Elementary STEM Fair
Elementary STEM Fair Information
Science · Technology · Engineering · Mathematics
What is the Elementary STEM Fair?
The Elementary STEM Fair is a student centered educational experience with the primary goal of promoting student use of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to solve real world problems. Related project objectives include helping students understand the difference between an experiment and other types of scientific investigation, learning how to set up an experiment using controls and variables, interpreting data, recognizing the need for repetition and replication, and learning how to use appropriate reference materials to support scientific understanding and defend conclusions.
What does a STEM project look like?
- Students are encouraged to be creative and to design, build, and experiment with topics that interests them. Ideally projects should be geared toward the use of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to solve real world problems. Challenge students to be original!
- Two student project stories that model the project process can be found at Wi-Fi Router & EZ Baby Saver. Students are encouraged to use science and/or engineering with a new real world application approach, rather than copying an experiment off the Internet. (Student projects should not be copied from the Internet.) Student representatives from each school are required to use the STEM Fair Project document. Although students chosen to attend the county STEM fair will not have their projects judged, they will have opportunities to share their projects, meet professional scientists, and compete in a STEM challenge.
What is most important?
Safety is of the utmost importance and parents must take measures to ensure their children are safe as they work on STEM projects at home. Teachers must ensure the same level of safety as students work on STEM projects at school. All possible safety concerns associated with student STEM projects should be considered at each step of the process. There is no such thing as being too safe.
How are student school representatives for the county STEM Fair selected?
Each school is allowed to decide how to choose the representatives. The number of student projects per school is limited to one project from 3rd grade, two from 4th grade, and three from 5th Student projects may be completed by an individual or a team of two students. Examples of criteria for selecting school representatives include:
- selection is on a voluntary basis; information was sent home with interested students and the school decided who to send as their representative/s
- voting at the class level, then judging the top contenders
- a school wide completion STEM Fair celebration
- requiring a 5th grade STEM Fair competition
Again, this process is up to the school and these are simply examples. If your school decides to have a competition/fair, please let me know. If available I would like to participate. Also, an example rubric is provided under “Teacher Resources” below for those who are interested.
