Today, Tuesday, December 9, I gave the students the outline for the Science Fair Projects.  It's pretty much the same as last year.  It is due Tuesday, January 20, 2015, so they have PLENTY of time to work on it.  I told them that they have two whole weeks off for Christmas vacation, so that is the best time to do most of the work.  Waiting until the week before will cause undue stress for both students AND parents.  So please don't wait until the last minute.

I explained to the students that it needs to be THEIR OWN work.  Parents and siblings can help, of course, but I want the majority of the project to be from the student.  Each student is required to give an oral explanation of their project & if someone else did most of the work, he/she won't be able to discuss it in class.

The students are allowed to work in a group.  There should be only 2 or 3 students in a group.  I must approve the groups BEFORE Christmas vacation!  If your child is working in a group, please make sure that ALL the students in the group play an equal role.  No one should be doing all the work.  No one should be sitting back & doing nothing.  That won't be fair.  Make sure you get the parents' numbers so everyone can work together.  I don't want emails in January stating that you couldn't get a hold of a parent over the vacation.  Please figure out the logistics BEFORE the vacation.  Working in a group is a decision for the student AND the parent.  If you prefer that your child works alone because it will be easier on you, that is fine.

There are many books and websites that can help with the projects, but please don't just copy the experiment.  As with all assignments & projects, I want the students to learn something.  I want them to enjoy working on their experiment.  In my opinion, having fun while working on this project is just as important as learning from it.

If you have any questions, please email me as soon as possible, preferably BEFORE Christmas vacation.  I do not have access to my email from home, so if you email me during the break, I won't be able to reply until we return in January.