Project: Preston Science Fair Projects

Teacher: Mary Klass
School: Preston Middle School
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado USA
Start Date: 09/12/2011
End Date: 12/22/2011
Project Plan
Unique Requests of
Participating Mentors:

The teacher is looking for 120 mentors to provide guidance on science fair projects for middle school students. You'll be reviewing student work and providing feedback from early September through early December. This is a great opportunity for students to learn the value of collaboration, iteration, and striving to work on topics that produce real change.

Description:

The student and mentor will work together to conduct a research project and present information in a web page or powerpoint presentation.

Benchmarks:

The effective use of cognitive processes to generate and link knowledge across the disciplines and in a variety of contexts. The process of identifying, locating, selecting, and using resource tools to help in analyzing, synthesizing, and communicating information. The identification and employment of appropriate tools, techniques, and technologies are essential to all learning processes. ELA-5-M1 Students locate, select, and synthesize information from a variety of texts, media, references, and technological sources to acquire and communicate knowledge. ELA-5-M4 Use available technology to produce, revise, and publish a variety of works. ELA-5_M5 Cite references using various formats (e.g., endnotes, bibliography)
Duration:

12
Grade Level:

7
Content Area:

Science
Student Outcomes:

Student will maintain a notebook with all correspondence and products. All students will create a powerpoint presentation or a web page to present the product.

Evaluation of
Student Outcomes:

Student will write a 300-word letter to mentor. The subject of the letter will be a self-evaluation of the project, including what the student did well, what he would like to have done to improve upon the project, and what the mentor contributed to the process.

Teacher Role:

Teacher's Role: Teacher will aid student in identifying research areas of interest. Teacher will help student shape research into hypotheses. Teacher will evaluate student products.

Mentor Role:

Mentor's Role Mentor will aid students in developing and researching questions related to current topics in science or social studies. Mentor will encourage student completion of project goals and edit student work before it is sent to experts or published.