Exploring Science Elective

Welcome to Exploring Science. In this elective you will be engaging in project based assignments that have to do with your own interests as they relate to science.

Grading Policy

You will be expected to complete at least 5 projects each semester. Each project has its own specific requirements, and should take anywhere from 2-6 weeks depending on the level of detail you use. You may work individually or collaboratively. You may concentrate on one topic for all the projects, or explore a variety depending on your personal preference.

Projects

- Science Career - research a job in science and create a poster or presentation on all the details about the job, as well as all the school requirement (high school and college) (Example: Doctor, Mechanical Engineer, Forensic Scientist, Chemist, Astronaut, Nurse)

- Scientific Drawings - create a series of exceptionally detailed drawings of a natural object from your observations of that real life object (based on something real, not a photo or other drawing) Label important parts of the thing you drew, as well as measurements.
(Example: animal skull, a plant, human hand, metamorphic rock, seashell, fossil, etc)

- Scale Model - build a model of something at a different scale than the real life example (Smaller or larger) using precise measurement
(Example: House, Building, Bridge, Cell, Human Eye, River, Volcano, Car, Airplane, etc)

- Science Fair Experiment - conduct a formal experiment on any research question you are interested in and create a poster for the science fair.
(Example: see separate handout for ideas)

- Science Lesson Multimedia - Create a multimedia presentation to teach little kids about a scientific idea of your choosing. (3rd-5th grade level)
(Example: Video teaching erosion, powerpoint teaching recycling, website teaching global warming)

- History of Science - Research an old idea in science that has been proven false and find out how scientists have refined and changed the idea using evidence to match our current, modern understanding of that subject. Create a report to share your findings.
(Example: advertisement showing how we used to think the Sun revolved around the Earth, but today we know the Earth revolves around the sun)

School Improvement Project - Organize a way to improve the physical campus at this school. Write a proposal and carry it out. Create a report, journal, blog, or scrapbook of the entire process from beginning to end.
(Example: Building a greenhouse for the garden, doing a gardening project, organize a fundraiser to raise funds for science equipment, organizing a cleanup/ beautification project)

Reading Science Fiction - Select a science fiction novel and write a book review for the novel. This book review must specifically address how the book used new inventions and ideas in science and if those ideas are possible to ever happen in real life.
(Example: Ender's Game, Feed, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Star Wars Novels, Star Trek Novels, Dune, Do Andriods Dream of Electric Sheep, I Am Legend, etc.)