Ideas for Middle School & High School Science Projects
Increasing Expectations for Teaching and Learning
Science instruction naturally engages students when it involves hands-on activities and various instructional strategies. Tools such as videos, projects and collaborative activities contribute to keeping students on task. It’s important to maintain this engagement. This article give you many examples of middle and high school science projects you can use to sustain students’ interest and support higher levels of learning. [caption id=“attachment_130163” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] High school science projects can create a fun hands-on experience[/caption] Either way you decide to assign these projects, as individual project assignments or small group collaboration, students will meet the high expectations you set for them.Also, check out the article for evaluating students’ work. The ideas on assessing students’ projects will ensure fair and thorough evaluations of students’ sensational work for this year’s science fair or classroom project displays. A section for homeschool teachers is also included. Help your students exceed the standards!
Middle School Science Projects
Middle school students enjoy challenges in the science classroom. Browse through the articles here for middle school projects that will make this year’s science fair shine in comparison to those of other years. The five articles in this section contain project ideas that teach about gas, liquids, decay, density, mass, crystal growth and plants. A project on the colors of leaves, or chromatography, is also included here.
- Gas, Liquids and Decay Projects
- Density Project: Paper Marbling
- Growing Crystals Science Project
- Ideas for Physical Science Middle School Science Projects
- Middle School Plant Project Science Fair Ideas
Ever consider an ongoing class project that culminates in a final project for the science fair? Check out these five articles here. Bean plants, eco-columns, worms and the solar system are the project topics included. (The solar system projects may also be used as a closing project to a solar system unit.)
- Plant Experiments in Science Class: Growing Bean Plants
- Building an Eco-Column as a Classroom Project
- Worms Project: Who Ate the Garbage
- Planet Poster: Middle School Astronomy Project
- Build the Solar System
Are you searching for projects involving energy? These four articles contain project ideas on biomass, hydroelectric power and solar energy. Students will enjoy the tasks presented while learning science concepts with these project challenges.
- Science Fair Projects About Renewable Energy: Demonstrating How to Conserve Earth’s Resources
- Science Project Ideas: Building a Solar Cooker
- Building a Mouse Trap Car to Demonstrate Kinetic Energy
The articles below include steps for completing projects involving landforms, biomes, gravity, air pressure and cell models. Students will be eager to take on these dynamic projects for exhibiting at the school’s science fair.
- Landform Island Project
- Science Projects on Landforms
- Forest Diorama Project Ideas
- Steps to Make Diorama of a Biome
- Science Fair Projects About the Power of Gravity
- Gravity Science Project Ideas
- Life Science Project: Model of a Cell
Science Fair Ideas for High School
This section includes high school science projects to challenge your science students. Magnets, chemical reactions, water testing, plant fertilizer testing, sports science projects and chemistry projects are some of the topics included here. Specifically, the first article in this section of four includes projects on creating DNA models and conducting sports, environmental and consumer projects. The articles that follow include projects on testing water from different places, conducting environmental and magnet projects, and analyzing seasonal weather changes.
- Science Project Ideas for High School Students
- Science Projects for High School Level Science Fairs
- Fun and Challenging High School Science Fair Project Ideas
- Top 10 Ideas for High School Science Projects
With the projects in the four articles listed here, students can make silly putty to learn about types of polymers and burn metals to observe signature colors and to create items such as spray cologne and lip gloss. To introduce science engineering to students, try the balsa wood towers project. Or, when teaching high school biology, consider the ecology projects presented in the last article in this section; the projects included involve pond organisms and food webs.
- Ideas for Chemistry Projects: Silly Putty
- The Flame Test: Observing the Color of Metals
- Engaging Interactive Activities to Teach Makeup Chemistry
- Science Engineering Project: Balsa Wood Towers
- Science Projects for Different Types of Biology High School Projects
Student projects aren’t complete without a student presentation. Allowing students to share their creations with others serves as a reflection on learning for the students. For the teacher, it’s an ideal opportunity for assessment of students’ work. Use this reference for assessing students’ science fair projects. The ideas presented here will contribute to an ideal closing for a dynamic project experience.
Homeschool Science Projects, Ideas and Resources
For the homeschool teacher, search through the articles in this section for additional ideas and resources for science projects. Explore the article describing the options available for science materials and resources on the internet to increase your materials for hands-on learning. Need to challenge your high school student? Consider the physics, forensic and science engineering curricula presented here. Your child will meet and exceed the national high school science standards with these additions to your science instruction.
- Homeschool Science Lesson Guide
- Homeschool Science Labs in a Box
- About Science Labs In a Box for Homeschool Students
- High School Science Engineering Home School Curriculum
- Choosing a Science Homeschool Curriculum
Science as a Career
Student interest in a career in the sciences may be sparked in middle school and high school. Engaging, challenging science instruction will contribute to this interest. Raise your expectations for students and let this table of contents be your resource. You can be sure student learning will increase along with the quality of your instruction. High levels of learning will be the final outcome. Put your students up to the challenge!
References
- This is a compilation of articles contained on the Bright Hub Education site. References and resources used by the authors to create each piece of content within the compilation can be found on the individual articles themselves.