Science Projects

Projects are lots of fun but also require hard work. We will do several in-class projects over the course of the year. Many of the projects require some completion at home. All 8th Grade students must complete an individual Science Project of their own. This is mostly done at home. The project is a major part of your grade. All together, your science project will be worth THOUSANDS of points in two grading categories: Classwork/Homework and Projects. Please do not start a project until we begin as a class. It is likely that the requirements will change and so will the project sequence. Each project page is typically updated before we begin to reflect the most current changes. Not all of the below projects will be completed this year.

Project Information:

8th Grade Science Fair Project - DUE January 26th: Since this project has lots of instructions and guidelines, a special web page has been created to outline all the details for you. There are several due dates and assignments to help you stay on track. Use the 8th Grade Science Project page to keep yourself organized and on-track.

Rubber Band Trajectory Project - this is an in-class group project with a partner poster. The goal of the project is to enable you with the tools and experience to be successful conducting your own science project. Topic focuses are: fair test, experiment procedures, trials, data collection, data analysis, data representation, and scientific method. The question we will be attempting to answer as a class is: How does the angle affect the distance a rubber band will travel? At the end of the project, every student partner pair must turn in a poster display that outlines the scientific method conducted in the class project. The poster will be an example of what your 8th Grade Science Project display will look like. The poster will be completed at home.

Balloon Powered Car Project - this is an in-class partner project with an individual/partner write-up. Materials are gathered from group members to build the balloon powered car. The goal is to apply what we've learned about mechanical interactions by building a rocket car that minimizes friction and drag. During testing, we will calculate average speed and take many measurements. We then will analyze the interactions and forces involved in our cars. The most challenging aspect of this project is collaborating with others. Every group member must contribute their ideas BEFORE construction of their rocket car. Another challenge is the actual construction of the car. You will run in to some technical issues (car turns, ballon drags on ground, parts fall off your car, or it just doesn't work at all!) that will require more collaboration with your group to solve.

Boat Project - this is an in-class partner project with an individual/partner write-up. The goal of this project is to help experience and reinforce concepts of buoancy while continuing to practice the scientific method. In this project, your group will be given materials to build the boat and together you will decide how to utilize the materials for construction. The question we will be attempting to answer is: What boat design will float the most cargo.

Atom Discovery Comic Project - this is an in-class partner laptop project. You and your partner will be assigned one of the following historical scientists in the field of chemistry: John Dalton, Ernest Rutherford, JJ Thompson, or Dimitri Mendeleev. Using a special program called Comic Life, you will create a comic depicting their discovery and contribution to science.

Element Cube Project - this is an in-class individual project. This is primarily a research project where you will collect information about one element in the Periodic Table of Elements. The information collected will be compiled on a cube for presentation. Some of the project may need to be completed at home.

Planet Research Project - this is an in-class group project with individual responsibilities. Your group will be researching details of a planet and compiling the information on a poster. After, your group will present the most important details about your planet to the class. As a class, we will be compiling the details of each planet and then performing comparitive analysis of the planets in our solar system.

Bridge Project - this is an in-class group project with a partner write-up (poster board). The goal of the project is to enable you with the tools and experience to be successful conducting your own science project. Topic focuses are: fair test, experiment procedures, trials, data collection, data analysis, data representation, and scientific method. The question we will be attempting to answer as a class is: What bridge design can support the most weight? The most challenging aspect of this experiment is collaborating and working with others. Groups who do good work together usually make the best bridges. The next largest challenge is the actual construction of your group's bridge. You will need to be patient, careful, and attentive to detail. At the end of the project, every student partner pair must turn in a poster display that outlines the scientific method conducted in the class project. The poster will be an example of what your 8th Grade Science Project display will look like. The poster will be completed at home.

Sport/Activity Analysis Project - this is an individual HOMEWORK project where you will choose a sport or activity and analyze the interactions involved. The goal of the project is to reinforce and practice what you have learned about mechanical interactions, energy changes, and gravity.

 

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