In preparation for the the first annual Sixth-Grade Science Expo on February 27th, our sixth-grade scientists are very busy working on their experimental trials, adding the final touches to their inventions, and presenting their findings and conclusions to their peers. 

An estimated dozen scientists, engineers, professors, and doctors will be reviewing projects based on their field and providing authentic feedback directly with our students after their presentations. The students have also recorded their methodologies, research notes, trial outcomes, and logged their progress in an engineering design journal that fosters the engineering design cycle, an iterative process used to help students organize ways to solve problems. Personal learning in middle school science encourages our students to research topics of science and engineering that most interest them in a guided, step-by-step process. 

Our sixth-graders have reported the following outcomes about the Science Expo: 

• “I’ve learned how to be better and more cooperative within a group. The engineering design journal helps us organize our project and overall helps us reach our goals.” 
• “Throughout the Science Expo experience, I learned how to grow bacteria. I also learned to work hard and type really fast. The design journal helped me a lot. It helped me stay on task and helped me understand what I was doing better.”
• “The Science Expo project is great because it helps us learn things about our choice in a fun way. Letting us choose the project helps us to have more interest in what we are doing. The engineering design journal helped me and my partner keep track of where we were in the process.” 
• “During the Science Expo, I was able to create structures and determine whether they are safe to possibly use in real life and learn what we did wrong and how we could do it better. The design journal has helped me record our data and plan ahead for future classes.” 
• “I figured out how to construct a controlled experiment.” 
• “The engineering design journal helps me fine-tune my ideas and take notes.” 

Overall, students are engaged in their learning as they work on topics based on their curiosity, practice public speaking, evaluate and reevaluate their work, enhance their collaboration skills, and persevere through trials that may not have worked out as planned. This experience helps students gain empathy for professionals in the field of science, medicine, and innovation. All these skills are accomplished while conducting and pursuing independent research on a testable question. 

On behalf of the sixth-graders, all members of our community are encouraged to join us to view their work and listen to their presentations on the evening of Thursday, February 27th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in the 7 East Building. We hope to see you there!