Colorado State Science Fair, Inc.
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Resource List
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Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards Humans, especially children, are naturally curious. Yet, people often balk at the thought of learning science - the"eyes glazed over" syndrome. Teachers may find teaching science a major challenge in an era when science ranges from the hardly imaginable quark to the distant, blazing quasar. Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards is the book that educators have been waiting for - a practical guide to teaching inquiry and teaching through inquiry, as recommended by the National Science Education Standards. This will be an important resource for educators who must help school boards, parents, and teachers understand "why we can't teach the way we used to." "Inquiry" refers to the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and in which students grasp science knowledge and the methods by which that knowledge is produced. This book explains and illustrates how inquiry helps students learn science content, master how to do science, and understand the nature of science. This book explores the dimensions of teaching and learning science as inquiry for K-12 students across a range of science topics. Detailed examples help clarify when teachers should use the inquiry-based approach and how much structure, guidance, and coaching they should provide. The book dispels myths that may have discouraged educators from the inquiry-based approach and illuminates the subtle interplay between concepts, processes, and science as it is experienced in the classroom. Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards shows how to bring the standards to life, with features such as classroom vignettes exploring different kinds of inquiries for elementary, middle, and high school and Frequently Asked Questions for teachers, responding to common concerns such as obtaining teaching supplies. Turning to assessment, the committee discusses why assessment is important, looks at existing schemes and formats, and addresses how to involve students in assessing their own learning achievements. In addition, this book discusses administrative assistance, communication with parents, appropriate teacher evaluation, and other avenues to promoting and supporting this new teaching paradigm. |
Students and Research: Practical Strategies for Science Classrooms
and Competitions This edition of Students and Research is presented in four parts:
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Science Experiments By The Hundreds Learning to experiment is an important part of knowing science as well as a useful strategy for solving everyday problems in a more systematic way. Develop the inquiry skills of beginning researchers - and their parents - with the unique publication. Through numerous experiments involving materials commonly found within homes, students learn the basic parts of an experiment, strategies for writing safe procedures, methods for analyzing data, and effective ways to write about and present experimental results. Practice problems and methods of self-assessment are found throughout. This publication will enable students to turn their interests into their very own original experiment. |
The Scientific American Book of Great Science Fair Projects A special collection of science fair projects from the science authority: Scientific American magazine. From its groundbreaking magazine to its Frontiers television series, Scientific American has long been at the forefront of popularizing science in America. Now, kids can discover the excitement of science with these fascinating and illuminating science projects based on the long-standing and well-respected "Amateur Scientist" column in Scientific American. Kids will learn how to make their own clouds, model a fossil, grow hydroponic plants, start a mineral collection, photograph a lunar eclipse, make nonnewtonian fluids (slime!), and much more. Whether kids want to find a great idea for a science fair project, or just want to learn more about the world around them, they'll have endless hours of scientific fun with this book. |
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Super Science Fair Sourcebook This book can help students, teachers and parents prepare for a science
fair. It gives lots of project ideas along with tips from concept to presentation.
This book also has a section on the use of computers for information. |
The Complete Handbook of Science Fair Projects This book discusses various aspects of science fair project research including advice on choosing a topic, doing research, developing experiments, organizing data results and presenting a project to the judges. A useful addition to the new version is a chapter that details the evolution of an award-winning project from an inspired idea to the final presentation. The narrative covers a four-year period, illustrating the work and perseverance that often goes into a successful project. |
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Science Experiments and Projects for Students Science Experiments and Projects for Students is the student version of Students and Research. It is recommended for advanced middle and senior high students. Also known as the yellow book, Science Experiments for Students expands your students' ability to inquire and discover. This interactive book requires students to take action, do activities, collect data, and answer questions. With practice, your students learn experimental design, data collection and statistical analysis, library research, and effective ways to write about and present experimental findings, both in the classroom and in competitions. With Science Experiments for Students, your students can create and conduct original experiments and can assess their work using a variety of check sheets. Various levels of sophistication are included so that students begin with structured activities, do practice problems, and reach "the world class level" when they design their own experiments. |
How to Do a Science Fair Project In recent years, there have been a handful of books offering intelligent advice on how to participate in a science fair. This complete revision of a 1986 title is one of them. The author provides advice on how to select a project, conduct the research, and present the results. A list of do's and don'ts includes a discussion of what works as a project topic and what doesn't. One table lists addresses for accessing indexes to find information on the internet. Short vignettes of how students tackled real science fair projects illustrate the key points. The accounts of how students dealt with bad data, results that contradicted their original hypothesis, and experimental results that raised more questions than they answered are particularly helpful. The author also provides a list of science supply companies. |
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Internet Resource List
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Intel International Science and Engineering Fair If you have a student who is interested in participating in a science fair and hopes to qualify for an Intel ISEF affiliated fair, the resources at this site can help:
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Science Buddlies Science Buddies offers a number of resources for students and teachers:
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Spotlight on Science Fairs This site includes ideas for science fair projects, tips for completing a project, sample projects, and other resources for students and teachers. |
California State Science Fair The California State Science Fair web site has an excellent resources page of science fair links to help teachers and students get started with projects including other science fairs and school district resource pages. There is also a frequently asked questions and sources of information for students, judges, parents, and advisors. Students can see the projects of previous winners and get help with their own project. |
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Science Fair Central This web site developed by the Discovery Channel includes a science fair organizer for teachers to get ready for science fairs. Sections include:
There is also a Student Handbook for science fairs. |
Science Fair Primer This is a teacher developed site that is put together to help students develop science fair projects. It takes a student through the following steps:
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Colorado Division of Wildlife This web site provides questions about wildlife that students can use to create a science fair project. Such questions include:
There are also links to existing data banks that a student might find relevant to his/her research. |
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State Science Fair, Inc. All rights reserved.
Last modified 10/12/07