Science research » Middle School Science

Middle School Science Projects – Turning Non-Experiments Into the Real Thing

admin — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:44:48 +0000

Middle school science projects almost always have to be done in the form of an experiment. The trouble for most students is that most of the time, projects that are on the internet or in books are either demonstrations or models. Since they don’t follow the scientific method, neither of these meet the qualifications of the middle school science fair.

The good news is that many times, a model can be used in an experiment, and variables can be added to a demonstration, so that it can be one, too. Here are five examples of projects that are modified to become an experiment.

- How can you make a potato canon? – This is a fun activity, and it demonstrates how cool science can be, but it doesn’t test anything. How can you turn it into an experiment? Vary the trajectory, and ask, “At which angle will a potato canon launch a potato the farthest?”

- What happens when seeds germinate? – This is a great lesson, but what are kids comparing? Turn it into an experiment by testing “At which temperature do seeds germinate the best?” Use different watt bulbs to vary the temperature.

- How do bones change when soaked in vinegar? – This is close to an experiment, but the project I saw didn’t have a way to measure the change. The results of a true experiment must be measurable. Come up with a weigh to measure the amount of weight the bones can support before breaking, and you may just win your middle school science fair.

- How hot can a solar heater get? – First of all, finding the answer to this question may result in a fire! Make it an experiment by testing two different solar heater models. Construct two identical heaters, one with a glass front, and the other with a plexiglass front. Measure the temperature over several days, and see which one got the hottest.

- What happens when you mix chalk and lemon juice? – Studying acids and bases is fascinating, but there are no variables – so it’s not an experiment. Change it up. Soak pieces of chalk in water, a basic solution, and an acid, and note the variance in the weight.

Remember, an experiment is a test of the relationship between two variables that have measurable results that can be replicated. It amazes me that reputable science publications will label any sort of science activity as an experiment. It doesn’t matter that you’re still in middle school type of project isn’t right. You can do better than ‘real’ scientists! Turn a ‘non-experiments’ into middle school projects that will amaze judges, your teachers – and yourself!

By: Kayla Fay

Middle School Science Fair Projects

admin — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:27:31 +0000

Who said Science fair projects are boring and a chore? With a little bit of imagination you can come up with a winning science fair topic that will not only be interesting but one that you will enjoy doing.

Yes, a middle school science fair project can be a really exciting time for all middle school children. Having fun working on a science fair project while learning different aspects of scientific spectrum is a great and fun way to teach all children and students that the sciences are, contrary to popular belief not a boring chore but can be a lot of fun, which is something far too many schools seem to neglect telling pupils these days.

Below is a fun and interesting middle school science fair project. This example is intended to give you an idea on how to help your child with his or her science fair project. The example is merely a blue print which can easily be built upon,

Four Eyes? Oh Please! Everyone knows someone who wears glasses. All you need for this science project is a friend or two who wear glasses. Then before the fair, a poster board could be made with a picture of the eye, the different parts (Retina, cornea, etc) labeled, and a brief description on how we see things.

Take a pair of your friend’s glasses and hold them at arms length, does what you’re looking at look smaller? Or does it look Larger? If the view looks smaller, it means your friend is nearsighted also referred to as short sighted. They can see things that are close to them, but may not be able to see things that are far away, this would be a likely indication that their eyeballs may be too long. On the other hand if the view that they see is big, or even upside down, then they are farsighted also known as long sighted. In other words they can see things that are far away, but not when things are closer up to them, the probable of this is that their eye ball is too short.

Advice to Parents Have your child to do some research on the eye itself, for example they could find out why it is that some people need glasses? And in what way do glasses help? The local library should have plenty of information geared up for middle school students that would help.

Let Them Create Their Own Ideas Of course, you could read dozens of different science fair projects, but none would be as fun or as personal as you and your child working together to come up with some ideas, you may even be surprised at the ideas that your child can come up with. When thinking of ideas you could take into consideration his or her likes and dislikes, and imagine how such a project could be fun and exciting, as well as educational.

I’m sure that when you and your child sit down and really think about it, the two of you could come up with a topic that blows everything else out of the water.

Remember that this is your child’s science fair project, not yours, and he or she needs to complete it. Not you, so left him or her take the lead.

By: Zhang Xiao Hong

Middle School Science Experiments Made Fun and Easy

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:06:36 +0000

Middle school science experiments should be more complex than the ones you would have done in elementary school. At this level, the science experiments you are doing will be preparing you for the more involved science projects you will be doing in high school, when you will most likely be entering science fairs to compete for prizes. By this grade, you will need to do your project mainly on your own and be able to explain your project in full, write a report and make up a display.

One of the interesting middle school science experiments is to see if the growth of a plant is affected by the amount of light it receives. For this project you will need three identical plants, three cabinets and three light sources, a 25 watt bulb, a 60 watt bulb and a 100 watt bulb. Mount one of the bulbs in each of the cabinets and label them so you know which bulb is in which cabinet. Then water them and check them once a day for about ten days and record your results in a chart.

