide show about how to plan an experiment to go with your Testable Question.

Your science fair project will show how you used the Scientific Method to solve a problem or answer a question.

Check out this video summarizing the steps scientists use to solve problems:

As you think of ideas for your science fair project, look for things happening in the world around you that make you ask questions. A scientific question is one that can be tested!

A great place to find some testable questions is at this website:

Science Fair Central – Investigation Starters

HOMEWORK: Email your project idea or testable question to your science teacher by Fri. 3/20.

Engineering, like science, always starts by identifying a problem.

Check out this video about the engineering process:

On a global scale, we are looking at ways to eliminate or redesign single-use plastics products to reduce waste and pollution. Your engineering problem will identify a single issue, product, or behavior related to plastic waste that you would like to research and find a solution to.

HOMEWORK: Email your project idea or engineering problem to your science teacher by Fri. 3/20

Engineering Maker Fair

Grades 7-8 will focus on creating and testing something using the engineering process! 

The Engineering Process involves:

1. Defining the problem
2. Background research
3. Specifying Requirements
4. Creating a Solution
5. Building a prototype
6. Testing and Redesigning
7. Communicating results

The guidelines for this project are deliberately OPEN-ENDED to allow students the opportunity to develop their own creativity and innovation!

This year, our theme is: REDUCE PLASTIC WASTE

Using the engineering process, students will develop/innovate in a way that inspires reducing, reusing, and REPLACING plastic waste in our everyday lives!

Get some inspiration on the Maker Fair Pinterest Page!

About the Maker-movement:

The first “Maker-Faire” was held in the San Francisco Bay area in 2006, since then the idea is gaining momentum.  Kansas City has been hosting a yearly community “Maker-Faire” since 2011 at Union Station.

The purpose of a Maker-Fair is to be a showcase of innovation, creativity and resourcefulness!

Check out these links to get a better idea what a Maker is:

Kansas City Maker-Faire:  http://www.makerfairekc.com/about

The Original Maker-Faire School page: http://makerfaire.com/global/school

10 Teen Inventors Who Will Inspire You

7 Incredible Inventions by Teens

Kenneth Shinozuka TED jr. Presentation

Science Inquiry Fair

Grades 3-6 will focus on using the Scientific Method to answer question and solve everyday problems.

The Scientific Method involves:

1. Making observations and asking a testable question.
2. Forming a Hypothesis, or educated guess about the problem.
3. Creating a fair test to collect data about the problem.
4. Analyzing data and looking for patterns.
5. Drawing conclusions about the problem, and asking more questions!

Please use the planning guide to organize your work as you complete the project. The completed project should be structured like this:

If possible, please include the actual results of your experiments, or photographs to show what you did.

The judging criteria will look like this: