My younger brother, who is in 6th grade, is participating in a science fair this year. Of course, as his older brother, I am being looked to for help. So why am I writing about my brother’s intellectual journey here? Science teachers who want to organize science fairs at their own school may benefit from hearing about the process bit by bit as my brother completes his project. Keep in mind that my brother is in middle school so the context is a middle school science fair, though my advice can be adapted to organizing a science fair for a different division. In this article, I will discuss how he is choosing a topic and thus how teachers may be able to guide their students in this process.

Science fairs are designed to give students the opportunity to do two things: to exercise the scientific method, and to study a specific topic they enjoy in-depth, in more depth than would be feasible in a traditional classroom setting. If students do not like the topic they are working with, they will become fatigued and lose the motivation to complete their work. Thus I recommend that the teacher allow his or her students to choose their own topics, with your approval for safety and appropriateness.

My brother happens to be a student-athlete; in particular, he has been playing soccer for about 7 years, and he is pretty skilled with maneuverability. So, the topic he has chosen is investigating which part of the foot can propel a soccer ball the greatest distance. I personally love this topic because it is unique. Plus, I doubt my brother will get sick of studying it before he has to present his findings.

Let me note one more thing about choosing a topic: the topic proposal should come in the form of a question, because the purpose of a science fair project is to learn something new, and the project itself should seek to answer the question proposed. My brother is wording his proposal as follows: “which part of the foot kicks a soccer ball the furthest?”

There are so many more elements to a science fair project that I will get to later, including how these elements tie together to create the scientific method. I am excited to see my brother take this challenge on, and I hope you can see the glow of excitement in your students’ eyes when you announce that your school will be hosting a science fair this year.