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Hi. This is Brian again... a science teacher in Chicago and guest blogger at Science Buddies this fall as I work to help organize our school's first science fair.

What I'm discovering is that when you decide to run a science fair, you have to have some clear goals and objectives.

According to Science Buddies' "Guide to Planning a Science Fair," the first two steps in planning a science fair are to set the date and set the goals.

The goals for my school's first science fair are pretty simple:

1. Get all students to participate in some way.
2. Help them have as much success and fun doing science projects as possible.
3. Try to involve other subjects as much as possible in supporting the students.
4. Build towards better and stronger projects so our students can have success at the national level.

Getting Teacher Buy-In

Now, I love the idea of a science fair, which you probably guessed because I'm writing this blog, and I have this belief that all science teachers should be super excited about the idea of a school science fair as well.

That is not always the case.

Tuesday was my first opportunity to talk with the other teachers at the school about our science fair. In preparation for meeting with them, on Monday I sent copies of two Science Buddies' resources, "Teachers guide to Science Projects" and the "Your Question Handout" for students.

In the meeting on Tuesday, I got some typical resistance:

1. how much class time is this going to take up?
2. how are we going to get the students, especially our low income students, the resources they need?
3. when are they going to get into the lab?
4. what if the projects are not high quality enough?

I was ready with some answers.

How much class time is this going to take up?

Help them choose the topic in class, but otherwise it is up to you how much time you use in class to work on science fair projects. If you have available class time or need to fill a few days, let them do research in class. Science fair projects are supposed to add to education in the classroom not displace it. It's a good idea to have check-in assignments for the students to complete. This shows they are working on their projects and allows you to ensure no one gets left behind. They can complete those worksheets or check-in logs on their own.

How are we going to get the students, especially our low income students, the resources they need?

Where there is a will, there is a way. And many projects don't cost that much. Here in Chicago, the district actually has micro grants that students can apply for to get their projects funded. Using DonorsChoose is another option, if you plan ahead. All communities have resources you can access for your students to enable top notch projects without breaking the bank, but you often have to start the projects to qualify for resources.

When are they going to get into the lab?

At my school, it is my job as a department chair to be in the lab after school. I think lab time is the best time to build relationships with students that will pay off in the classroom. Pick a day and stay until 4:30 to help your students in the lab each week. It will pay off more than grading papers or making Powerpoint presentations.

What if the projects are not high quality enough?

Who cares? Right now they are not doing any projects. This is a time for them to build the skills of life-long learners. Even if they do a super basic project, they stand to learn something. Eventually, I believe, the projects will get better.

So, I think right now everyone feels pretty good. We came to a few decisions, as well. We decided to allow group projects especially for our ELL and SPED population. We also decided to allow students to build Rube Goldberg Machines as science fair projects. Such projects are not completely science-based, but they involve applied Physics and Chemistry.

Next week, I'm going to try to get into each teacher's classroom for one period to help him or her use the Topic Selection Wizard to find projects with students. Teachers can then use the Topic Selection Wizard with the rest of their classes.

I'll be back in a few weeks to let you know how it goes!

~ Brian

Hi everyone my name is Brian Hayes. I am going to be a guest teacher blogger here at Science Buddies sharing my experiences as I attempt to start up and run a science fair at my school this fall.

Here is a little about me so you know who you're dealing with:

• I teach at a charter school in the Rodgers Park neighborhood of Chicago.
• It is a school of about 550 and serves kids in grades 6-12.
• I teach AP Biology for mostly seniors and Earth and Space Science for freshmen.
• The Earth and Space Science class took me awhile to get used to, but now I am really enjoying it.
• This will be my third year at the school. Prior to that, I taught at Jefferson High School in Portland, OR.

This will be the first year our school will have its own science fair.

My school has been putting students into science fairs around the country for the last couple of years. For the most part, this has involved high-achieving students who have worked on a short-term project with a teacher and then entered one of the science fairs. One of my students made it through to the city fair last year. She did a great project looking at the effect of salinity on seed germination.

Our goal this year is to get many more students involved in doing projects during the first semester and then have our own science fair in December. The results of our school science fair will then determine which students go on to compete at other fairs.

This is the first year our school has had an official point-person in charge of extra science events and our own fair. I'm not sure exactly what the administration wants to see, and I don't know exactly what our science fair is going to look like. I am not sure if it will include all students or only certain groups. The school is moving into a new building, and I have been unable to meet with the principal about this since I was assigned the position. So, I'm feeling a little behind. Without some of these details in place and decided upon, my ability to plan for a December science fair and gain the support of other teachers in my school to help get more students involved is limited.

In the end, I think it will all work out. I am sure it will be nerve racking and a lot of work, but I think it will all be worth it. I was so relieved when I met the Vice President of Science Buddies at a program this summer. The resources I have found on the Science Buddies website will help me support both teachers and students at my school. I want to do this because when I did my student teaching in Portland, I worked with a teacher who made all of her students do a science fair project. The really good ones she would enter in the city's regional competitions.

While I was student teaching there, I worked with two girls who designed and ran their experiment and went on to decent success at the city science fair. What was so amazing was that the girl who helped pull it all together for this pair was the one who was flunking the class. She didn't study and could barely recall information that she should have brought with her from middle school, but she got really into the science fair project. She was there every day after school researching and asking questions about the project – finally excited to learn. If that happens for even one of the students at my school, I will feel like it has all been worth it.

Well I look forward to sharing my science fair journey with you. Stay tuned to find out how I go about getting buy-in from other teachers and then how I tackle getting the students involved. ( I can't wait to bring in the laptops and use the Topic Selection Wizard with the students!)

~ Brian