Science Project Enrichment Tools

Science Fair Passports

Key Objective

Organize a passport activity to increase fair attendance and encourage visiting students to enjoy learning from the fair, communicating with fair participants, and being inspired by their peers' projects.

Applicability

For elementary school, use our elementary school passport template, which asks students to simply visit the science fair projects and ask a question. For middle school, use our middle school passport template, which asks students to identify particular aspects of the science fair projects.

Description

The Science Fair Passport is a way to get students who did not participate in the science fair involved with the projects and their peers. Each visiting student receives a passport containing spaces that he or she must fill in. Once the student gets all of the spaces filled in, he or she wins a small prize. Elementary school students receive stickers for passport spaces just by visiting projects and asking one project-related question. Middle school students play more of a scavenger-hunt version. They must find and list projects that meet characteristics listed on the passport.

Implementation

When you are ready to publicize the science fair, mention the passport activity in newsletter articles or memos to other teachers.

At least one month before the fair, seek donations of prizes that students will win when they complete their passports. For the elementary school version, purchase stickers for student science fair participants to hand out to students who visit their projects.

Print out the appropriate passport template for your grade level.

• The Elementary School Passport has spaces for nine stickers.
• The Middle School Passport has six blanks in which students should answer specific questions, such as the most unusual material they found used in an experiment.

During the fair:

• Ask a volunteer to hand out passports to students from visiting classrooms as they arrive.
• For elementary school fairs, provide stickers to fair participants to hand out to students who visit their projects and ask one project-related question.
• Operate an area for students to redeem their passports. Ask one or two volunteers to verify that passports are complete and to hand out prizes.

Benefits

The passport activity challenges visiting students to become participants in the fair by requiring them to interact with the projects. The activity helps participating students feel that the school community values their work and it ensures that their fellow students take the time to review the science fair projects.

Source

Science World British Columbia. Science Fair Guide. Version 1.1 Oct. 2006.