STEM Fair and Safe Racer Updates!
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STEM Fair and Safe Racer Updates!
Safe Racer
Everything You Need to Know!
Safe Racer Timeline
The Safe Racer unit should be taught at the beginning of the third marking period.
• START DATE: No earlier than January 22, 2014 (but………)
• SHORT CYCLE ASSESSMENT: Should be administered as the engagement for Day 5.
• UNIT POST ASSESSMENT: Should be administered at the completion of the unit.
Safe Racer TimelineDuring the third marking period, the Office of Science
will hold a “Safe Racer Information Rally”. This Professional Development session will be for new teachers and teachers new to third grade. During the session, participants will take a closer look at
the curriculum and gain a greater understanding of the design process through their hands on
involvement in the unit.
**JANUARY 23, 2014**
Safe Racer is not………
• an optional unit
• for GT students only.
Safe Racer Teams…….•Must meet the registration deadline of April 25, 2013 to participate in the STEM Fair competition.
Safe RacerAt the end of the Safe Racer Unit, there
is a school-based competition to determine the school’s “safest” racer using results from a crash test and a
distance test. Once the winning team has been determined, they are eligible to participate in the BCPS STEM Fair in May.
If the school decides to send their winning team to the STEM Fair, they
must register their team by completing and electronically submitting the design
brief no later than April 25, 2014.
Safe Racer DatesDesign Brief Deadline: April 25, 2014Submit (as an e-mail attachment) to:
Gary Werner, Competition Dates: (tentative)May 9, 2014--- Northeast : 5:30 PM
Central: 7:00 PM
May 10, 2014---Southeast: 8:30 AM
Southwest: 10:00 AM Northwest: 11:30 AM
Due by April 25, 2014
Is only completed by the team representing your school at the STEM
FairMust be submitted electronically to
[email protected] by April 25, 2014. If your design brief is late, it may not be
scored. Your team may still participate in the exhibition.
Represents 25 points toward your team’s overall score.
Is scored prior to the exhibition date.
The Interview
As part of the competition, students will meet with adult interviewers to discuss the process they
went through to create their cars for the competition. Historically, students have had
difficulty with this part. Encourage your teachers to prepare ALL students to participate in the interview. Having someone from “outside” is
always helpful too!
The CompetitionAll student team members
will receive a certificate anda ribbon for their
participation. All studentsare encouraged to attend.
However, sometimessituations cause students to
miss the exhibition.
The scores from the winners from each
geographic area will be compared to find the overall Grand Prize winner. This will be
announced at the STEM Fair Awards Ceremony and the trophy will be
presented to the winning team.
Make sure that SOMEONE brings the car at the time ofthe competition. In the history of STEM Fair, we havehad SEVERAL situations where the person with the careither didn’t show up or showed up AFTER the team
had competed. It’s devastating for the team….and it REALLY upsets the parents.
Any Safe Racer questions?Feel free to contact us at any time!
Phone: 410-887-2063
STEM Fair 2014May 9-10, 2014
Parkville High School
Deadlines:
STEM Fair RegistrationApril 25, 2014
Resources may be found on the BCPS Elementary Science Intranet site athttps://intranet.bcps.org/offices/elem_science/STEMFair2013.html
You Spoke, We ListenedEliminated STEM Fair Unit (Pendulums) in grade 5
to make class time so students work at school in groups
New timeline that works for all year, or for a workshop approach
Standardized score sheet for all students (teachers use the same score sheet at school that is used at county fair)
You Spoke, We Listened• We will no longer be giving t-shirts to adult
volunteers/judges, nor giving thank-you gifts• We will be offering a PD session in the next
month or so to provide more comprehensive training on the STEM Fair materials, as well on the revised Physics unit
• Working on a shorter event, so that students and parents don’t have to commit to the entire day
You Spoke, We Listened
What we can’t do at this time:• Allow Power Point projects • Require a research report• Require school participation or dictate how they
run their fair• Hold the county level fair in a central location
(that doesn’t exist—we had been in the west for several years, so we moved more central/east)
Yearly Updates Section
Contains the Fair date and location
Due date for STEM Fair and Safe Racer Registration Documents
Teacher Background Information concerning Project Approval, Project Guidelines, Rules and Regulations, Teacher copy of the Summary and Approval Form, Scoring and Grading Sheets, Sample Interview Questions, Safe Racer Scoring criteria, Sample Design Brief
Teacher Background InformationContains comprehensive information about the
parts of a STEM Fair Project and the Scientific Method
Includes significant vocabulary changes for Grade 5
Includes overhead slides if neededIncludes explanation between
observational and experimental projectsUpdated teacher resources including books
and websites
Timelines
There is an extensive timeline that is written to STEM Fair Coordinators as well as to classroom teachers. – The timeline describes when to begin planning the
school fair, as well as when to begin teaching the fair skills.
