Need Science Fair Ideas? Try these...

THE BELOW FROM GAIL JUNION-METZ'S COLUMN "THE LIBRARIAN'S INTERNET" HERE:
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6376091.html

Exploratorium: Online Activities
www.exploratorium.edu/explore/online.html
Need some Web-based science activities in a hurry? Here you’ll find almost 60 projects for ages 10–18 on a wide variety of topics. Most take little prep time (“Common Cents,” for example) but a few activities, especially those for older students, are more involved (such as “Build a Solar System”). Created by: The Exploratorium Museum, San Francisco, CA. Don’t Miss: For all you baseball fans, there’s “Scientific Slugger,” a great way to learn the physics of hitting home runs. And for some tasty fun, visit the “Pickle Lab” and make some yummy virtual gherkins.

SEED: Science Lab
www.seed.slb.com/en/scictr/lab/index_virtual.htm The Science Lab offers up 13 online activities related to geology, physics, and space. Geared for ages 10–18, all of the projects come with a background lesson and most require minimal prep time. Created by: Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development, New York, NY. Don’t Miss: If you like the “Will It Float?” segment of the David Letterman show, be sure to check out the “Buoyancy Explorer.”

MORE SCIENCE FAIR WEBSITES AND RESOURCES

IPL: Science Fair Project Resource Guide
http://www.ipl.org/div/projectguide/
"Are you looking for some help with a science fair project? If so, then you have come to the right place. The IPL will guide you to a variety of web site resources, leading you through the necessary steps to successfully complete a science experiment. If you have never done a science fair project before, it has been a while, or you just want to be sure you do a really great job be sure and look at the following websites for tips on what makes a good project before doing anything else. This way you will know ahead of time what will be expected of you..."

The Discover Channel's Science Fair Resouce Page
http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/
"Creative investigations into the real world." This site provides a complete guide to science fair projects. Check out the 'Handbook' which features information from Janice VanCleave, a popular author who provides everything you need to know for success. You can even send her a question about your project. [From IPL.]

PLAGIARISM

What is Plagiarism?
Follow the above link to get definitions of plagiarism and related words from various web sources. Merriam-Webster's definition states, plagiarism is to "present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source."

The Consequences of Plagiarism
http://www.gananda.k12.ny.us/library/mshslibrary/plagexamples.htm
Real-life examples of plagiarism's consequences: a student's admission to Harvard gets rescinded; presidential hopeful Senator Joe Biden's campaign derailed by accusations of plagiarism; university presidents are forced to resign; journalists lose their credibility and jobs.

Avoiding Plagiarism
Purdue's Online Writing Lab has created a great webpage on plagiarism.
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/print/research/r_plagiar.html

Are you a plagiarist? Take this self test.
http://ec.hku.hk/plagiarism/self_test.htm
A teacher, David Gardner, at the University of Hong Kong has created this excellent website, which includes a test to evaluate if you know how to avoid plagiarism. [Note: the use of the single quotation mark is British usage; American usage is to use the double quotation mark. Please ask if you've any questions about this.]

NPR story on Plagiarism
"Guest Host Melissa Block talks with Thomas Mallon, author of Stolen Words: Forays into the Origins and Ravages of Plagiarism, about the discovery of plagiarism by well-known authors such as Steven Ambrose, and research techniques which should help avoid the problem. (4:30)"
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1136141

What is copyright?
What is Fair Use?
But I'm using it for "educational" purposes. Am I ok?
http://www.cyberbee.com/cb_copyright.swf
http://fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/9-b.html