Science Fair Time
Line
Prepared in SMILE+ Program
August 19 1994
June 30 through Summer
Set up work areas
Collect materials
Identify donors and get
donations
Disseminate letters of
interest
to parents
Double-check resources
outside
school
Check school calendars
Develop/update science
fair
Bibliography
September 1 - 14
** Pitch science fair and show video at open
house
"Brainstorm" in class
Teach scientific method,
the
metric system, and measurement
** Provide list of ideas
Enlist students with
experience
** Teach terminology through activities
** Share ideas and experiences with faculty
Form school science fair
committee and set agenda
** represents an activity that continues into
the
future
September 15 - October 15
Refine ideas
Refine terminology
Present previous
successful
project
Assemble lists of possible
judges
** Identify media/deadlines/publicity sources
** represents an activity that continues into
the
future
By October 15
Finalize research plan
Finalize certificates,
endorsements, safety
October 15 - Thanksgiving
Reminder at report card
pickup
List of suggested holiday
lists
Instructional topics:
experimentation
results/logging
portfolio
assessment
conclusions
Distribute format of
reports to
students
Letter to judges:
four
weeks before fair
RSVP
card
include
assessment sheet
Meeting for
"brainstorming"
support and information: "do's" and
"don'ts"
Set up student publicity
committee
Finalize student abstracts
Letter to PTO President
about Fair
[see a more detailed timeline below]
Thanksgiving - Holidays
Letter to judges:
four
weeks before fair
RSVP
card
include
assessment sheet
Students write reports and
finalize exhibits
Determine number of
participants
Begin publicity for
science fairs
December
Local Science Fair [see
the day
of the fair timeline at the bottom]
5
minute video presentations
"still
shots"
"Thank You" letter to
judges
[including results] one week after fair
January
Regional Fair
Recognition Assembly
[Awards
Certificates] after regional fair
Mid March
Preparation for City Fair
perfection
of exhibits
practice
presentations
public
speaking exercises
City-wide Fair
[field
trip for participants in local fair]
Preparation for state fair
[if
selected]
May-June
Preparation for state fair
Field trip for science
club
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More Precise
Chronology
Near Fair
Four weeks before fair:
judges letter of
invitation
involve writing teachers
solicit parents for
assistance in
fair
Three weeks before fair:
Arrange for tables
Publicity
Two weeks before fair:
Get written reports and check
spelling
on final drafts
Meeting of parent
assistants
One week before fair:
10 parents to come to
school
Publicity
One day before fair:
Get tables and set them up
Day after fair:
Clean and return tables
[with
thank you notes!]
One week after fair
Contact district
coordinator with
results
Thank you letters to
judges and
parents
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day of the Fair timeline
7:30
Committee
meets to finalize site plan
8:00-9:00 Student arrive to
set up
projects
8:30-9:30 Judges Breakfast
and
Orientation
9:30-11:00 Judging of Exhibits
11:00
Judges
duties officially end
11:00-11:30 Open viewing of exhibits
11:30-12:15 Lunch [Exhibit area closed]
12:15-1:15 Open viewing &
Final
Scoring Review
1:15-2:15 Awards Ceremony
[Cafeteria]
2:00-3:00 Students take
down
exhibits