Science Project Enrichment Tools

Extra Credit

Key Objective

Boost student and family science fair attendance.

Applicability

All grades, but particularly appropriate for middle school and high school.

Description

Give extra credit to students if they bring a family member or mentor to visit the science fair.

Implementation

Let students know about the chance to earn extra credit a few weeks before the science fair so they have time to select and notify a family member or mentor, and so that person has time to arrange schedules to attend.

Determine where to apply the extra credit, whether it's to the science project itself or to another assignment, as well as how much to assign, based on what is appropriate at your school.

Implement this idea only if the science fair takes place at least partly outside normal work hours, so that all families and mentors have a chance to attend.

Ask each student to find and check in with you at the science fair so you can track student and guest attendance in order to correctly assign the extra credit.

Benefits

Benefits are:

• Increased attendance by families, especially in middle school when students aren't often eager to be seen with their parents. At Hilo Intermediate School, teachers were "flabbergasted" by the increased attendance.
• Greater accountability for students: students will work harder to improve projects that they know will be seen by family members or mentors.