Science Fair
Changemakers paving the future with innovation
The AIS Science Fair is a unique opportunity for students to showcase their scientific understanding and skills. The fair is designed to promote hands-on learning, experimentation and collaboration among students. Throughout the fair, students will have the chance to explore a phenomenon of their choice and design experiments to test their hypothesis. The fair aims to inspire a love of science and spark a lifelong passion for learning and discovery.
The fair takes place over an eight-week period and starts with an introduction to the process, methodology and assessment. During this time, students will form teams of 4 members, explore the phenomenon and design questions based on their curiosity. In week 3, students will select a research question, write a research proposal, and develop a hypothesis to be tested. In weeks 4 through 7, students will conduct research, design their experiments, collect data and analyze their results. They will then consolidate their research report and design a poster to present their findings. The final week of the AIS Science Fair is the Classificatories, where students will present their posters, research reports, and defend their projects to a jury in their regular classroom.
The winners of each class will receive training on scientific pitch for their presentation at the Science Fair Finals, which will take place at the AIS main stage where students will showcase their projects and demonstrate their scientific understanding to a wider audience.
The Approach
The fair is designed to follow the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and an inquiry-based for deep understanding approach. This means that students are encouraged to ask questions, explore the world around them, and engage in hands-on experimentation.
The scientific research process is at the heart of the AIS Science Fair. Students are expected to conduct rigorous research that follows the scientific method. This includes formulating a research question, conducting background research, creating a hypothesis, designing and conducting experiments, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions based on their findings.
Throughout this process, students are expected to demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills and communicate their research effectively to a wider audience.
In addition to the scientific research process, the AIS Science Fair also places a strong emphasis on the quality and depth of students' understanding. This means that students are expected to not only perform experiments but also to understand the underlying science behind their work.
This is achieved through the use of learning goals and success criteria, which help students focus their learning and ensure that they are making meaningful connections to their prior knowledge.
All projects will be applied research initiatives, following a quantitative paradigm and experimental designs. The reach of the research deepens as a progression from 2 to 11 grade;
exploratory (2-4),
descriptive (5-6),
explanatory (7-11).
Exploratory Research (2-4)
Exploratory research is often used to gather initial data and develop a deeper understanding of a phenomenon. The scope of exploratory research is usually broad and can involve a wide range of methods, such as observation, interviews, and surveys. The goal of exploratory research is to gather as much information as possible about the phenomenon being studied, and to generate new ideas and hypotheses.
Exploratory research is a type of research that is used to investigate a phenomenon in its early stages, with the goal of gaining a better understanding of the topic at hand. It is a preliminary study that is typically conducted when little is known about the topic or when the researcher needs to explore new ideas and concepts.
"Foundational Skills of the Scientific Method"
"Exploring Scientific Wonder"
Descriptive Research (5-6)
Descriptive research aims to describe a phenomenon, such as patterns of behavior or attitudes, without making any inferences about causes or relationships. The scope of descriptive research is usually narrow and focuses on describing a specific aspect of the phenomenon being studied. The goal of descriptive research is to gather information that can be used to develop a more complete picture of the phenomenon.
"Foundational Skills of the Scientific Method"
"Analyzing Scientific Data"
Explanatory Research (7-11)
Explanatory research is used to test hypotheses and explore cause-and-effect relationships between variables. The scope of explanatory research is typically narrower than exploratory research, as it focuses on a specific hypothesis or relationship. The goal of explanatory research is to determine the relationship between variables and to explain why the relationship exists.
Explanatory research is a type of research that aims to establish cause-and-effect relationships between variables. It is used to test hypotheses and explain the reasons behind the occurrence of a phenomenon.