Science projects were easier in elementary school. Back then, you could send a model rocket, an egg sucked into a bottle, or a simple scientific report on electricity. It’s different in high school. Middle school science teachers want creative ideas, specific items, in-depth research, and detailed records of the entire science fair process.
Finding a middle school science project that meets all of these criteria has always been a challenge for our family. Our teachers wanted a research project based on experiments for the science fair. There are five different types of science projects, but most of the books in the library had projects that were actually demonstrations or models. It is very important that you read the instructions from your teacher and/or the science fair, and make sure that the project your child chooses falls into the correct category, especially in middle school.
Here are the five types of projects.
1. Research projects – Most science fairs require students to submit a scientific research project. This type of project has an experiment that tests a hypothesis. The experiment will follow the scientific method and may require a control group. (If you’re not familiar with this vocabulary, check out the free resource below.)
An example of a research project would be “How does salt affect the boiling point of water?” This can easily be checked with our experiment, which adds different amounts of salt to water and records the temperature at which it boils.
If you see the words experiment, scientific method, control, and/or variable in the project instructions, you probably need a research project. As mentioned before, they are not easy to find.
two. demo projects – In this type of project a student demonstrates a scientific principle, and many times the teacher wants it to be presented in front of the class as an oral report. No actual experiment is performed, because there will be no control or different variables.
3. Investigation project – Basically, this is a scientific report. Students research a topic and write what they discovered. Any type of scientific topic can be used for a research project.
Four. Models – For a model project, models are built to explain a scientific principle or structure.
5. collections – In this type of project a collection of objects is shown to give an overview of a topic. An example would be a rock collection or exhibit showing images of various animals in a specific family.
Each middle school science fair will have slightly different criteria for projects. As you search for a project, make sure it’s the type of project your school requires. If you need help, check out the “Non-Scientist Parent’s Guide to Science Fair Projects,” which has guides for all different types of science projects, including ones based on experiments! There’s a vocabulary list that gives simple definitions for those vocabulary words you learned in high school, but quickly forgot.
Believe it or not, science projects are designed to help students learn about science. Find out what kind of project your school requires, and you’ll be one step closer to showing your child how fun science can be.
