For the next month and a half, our class will be investigating a science inquiry project of their choosing. This is an exciting time, as rarely do students get to choose a topic within a subject 100% on their own to study. We will be calling this our SCIENCE INQUIRY PROJECT.
Basically, as we model the steps of science (question, hypothesis, procedures, carry out investigation, collect data/observations, conclusion) with our class inquiry project, students will be just a few days behind with their personal SCIENCE INQUIRY PROJECT. Just about all science grades taken in the next 6 weeks will be based upon their personal SCIENCE INQUIRY PROJECT. On February 18th, their project will be due and we will hold a mini "Science Conference" in our classroom. Students will have 5 minutes to present their project and findings and celebrate the science they have accomplished.
I have planned this project during the same time of science fair. Now, I am not requiring any student this year to "do" SCIENCE FAIR. They may turn complete another science fair project and turn that in, OR they may simply use their SCIENCE INQUIRY PROJECT and enter that into the school's science fair. My goal is to simply excite students about science. Rather they want to be judged upon their project this year is up to them. However, their SCIENCE INQUIRY PROJECT will be of very high quality because of all the effort and discussions/modeling that will take place in the classroom. It would be an easy fit.
IF your child choses to enter a project in the school's SCIENCE FAIR, a packet will be going out this week. The entry form and IRB form (if needed) have specific due dates.
Please help build the excitement at home with their personal SCIENCE INQUIRY PROJECT. We will begin developing our class inquiry project next week based off of student questions we have been compiling on a list in the classroom. We will build mini "inquiry project notebooks" next week for their personal projects (this is where 90% of my grades will come from). They will develop their question/hypothesis/procedures next week after I have modeled them with our class project.
