Why we do the science fair?

The science fair is an inquiry project that engages students in investigating and devising an experiment that follows the scientific method, to seek and analyze answers through data collection and interpretation. Students are engaged in all the Maple Leaf Word School Key competencies.  

Maple Leaf World School Key Competencies: 

• Higher-level Thinking 
• Communication 
• Global Citizenship 

How is the science fair scaffolded to help the students with this inquiry project?

The science fair is separated into several stages throughout the semester to balance the workload so that students can manage their time more effectively and learn about their chosen topic throughout the semester. Students work in groups based on their grade level.

Proposal: Students submit their proposed topic and research to the teacher for formative feedback. Then they have the opportunity to gain peer feedback and use the teacher’s feedback to submit their final proposal for marks.

Jigsaw Puzzle: Students present their topic and experiment proposal to their peers. Their peers ask questions and critically assess how the project could be improved.

Analysis: Following the experiment, students submit the results, discussion, and conclusion individually to ensure all students are capable of interpreting the results and drawing conclusions from them.

Class Presentations: Students present their projects to the class. The classmates are given another opportunity to ask critical questions to the presenters. Teachers assess the students based on their scientific investigations and presentation skills. Teachers then choose the best projects from each campus to participate against other schools in our system science fair.

Reflections: Students are asked to reflect on their efforts, teamwork, and learning from the science fair projects. They are also asked for feedback on how the science fair project could improve.

Rubrics: Each assessment has a rubric that clearly outlines what students require to reach the “Excellent” level. This way all of our science teachers can feel comfortable assessing the students without bias. Furthermore, students know exactly what the requirements are for this project.

People who contributed to the system-wide Science Fair

All the Science Department Heads, thank you for your dedication to Science and leadership.

A special thank you to Patrick Thalheimer, Jacalyn Kersey and Nick Anthony for all your guidance and support of the Science Fair!

Lastly to all our students, thank you for your participation and hard work throughout the semester!