Another great middle school project is to see how much starch different foods contain. You can accomplish this by getting a starch chart and a few different samples of popular foods. To test the foods, put a few drops of iodine solution (50% iodine/50% water) on each piece of food. If there is starch in the food the iodine will turn dark brown or blue-black. Record your findings on the starch chart.

By: Dee Schrock

Middle School Science Fair Projects Made Fun and Easy

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:03:27 +0000

Middle school science fair projects are a transition phase for students, neither too elementary nor too high school level. However, just because it is your transition stage does not mean that you have to be ambivalent about your middle school science experiments, far from it. Instead, you should show off your accumulated knowledge and passionate interest in science by adopting any of the following projects. Just remember that before you choose one, you should have assessed in which field of science you are most interested in. This way, you will be more motivated to do your research, conceptualize your project and then accomplish your vision.

Renewable Energy

One of the hottest topics for middle school science fair projects today is renewable energy in the form of solar power and wind turbines. You can tap into this interest by constructing a model of how solar panels and/or wind turbines work to provide energy and electricity to home and industries. This is probably one of the easiest and yet most eye-catching middle school science fair projects for many reasons. For one thing, you can purchase ready-made, easy-to-assemble and easy-on-the-pocket kits for solar energy and wind power science projects. For another thing, you can make it as eye-catching as possible with the addition of houses and buildings complete with lights.

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car

You may also purchase a ready-made kit for the hydrogen fuel cell car, which provides for 30 distinct experiments. You will be able to demonstrate the workings and benefits of the energy-efficient car, which is one of the more notable inventions technologies of the century. Among the experiments contained in the kit are the uses of solar power for vehicle power, the utilization of fuel cell to separate the oxygen and hydrogen atoms in water, and demonstration of electrolysis. Well, of course, you can always make your own experiments just so your middle school science fair projects stand out from the rest of the competition.

Magnetic Levitation Train

Now this is one science fair project that is absolutely possible! You will, of course, need to do your research about the principle behind the magnetic levitation train, purchase the necessary materials like ceramic magnets for the lifter-rails, wood for the guide rails and model cars, and then execute your drawings and plans. You can then perform experiments with the completed Maglev train set such as using gravity to push the car forward and using the car itself to move something along its path. You can be very creative, maybe even perform quantitative and qualitative analysis of your experiments.

Resurrecting the Dead

Fishes, that is. You are basically recreating the technology of cryonics where dead fishes are placed in a state of suspended animation, which is used in Japan to preserve the freshness of the day’s catch. As part of your middle school science fair projects, you can follow the example of two brothers who supposedly resurrected a dead goldfish by using Mountain Dew, water and a 9-volt battery. Of course, you have to do it on a trial and error basis but that’s where the fun of discovery lies. However, conduct your research before you go about killing all the goldfishes in your home’s aquarium.

With these ideas for middle school science fair projects, you will definitely get the attention of the judges and do yourself, your parents and your teachers proud.

By: Dee Schrock

Conducting a Science Fair Experiment in Middle School

admin — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:26:21 +0000

Some middle school students get excited when it is time to do a science fair project. Others tremble in fear at the thought of the work and time it takes to do such an experiment. By the time a child reaches middle school, the subjects are more complex and involved than they were in elementary school. Here are some ideas and tips for middle school science projects that should help even the most uninterested student take notice.

The first step to doing a middle school science project is to pick a subject that interests the student. It is a lot easier to complete a project when it is fun and exciting. Many students may have a hobby and they don’t even realize that there may be a method behind what they love. For instance, if your child is into working on jigsaw puzzles, explain to them that they can do a science project on “Brain Power.” This relates to psychology, which is science of the mind or mental processes. The topic of psychology opens a world of ideas and presentations that a student can do a project on. They can pick the broad topic of psychology, or pinpoint their project to human behavior or how the brain functions.

The next step in working on a middle school science project involves research. The student must gather data and cite sources for their research. Great places to utilize for this task include using the Internet, encyclopedias, magazines, and specific books on their topic. Data is extremely important to a science project because it helps to prove or disprove a theory, and it helps people understand why things happen the way they do. A student must also be prepared to write a short report about their findings on their project.

Another reason that research is so important to a science project is that there is a good chance people are going to ask questions about the project. This part of a presentation can make some students freeze in their tracks, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Thorough research and understanding of what you read will make this part of the project easier. A student should act relaxed and natural when they are discussing their projects with others, and being prepared ahead of time will help relieve any sense of anxiety.

Conducting an experiment is the best part of a middle school science project. This is where the student gets down and dirty, and conducts a physical action that backs up their data and report. It is important that the student have all of the necessary materials to do the experiment accurately. It is no fun to show off your hard work and not have your experiment work right. The student should also document each step of the experiment on paper in a way that someone else could read their notes and do the experiment the exact same way.

Finally, a student should present their experiment with an interesting and eye-catching display. It should attract onlookers to come and see what is going at your exhibit. Consider having handouts that people can take with them, present your display with colors and clipart, and, if possible, wear a uniform that helps portray what type of scientist would study the field based around your project. In other words, be creative.

As you can see, a middle school science project can be fun and rewarding. It takes effort. It takes time. But, the finished project is something that students can be proud of.

By: Jordan Matthews