This resource book presents 37 behavioral experiments that can be performed with commonly-found classroom animals including hamsters, gerbils, mice, goldfish, guppies, anolis lizards, kittens, and puppies. Each experiment explores the five steps of the scientific method: (1) Question; (2) Hypothesis; (3) Methods; (4) Result; and (5) Conclusion.…

This article reports the adoption of new policies to restrict experiments on animals in the elementary or secondary school classroom. The controversy involving animal welfare groups is discussed as it relates to animal abuse by students. (SA)

Describes a partnership between a fifth-grade teacher and a university methods professor that involved developing an elementary science fair project mentored by university students. Provides opportunities for elementary students to conduct scientific investigations to learn about science, and opportunities for education majors to have firsthand…

Focuses on the setting of a science and career fair; and discusses the use of cultural artifacts. Examines the use of folk dolls in a science and career fair. Includes background information and addresses the reasons for using the dolls. Includes references. (CMK)

Described is a teaching model for orienting the teachers to the role of facilitator and resource person during science fairing. Cites steps involved in carrying out a science project, examples of hypotheses, and illustrations of various components of a project. (RT)

Explains the advantages of having students write research proposals before conducting experiments for science fairs. Describes what should be in the research proposal. (PR)

Two chapters of the book, "Toward Inclusive Classrooms," are abstracted here. The chapters concern team teaching a seventh-grade science class and developing a sixth-grade science exhibition. They show how teachers cooperated to plan for inclusion of students with disabilities, how difficulties were handled, evaluation procedures, and…

Presents an insider's view of the judging process at science fairs from a former student participant who has performed as a judge at many science fairs. Discusses who the judges are, on what judges tend to focus, parental involvement, gifted students and outside help, the interview process, and the formal rules of judging. (JJK)

Describes problems with school science fairs including poor judging and a lack of understanding by the students of their own projects. Suggests improvements to the system. One suggestion is for science fair projects to be displayed only in classrooms and not district or regional fairs. (PR)

This article explores analogy as a communicative tool used by parents to relate children's past experiences to unfamiliar concepts. Two studies explored how similarity comparisons and relational analogies were used in parent-child conversations about science topics. In Study 1, 98 family groups including 4- to 9-year-olds explored two science…

The purpose of the technology fair is to enhance technological problem-solving skills. This article discusses a technology fair centered on a university/school partnership, which raised the level of complexity both with administrative and scientific issues. The end result of such partnerships is that schools have the opportunity to demonstrate an…

This guide includes complete installation descriptions of 30 exhibits. They include: the adjustable birthday cake, ball-in-tube, Bernoulli Box, chain wave, collapsible truss bridge, double wave device, eddy currents raceway, full-length mirror, geodesic domes, giant magnetic tangrams, harmonic cantilever, hyperboloid of revolution, lifting lever,…

Each year, beginning in the early spring, Department of Defense Dependent Schools, Pacific Region conducts a Junior Science and Humanities Symposium program. The information for putting together such a program is contained in this document. Students are invited to conduct original research in the sciences, mathematics, the humanities, and computer…

A science and engineering fair is a competition based on the quality of projects done by students, the results of which are reported through exhibits and oral presentations at the fair. Fairs operate on a step basis. Students who win in small, local fairs, move to a city fair, then to a regional fair, and may be chosen to represent that fair in…

A science and engineering fair is a competition based on the quality of projects done by students, the results of which are reported through exhibits and oral presentations at the fair. Fairs operate on a step basis. Students who win in small fairs such as a local fair, move to a city fair, then to a regional fair, and may be chosen to represent…