Middle School students have reason to celebrate after completing yet another impressive and exciting Illumination Fair (formerly the Middle School Learning and Science Fair). The Illumination Fair is a unique learning opportunity for students to work independently on a specific area of study. They work diligently for months as they design an experiment or explore a thesis to present to the School community.
The experience helps to provide the foundation for students to learn and exercise research methodology, take a position on a topic and argue their thesis, meet deadlines and follow a required format for reporting an experiment. They also gain invaluable public speaking experience when presenting their projects to parents, students and friends
One of the foundations of Doane Stuart’s educational mission is “the joy of discovery.” Our students enjoy learning in a school that values the experience of exploration and creativity in balance with the rigor required to master the skills and concepts that will ground their work right through college. This supplemental research project – conducted in addition to a student’s traditional course work – demonstrates the academic rigor, emphasis on discovery and love of learning that inform the work of our students and teachers.
~ Visit the Illumination Fair Photo Gallery ~
This year’s topics included:
5th Grade
Does the temperature of water affect the buoyancy?
Does temperature affect the surface tension of water?
Does the floor surface affect how high a ball bounces?
Does the color of the water affect the evaporation rate?
How does sleep affect the human body?
Does the air pressure in a basketball affect the shot?
Does the type of water affect how a radish grows?
6th Grade
Feudal Society
Athena’s Help
GMOs vs Purple Potatoes
All About Mia Hamm
Earth: Vital Signs are Changing
From Twigs to Sheep
Tornadoes
Soccer’s Sun
Altro: the Amusement Park that Disappeared
Causes of the French Revolution
Grade 7
How does a PSI of a football affect the distance it can be launched or thrown?
Which battery lasts the longest?
Does the price of a skateboard bearing affect the speed of the skateboard?
Does the type of liquid taken with a pill affect its dissolving rate?
Which surface has the least fluctuated path for a soccer ball, turf or grass?
Does the price of paint affect its durability when exposed to water?
Does the size of a bird feeder affect the number of birds that go to it?
Can baking powder be a substitute for baking soda in a muffin?
Does the presence of music have an affect on the number of birds that go to the bird feeder?
Does peppermint oil have a cooling effect on water?
Do screen and text color affect retention?
Which type of wood is harder: Curly Maple, Black Walnut, or Ebony?
Does the type of salt affect the distance traveled by a Salt Robot?
Which household item cleans up the most oil?
Does the type of cookie sheet affect how a cookie bakes?
Which fabric has the most durability?
Will the type of milk affect the height and weight of a muffin?
Does the width of a clay boat affect its buoyancy?
How does the type and amount of fertilizer affect filamentous algae growth?
Grade 8
The Controversy over Vaccines
September 11, 2001
Michael Schumacher
Growing Hearts from Stem Cells
Global Warming
Feminism and its Relevance
Legalization of Medicinal Marijuana
Marie Curie – A Vivid Genius
Benedict Arnold
Euthanasia
Croatoan
Geronimo: Hero or Rebel?
The Ramones
Relevance of Gothic Literature
Women in the Civil War
Anne Frank’s Diary
Factory Farming
The Fall of the Maya Civilization
Rain Forests
Vietnam – Half a Century Later
Ringo’s Drumming
Illegal Immigration
The Red Scare