Science Expo

Parent Information 2012

Dear Parents/Guardians and Family Members:

It’s that time of the year again when your students are beginning their work on their STEM Expo Project. This letter contains important information on the reverse side that will help your student achieve their project by the due date. The timeline serves two purposes; one to inform the student when checkpoints are due and the other to help the students plan their experiment accordingly over the next few months. I am providing families with this timeline so that it may be posted around the house in a prominent place (most likely the refrigerator). I will also be asking you to sign the bottom portion of this letter so that I know you have seen this letter and that it has been posted.

Backboards will be available to order in October. The first order will be sent in so that the boards and tags will be received before the holiday break in December. They are again $5.00. Order forms are available from me and the color selection may be found on a poster in the classroom. Please consider taking advantage of this opportunity to avoid any late night trips to the office supply store.

The Montgomery Area Science Fair will be held in mid-March 2013at a location yet to be determined. I encourage all students to enter this competition. Registration forms and paperwork are available through me. They need to be filled out in their entirety and returned no later than January 25, 2013.

The Takoma Park STEM Expo will be held on Friday May 3, 2013 from 6:30 p.m – 9:00 p.m. Once again we are looking for scientists and technologists who are willing to share their research and areas of interests with our students by either giving presentations throughout the evening or by providing a display or booth of information. If you would like to share in this evening or know someone who would, please contact me or pass the information along with your student to me. Our goal for the evening is to provide the community with current information and research in science and technology.

We hope sharing this information with you will help your student to produce a successful science experiment. Please remember that it is their project and any constructive criticism is always welcomed and appreciated. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me either by phone at school (301) 233-1698 or by email at . I have made available a number of resources at the following web site:

Sincerely,

TPMS Science Department

STEM EXPO Projects 2012-13

1.  Why?

2.  Student Letter

3.  Parent Letter

4.  Paper Guidelines

5.  Project Ideas/Resource Links(excellent guide)

6.  Other Resources(wonderful resources lots of links and ideas)

7.  Montgomery County Science Fair Registration(We encourage all students to consider entering this contest)

TPMS STEM Project Timeline

Sept. - Dec. / Conduct Experiment– Carry out experimental protocol, analyze data, produce charts and graphs, prepare preliminary backboard, and take pictures of experiment. (You may begin experiment before November 11 th )
Sept. 14 / Checkpoint #1:Science Project Experimental Design/Proposal (Problem/Hypothesis) Once approved you may begin experimentation
Oct. 12 / Checkpoint #2:Project Introduction
Nov. 23 / Checkpoint #3:Materials and Methods
Dec. 14 / Register on-line for County Science Fair Competition (www.sciencemontgomery.org(optional )
Dec. 21 / Checkpoint #4: First Draft of Paper
Jan. 25 / County Fair FormsDue to Science Teacher for Review (if entering county science fair)
Feb. 8 / Checkpoint #5Þ Your Experimentation Should Be Done!!!–Data and Conclusions
Mar. 1 / Checkpoint #6- Abstract
Mar. 8 / Project Display boards are due - Presentation of Projects to class
YTD / Montgomery Area Science Fair
April 5 / Checkpoint #8 – Final Science Expo Paper is due – must be in TPMS Journal of Science format
May 3 / TPMS STEM Night from 6:30 – 9:00 pm