(This page was last updated on 10/26/21) 

Independent Science Inquiry (ISI)

Five ISI Presentations are due this year. This presentation is equivalent to a quiz grade.
This is an opportunity for students to explore a scientific phenomenon of interest. 

Specific due dates are located at the bottom of the attached ISI form.
You will notice that these due dates are always after a break or long weekend.
This is done on purpose to give families flexibility of when to work on them.
Students can turn in the ISI early to avoid working on them during a break (I encourage this).
Students could also save the work for when they have more time during a longer period with no school. 

The topic of the ISI needs to be a phenomenon.

A phenomenon is something that can be observed and explained using science.

Phenomenon = an observable event.

Phenomenon should spark curiosity and wonder. Then it can be investigated and/or explored.

Parents and/or students that are interested, watch this video for a more in depth explanation of phenomenon. 

This video (even just the first few minutes) will help to explain phenomenon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ps3Js-psgo

Choose a specific phenomenon to present.

Here are a few EXAMPLES of phenomenon.
Onions make your eyes water.
I can see my breath when it is cold.
Moon phases.
Dish soap will make food coloring in milk disperse.
Water reflects images.
The earth rotates.
Leaves are green.
Water takes different forms at different temperatures.
Lightening and thunder are connected.
Lightning

Try NOT to use one of these phenomena. Think of one on your own.
Your ISI should be focused on explaining the science of that phenomenon.
You will develop questions about your phenomenon.
Much of your presentation will be sharing the answers/explanations of the questions you developed.

Be sure to include your sources in the presentation. The source needs to be longer than a standard encyclopedia entry. There are some wonderful science links on the homepage of this website. Always gather information from more than one source. The presentation MUST be in your own words. Do not copy from your source. Choose an area of science that interests you, and remember that science is amazing when you take the time to look!

You should become an expert that is able to talk with others about your topic.
You will present what you have learned with the class.
During this presentation, try not to read, instead be an expert and talk to the class about your topic.
Have visuals! Have visuals! Have visuals!
Tell us some cool stuff. Show us some cool stuff.

          Focus your presentation on explaining the phenomenon. 
          Focus on answering your questions.
          What do you know now that you didn't know before?
          Don't just share facts, include your thoughts and opinions on the topic.
          Make the science obvious in your presentation.
          What scientists and /or professions would find this information useful?

Since this assignment is a presentation and not a report, there is no need to turn in anything other than the ISI Form.
Your presentation should ALWAYS include visuals.
You can make a poster, a video, a Power Point presentation, etc.
Save your presentation on our on Office 365.
To guaranteed access, save your video as a YouTube. 
Power Point presentations are the most popular method for presenting an ISI. You don't have to use this format. 

As discussed in class:
Many pictures, large pictures, and few words per slide will make your presentation interesting and effective.
Power Point slides should have bullets, not sentences and paragraphs.
It should be obvious that you put forth high effort on this assignment. Do not copy from your source.
Always check your work. Be sure to check spelling, capitalization, grammar, and punctuation.
Your ISI needs to be quality 6th grade work. 

Click here for ISI Form

Click here for Scientific Method BRMS Lab Format Chart

Attention Mac Users if needed...
Often, power points created on Macs can not be opened at school.
Try this to solve this issue
From the student/parent end at home, the best habit is to export the file to the appropriate Office applications prior to saving it to a flash drive.
          Within the application (Keynote, Pages, Numbers), click the File menu
          Select Export To from the drop down list 
          Select the appropriate file type for the export (PowerPoint, Word, Excel, PDF, QuickTime for videos, etc.)
          Click Next and choose your output destination (the flash drive where you would like to exported file saved).
          Click Export.
          Double-check that the new file is saved on the flash drive in the appropriate application type. Voila! You should be able to work with this new file on any school computer.