Teacher

This section contains general information for teachers coordinating a school level science fair or advising a student.

If you are in charge of coordinating a science fair at your school, it is best to start about 9 to 12 months ahead of time. Check with your district science coordinator for more info or contact Jody Ostrander to discuss a science fair training for your school.

Getting Started

Recruit volunteers, teachers and parents to be on a science fair committee.
With the committee’s help, establish a project timeline that will be distributed to all students.
Schedule the space for the fair and room for the judges to meet.
Schedule school awards ceremony
Meet with members of the science department and an administrator to decide on the format of the fair.
Select date when the science fair will be introduced.
Decide if participation will be mandatory or voluntary.
Decide how teachers will encourage students to participate.
Decide what if any prizes will be offered.
Schedule the time and the facilities for the fair.
Schedule time for class and parent viewing of projects.
Be sure you will have access to enough tables for exhibits.

Get parents involved

Develop a package of material to send to parents that includes the following:
A cover letter from the principal and the science fair coordinator to introduce the science fair to parents.
Introduce science fair and the reasons students should participate in the program.
Provide a timeline of important project dates, after-school work sessions and the actual science fair date.

Provide an overview of the rules

Explain the parent’s role in the child’s project.
Request volunteers and provide a list of possible duties.
Request mentors to help students with projects.
Request prize donations.

Prepare students

Announce dates for the science fair.
Provide rules and forms to the students as they plan their projects.
Collect student applications for review. Assign project numbers.
Conduct after-school project work sessions when students are done with projects and are ready to assemble their exhibit board.
Schedule a classroom that can be used for project work after school.
Schedule parent or college student volunteers to help and mentor students at the after-school sessions.
Have supplies, felt pens, construction paper, and computers for word processing available if possible.

Recruit and prepare judges

Recruit judges at least three months prior to the fair.
Create a recruiting letter, distribute and follow up by phone
Local volunteer agencies
Industry community affairs offices
Medical offices, hospitals
Local college science departments
Create a judges form
Provide judges with judging guidelines and procedure.
Call judges to remind them of their commitment a few weeks before the fair.
Set up scoring and judging criteria
Prepare a scoring rubric that provides judges with a way to assign a point total for each project.
Supply your judges with your scoring rubric prior to the fair to allow them time to become familiar and to ask questions as needed.
Review judging criteria with your judges the day of the fair.

6 Weeks Before	Order ribbons and certificates for students (You may be able to create the certificates with a word processor). Allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery. Decide if anyone will receive medals and order them. If prizes are donated, decide how they will be awarded. Present prizes at school awards ceremony.
Week Before	Finalize volunteer assignments Space set-up Student check-in - collection of student display form Help students to set up projects Safety monitor Provide refreshments for the judges Space clean-up Create student display form: name, type of project, and project number. Create judging assignments.
Day Of	Meet with the judges to review judging criteria and judging assignments. Tabulate scores from judges. Decide on a school winner. It’s nice to announce the same day. Make a list of the finalists who will move onto the next fair: district or SLVSEF Keep projects on display for staff, student, and parent viewing.
After	Students pick up projects. Volunteers clean up display area and return tables. Write thank you notes to judges and volunteers. Congratulate all who participated on a job well done! Meet with science fair committee to discuss the fair process, what went well, what needs to change. Recruit students with superior projects to present at science classes, to encourage participation next year. Let them help spread the word. Ask classroom teachers to encourage their students to start new projects over the summer. Get started on next year’s fair!

Guidance on Rules and Forms

All students should begin their science fair project by reviewing the International Rules for Precollege Science Research and Guidelines for Science and Engineering Fairs. Many projects require adult supervision and approval by a Scientific Review Committee (SRC) or an Institutional Review Board (IRB) before experimentation begins.

Teacher Checklist

If you are advising a student who is participating in an Intel ISEF-affiliated science fair, such as SLVSEF, use this checklist as a guideline.

Tips for Teachers Advising a student

Get started early: Get students thinking and working on their project as soon as possible. Let parents and students know about due dates and forms early in the year. Ambitious students typically start on their next project right after the end of the fair.
Make sure students have the right tools: Introduce students to brainstorming, how to create presentations and refine presentation skills. Try making the research project a team effort. Language, writing and math skills are all needed to create a great project, not just science and engineering skills.
Think about school awards: Doing a good science fair project can be a significant effort. Some schools base a part of the student's science grade, such as the final exam, on the project. Others make the project a self-study course complete with a grade.
Ask questions: The SLVSEF runs the fair. We have the forms you need and we have people that can answer any questions you have about the fair, projects and how to help your students. We want to maximize participation and learning and minimize the time you need to reserve for handling things like submitting project applications.
Match students with mentors: The SLVSEF is working on a mentor program. Also try looking for mentors within your school system. Make use of school newsletters and parent-teacher organizations.

Science Training Programs for Teachers

The Science Training Programs Directory for Teachers and Students (STP) has more than 300 programs listed and is the only comprehensive catalog of science, mathematics and engineering enrichment programs for pre-college students and teachers.

Get Going!

If you would like additional information on setting up a science fair at your school or learning about the qualifications for SLVSEF, please contact us.