Poster-Breathing Life into the Science Fair Process

Abstract

is a middle school science teacher and department chair at Pershing Middle School in the San Diego Unified School District, where she teaches eighth grade physics and chemistry. Beyond the classroom, Kellie serves as a trainer, teacher-leader, curriculum evaluator and assists in the screening process for the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair. Her professional experience includes working as a staff developer for the Middle School Science Education Leadership Initiative (MSSELI), the California Math and Science Partnership program, and the San Diego Unified School District; presenting regularly at NSTA's national conference as well as state and regional science education conferences, and working with WestEd's K12 Alliance. She is also actively involved in STEM outreach with local professionals in the science community. She is the recipient of the California State Science Fair Teacher of the Year, the San Diego Science Alliance Partnership Teacher of the Year, and the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair Teacher of the Year awards. Kellie's passion for using interactive notebooks in the science classroom grew out of her desire to improve student learning and to provide students with a method for organizing their metacognitive thoughts. She believes that the students are scientists, therefore they should act like scientists and document their findings and ideas. Susan Benson, Pershing Middle School Susan is an eighth grade science teacher. For seven years she has guided students through their mandatory school science fair, into the county science fair and even to the state science fair. She has collaborated with science professionals for 2 years during science fair and has enjoyed seeing her students improved investigation and experimental skills. Heather Marie McCormick, Pershing Middle School This is Heather's second year with the science fair program at Pershing Middle School. As a new teacher, the professionals and scientists have been very helpful. She enjoys guiding the students through the scientific method and has seen many successes in the school and county science fair.