I Wanted to Update You on a Few Things About the Science Showcase and Requirements

Happy Fall!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and looking forward to the week. Thank you for providing your email address so that we can stay in better communication. I have added your names to an AIG group email so that I can send out information regarding AIG. Now that we’ve had a few weeks to settle into school, the students and I are beginning to learn each other’s personality and make connections. I enjoy each and every one of the students and look forward to an exciting rest of the year. I wanted to update you on a few things about the Science Showcase and requirements.

The Science Showcases for the district will be on various days during the week of November 16 th from 9-12 at each school. The boards will be displayed in the media center for the judges and other classes to come in and view. Your child will have 3-5 minutes with the judges to explain all about their individual project. We will gradually work on each part as we get ready for the Nov. Showcase.

At this time, students are working on coming up with a “question” they want to test for the Science Fair. In class this week, we are discussing how to come up with a topic they are interested in learning more about and then researching their products and finding answers.

All of the information we tell the students is on our live binder under various tabs. This website is a wonderful source to stay current on what we are covering in class. Under the yellow “Questions and Ideas” tab, you will find the guiding questions for deciding on a topic, a list of possible experiments as well as a list of helpful websites for deciding on a topic. Most students have decided on a question to use for the Scientific Method. Please make sure you agree with your child’s choice as I will do the same. Once they have narrowed down a question, they should begin researching the components to form a hypothesis, which will be next.

You will also see a tab with due dates for the Science project. These are just a recommendation to help with the progress over the next two months. It’s easy for students to run out of time with this challenging project. I hope you will find the Live Binder useful. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask because I’m sure others have the same question. The web address will be posted on my website, District AIG site as well as in the student’s notebook.

Once the experiment is completed, students will need to begin gathering their data so they can start typing everything up and ready to present on the board. Everything must be attached to the board that the students want judged. We will watch video’s, practice the steps to problem solving and have lots of discussions to help the students understand the Scientific Method and how to make a thorough Science Project. I look forward to seeing how all this creativity turns out!! 

Live Binder - http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/1457985

Google Classroom- A web resource that allows teachers and students to stay connected and share resources. This is a place all AIG students can have discussions with each other and with myself. It also allows me to communicate with the students when I am at another school. This replaces Edmodo that we have used in the past. I hope the students will use this resource to communicate with other AIG students. I will introduce to the students in the coming weeks.

Advanced Math- During class, we will use a program called Perennial Math and Superstars to challenge the students with above-grade level math problems. We will have friendly competitions with some of these advanced problems during class. I do not expect students to master these but rather exposed to the vocabulary and procedures.

Because we are at various schools, email is the best way to get ahold of us or you can leave a message and we will get back with you as soon as possible. I look forward to an exciting year in AIG.

If you are not receiving emails from me, please make sure to send in your most current email address!! Thanks, Janet Hambrick & Dawn McDaniel