Transcript Slide 1

“Incorporating National
Science Standards into
Science Fair Projects”
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Michael Lopatka
What are the National Science
Education Standards?
The National Research Council released the
National Science Education Standards in
December of 1995. The Standards define
the science content that all students
should know and be able to do and provide
guidelines for assessing the degree to which
students have learned that content.
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/
What are the National Science
Education Standards?
The Standards detail the teaching
strategies, professional development, and
support necessary to deliver high quality
science education to all students. The
Standards also describe policies needed to
bring coordination, consistency, and
coherence to science education programs.
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/
Why do we need the Standards?
Understanding science offers personal
fulfillment and excitement.
Citizens need scientific information and
scientific ways of thinking in order to make
informed decisions.
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/
Why do we need the Standards?
Business and industry need entry-level
workers with the ability to learn, reason,
think creatively, make decisions, and solve
problems.
Strong science and mathematics education
can help our nation and individual citizens
improve and maintain their economic
productivity.
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/
Science Content Standards
Overview……
Unifying concepts and processes in
science.
Science as inquiry.
Physical science.
Life science.
Earth and space science.
Science and technology.
Science in personal and social
perspective.
History and nature of science.
Who developed the Standards?
Committees and working groups of
scientists, teachers, and other educators
appointed by the National Research Council
developed the Standards. They engaged in a
four-year process that involved review and
critique by 22 science education and
scientific organizations and broad state and
local participation of over 18,000
individuals, including scientists, science
educators, teachers, school
administrators, and parents.
Why Use the Standards?
The national consensus that resulted from
this process gives the Standards a special
credibility. Educators throughout the
country who use them to form changes in
science education programs can be assured
that the Standards represent the highest
quality thinking this country can provide
its citizens.
Why National Science Education
Standards?
The term "standard" has multiple
meanings. Science education standards
are criteria to judge quality: the
quality of what students know and are
able to do.
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/
Why National Science Education
Standards?
A hallmark of American education is local
control, where boards of education and
teachers make decisions about what
students will learn. National standards
present criteria by which judgements can be
made by state and local school personnel and
communities, helping them to decide which
curriculum, staff development activity, or
assessment program is appropriate.
Some Problems Facing Science Fair
Future Competitions?
Budget Cuts
Time Constraints
Standardized Test Preparation
Paperwork
E
Convincing District Administration
Science Fair and National Science
Standards Correlations............
DESIGN AND CONDUCT SCIENTIFIC
INVESTIGATIONS !
Designing and conducting a scientific
investigation requires introduction to the major
concepts in the area being investigated, proper
equipment, safety precautions, assistance with
methodological problems, recommendations for
use of technologies, clarification of ideas that
guide the inquiry, and scientific knowledge
obtained from sources other than the actual
investigation.
Clearing Display and
Safety
Science Fair and National Science
Standards Correlations............
DESIGN AND CONDUCT SCIENTIFIC
INVESTIGATIONS !
The investigation may also require student
clarification of the question, method, controls,
and variables; student organization and display
of data; student revision of methods and
explanations; and a public presentation of the
results with a critical response from peers.
Regardless of the scientific investigation
performed, students must use evidence, apply
logic, and construct an argument for their
proposed explanations.
Testing Our Hypothesis
You Get Back
What You Put Into
A Project
Science Fair and National Science
Standards Correlations............
USE TECHNOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS
TO IMPROVE INVESTIGATIONS AND
COMMUNICATIONS!
Variety of technologies, such as hand tools,
measuring instruments, and calculators, are an
integral component of scientific investigations. The
use of computers for the collection, analysis, and
display of data is also a part of this standard.
Mathematics plays an essential role in all aspects of
an inquiry. For example, measurement is used for
posing questions, formulas are used for developing
explanations, and charts and graphs are used for
communicating results.
Is this
you?
Science Fair and National Science
Standards Correlations............
FORMULATE AND REVISE SCIENTIFIC
EXPLANATIONS AND MODELS USING
LOGIC AND EVIDENCE!
Student inquiries should culminate in
formulating an explanation or model. Models
should be physical, conceptual, and mathematical.
In the process of answering the questions, the
students should engage in discussions and
arguments that result in the revision of their
explanations. These discussions should be based
on scientific knowledge, the use of logic, and
evidence from their investigation.
Science Fair and National Science
Standards Correlations............
RECOGNIZE AND ANALYZE
ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATIONS AND
MODELS!
This aspect of the standard emphasizes the critical
abilities of analyzing an argument by reviewing
current scientific understanding, weighing the
evidence, and examining the logic so as to decide
which explanations and models are best. In other
words, although there may be several plausible
explanations, they do not all have equal weight.
Students should be able to use scientific criteria to
find the preferred explanations.
Problem
solving
Science Fair and National Science
Standards Correlations............
COMMUNICATE AND DEFEND A
SCIENTIFIC ARGUMENT!
Students in school science programs should develop
the abilities associated with accurate and
effective communication. These include writing and
following procedures, expressing concepts,
reviewing information, summarizing data, using
language appropriately, developing diagrams and
charts, explaining statistical analysis, speaking
clearly and logically, constructing a reasoned
argument, and responding appropriately to critical
comments.
“Say… What’s a mountain goat doing way up
here in a Cloud Bank?”
Science Fair and National Science
Standards Correlations............
Physical Science NS.9-12.2
Structure of atoms
Structure and properties of matter
Chemical reactions
Motions and forces
Conservation of energy and increase in disorder
Interactions of energy and matter
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/6e.html
#csa912
Science Fair and National Science
Standards Correlations............
Life Science NS.9-12.3
The cell
Molecular basis of heredity
Biological evolution
Interdependence of organisms
Matter, energy, and organization in living systems
Behavior of organisms
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/6e.html
#csa912
Science Fair and National Science
Standards Correlations............
Earth and Space Science NS.9-12.4
Energy in the earth system
Geochemical cycles
Origin and evolution of the earth system
Origin and evolution of the universe
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/6e.html
#csa912
Science Fair and National Science
Standards Correlations............
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
NS.9-12.6
Personal and community health
Population growth
Natural resources
Environmental quality
Natural and human-induced hazards
Science and technology in local, national,
and global challenges
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses/html/6e.html
#csa912
Science Fair and National Science
Standards Correlations............
IDENTIFY QUESTIONS AND
CONCEPTS THAT GUIDE SCIENTIFIC
INVESTIGATIONS!
Students should formulate a testable hypothesis
and demonstrate the logical connections between
the scientific concepts guiding a hypothesis and the
design of an experiment. They should demonstrate
appropriate procedures, a knowledge base, and
conceptual understanding of scientific
investigations.
Science Fair and National Science
Standards Correlations............
Occasionally, there are advances in science and technology
History
and Nature
of Science
that
have important
and long-lasting
effectsNS.9-12.7
on science and
society. Examples include: Copernican revolution, Newtonian
mechanics, Relativity,
time scale,
Plate tectonics
ScienceGeologic
as a human
endeavor
Atomic theory
Nuclear
Biological
evolution, Germ
Nature
ofphysics,
scientific
knowledge
theory, Industrial revolution, Molecular biology,
perspectives
Information and Historical
communication,
Quantum theory, Galactic
universe, Medical and health technology.
Newtonian mechanics
Relativity
Geologic time scale
Plate tectonics
Atomic theory
Nuclear physics
Biological evolution



