Jack said she thought this extended Science Fair was a good opportunity for students. She said it was open to the top three students in third through fifth grade.
“The ‘Extended Science Fair’ was an opportunity for the students to have an experience similar to the one they would have had, had the South Plains Regional Science and Engineering Fair not been canceled,” Jack said. “We asked Sarah Burleson [Frenship’s Coordinator of Science] to come over and judge the projects. Students were required to write an abstract, present their project to the judge, and answer the questions posed by the judge. We hosted a school wide science fair in early December, where we selected the top three projects for the upper elementary students to continue to the alternative science fair.”
Jack explained that there were so many wonderful projects.
“We had several amazing projects presented at the Extended Science Fair,” Jack said. “Jack Sparks presented his project on ‘How the Shape of the Parachute Effects Reentry of Spacecraft,’ Grady Thomson presented a project on ‘How Different Minerals Improve Plant Growth,’ Adelyn Shakespeare presented a project looking into what liquids are best at preventing apples from oxidizing after being cut open, and London Futrell presented her project over how sorghum grows when given slow released fertilizer versus rapid release fertilizers.”
Jack said many of the students have been working on their projects since the end of last school year. She said the students must first think of a problem or question they have, then they research the topic and develop their hypothesis.
“Students then begin planning their experiment and decide how they will test their hypothesis,” Jack said. “After conducting the experiment at least three times students communicate their data and findings by presenting it using graphs and charts. A conclusion is then drawn. Students analyze the results to determine if their hypothesis was correct or incorrect. Students also reflect upon the process and determine any changes that could be made to improve the experiment.”
Jack said that before COVID, during the school-wide preliminary Science Fair, individuals from the Texas Tech Physics department would come judge the projects. The top three from each grade level would then advance to the South Plains Regional Science and Engineering Fair at Texas Tech.
“For this year's school wide science fair Mr. Langen, Mrs. Roberson, and I judged all the projects,” Jack said. “We then selected the top three projects for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade to compete in the Oak Ridge Extended Science fair. On the day Sarah came to Oak Ridge, she spoke to each student about their project. They were asked to explain their experiment, answer clarifying questions, and explain the process and reason for the experiment.”
Jack said she believes that these types of learning experiences help students in ways that they don’t even realize yet.
“Students who participate in the science fair get to experience the fun of learning in a hands-on way,” Jack said. “They are fully in charge of their research, experiential process, and analyzing the results. These students are taking the opportunity to extend their education and apply it to real world ideas that interest them. I love this because students are excited about learning!”