If so, then you may be feeling the effects of a Science Fair , an annual event where students are encouraged to design and carry out scientific investigations and compete for various levels of recognition. The types of projects that students are expected to complete vary by grade level. Younger students may simply build models, make collections, or prepare exhibits that include demonstrations of scientific phenomena. Older students are often expected to formulate and test scientific hypotheses through controlled experiments.
Some schools allow students to complete group projects, but others require individual work.
Students may be asked to present project results to teachers, classmates, or outside judges for evaluation. Students are required to demonstrate the use of the scientific method in carrying out their science fair investigation. Students sometimes have difficulty choosing science fair topics, but usually a wealth of options exists. Once a student has selected a topic category of interest, he or she will need to develop a specific question which can be investigated scientifically. If you are helping a student develop a project, you will want to help him or her choose a question for which an answer can be determined through direct observation and experi-mentation.