Science Fair and National Science
Standards Correlations............
Multidisciplinary
Narrative Writing
Comparing and Contrasting Main Idea
Recognizing Cause and Effect
Oral Presentation
History
Synthesizing Information and Drawing
Conclusions
NSTA
“Standards are not a curriculum. They
are not a set of lesson plans. They are
goals for achievement that are
appropriate for all members of the
science education community”.
The Ultimate Guide to Science Fair Projects
“One of the best science fair primers we've yet seen.”
This "Ultimate" Guide was written specifically for the
science student embarking on their first science fair
project or for those students who have tried and
"stumbled" in the past.
……easy to follow guide covers getting started, gathering
information, documenting work, designing the
experiment, datalogging and processing, and presenting
the project with insight into what science fair judges
are looking for.
Exercise #19 – Appropriate Subjects and
Projects Check List
Correlation to National Standard
Found in Index
Q
6
Answer all of the questions below
honestly. (Use N/A if the question does not
apply to your research)
____ Do I have enough subjects to make
my project scientifically and statistically
valid?
____ Am I using a representative crosssection of the population?
Analyzing Data
Q
12
After the painstaking task of
collecting your data, it’s very
important to determine what it all
means. In other words, how will you
interpret your results? After either
proving or rejecting your hypothesis,
you will need to apply a statistical
significance to your outcome. That is,
do your results really prove or
disprove your hypothesis, or could
these results have been arrived at by
chance alone?
“The Ultimate Guide to Science Fair Projects”
Why Science Fair?
Why Science Fair?


Science Fair brings National Standards to life
(Reading, Writing, Math and Science) as well as
integrates State Science Standards!
Student research promotes skills that are essential
in the job force:
*Teamwork * Honesty * Time Management
*Responsibility
* Discipline
*Ethics
* Organization Skills