There is a student STEM Fair timeline that may be used by the classroom teacher as a way to provide pacing for students.
STEM Fair Lesson Plans
A common “Kick-off” lesson that demonstrates to students what the Scientific Method looks like (review for Grade 5 students)
An introduction to the new vocabularyFun, hands-on test using paper airplanesAligned with Math and RLA CCCS
Addendum Lessons for STEM Units
Addendum lessons were written for the first three Grade 5 Units: Weather the Weather, Geology Rocks, and Wee Beasties.
Addendum Lessons include instruction for the skills needed to complete the parts of the scientific method, and include the new vocabulary.
Addendum lessons may include revised SDAB pages, as well as additional ancillary materials, but do not change the focus of the content.
Additional Lessons
Separate lessons are provided for teachers who choose not to use the drop-in lessons, or who have need of review/reteaching lessons.
These lessons each address a different part of the scientific method– They employ the new vocabulary, along with the
old.– They include full lesson plans, and appropriate
ancillaries
Pilot Year
Implementation of these changes are voluntary
This is a pilot year for this document
Feedback is crucial
How we will do it at GES – 4th grade
• In 4th grade– No change to instruction– Continue to implement the “Too Hot to Handle”
unit– We will use the same packet of information– Students will complete the projects as they always
have – at home, independently– One change is they may complete a GROUP
project (no more than 4 students) if they wish
How we will do it at GES – 5th grade
• In 5th grade– Major change to instruction– “Pendulums Swing…” unit is gone– Will not implement addendum lessons infused
into curriculum– Will conduct “workshop” style lessons in school
How we will do it at GES – 5th grade– Students may work in GROUPS (no more than 4) if
they wish– Students will complete STEM Fair projects in a
“hybrid” style• Students will generate idea for STEM Fair project• Summary and Approval form will still need to be
completed by student, parent, and teacher• Lesson on one piece of the scientific method will be
taught in school• Student(s) will work on that piece of the scientific
method in school for their project (essentially creating a draft for that piece)
How we will do it at GES – 5th grade
– After all lessons on the scientific method have been completed, student(s) will finalize their projects at home
Watch Fors:
Double-check spelling of student names on all on-line registration forms
Screen projects before the student begins.
COMPLETE the paper copy of the Summary and Approval Form for all students…
Before the student begins the project.
Absolutely no experimental projects involving vertebrate
animals.• This includes humans as
well as any animal with a backbone. Observational projects are allowed, as long as the investigator has no direct contact with the subjects.
Absolutely no cultures of molds or bacteria, from any
source!
Absolutely no projects involving weapons.
Communicate with parents and students
ASAP when project ideas are disallowed.
Registration Deadline
On-line form for the STEM Fair must be completed by the close of business on Friday, April 25, 2014
If a student can Google a project question and get an answer or “cookbook” procedure, then it
isn’t science.
Provide differentiation to students as needed.
Communicate with parents of selected student directly to ensure they are
available to attend the BCPS STEM Fair.
Students are responsible for bringing their project for set
up the day of the fair. Projects will no longer be
accepted by teacher volunteers.
0-10 point Score Sheet• More flexibility• The Score Sheet Should NEVER be used to GRADE a project. • Consistent for all students at all schools
Grading sheet included• Provides fair percentage that can convert to letter grade
When in doubt…contact us!!!
410-887-2063
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