Six Extra Credit Projects For Middle School Science Students
Science can be a challenge course for students to take. Some students seem to have a natural competency in science while others struggle to master even the most basic science concepts. If the grades in your science class seem to be slipping then give your students a second chance at mastering the concepts in the unit and raising their grade. This can be done by offering extra credit projects.
#1 Science Fair Project
One of the best extra credit projects that you can offer to your science students is a science fair project. Science fair projects can be offered several months before the school science fair. Most schools allow these projects to be done voluntarily, however, if you have a student that is going to flunk the class then you can offer them a chance to raise their score significantly if they do a good job on this project.
#2 Science Report
A good extra credit project for science class that requires slightly less work than a science fair project is a basic science report. You can offer your students 10 to 20 extra points if they complete a three to five page essay on a science topic that you select. This option will not only help the student to recapture some of their missing points, but it will also give them more exposure to the concept that they are struggling with in class.
#3 Interview a Science Professional
A fun extra credit project for science class is to have your students interview a science professional and to write a news story on them. The science professional can be a science teacher, a lab technician, a doctor or a biologist from the local area. You can offer extra points if the student gives a speech in class about the person they interviewed.
#4 Put Together a Collection
Science collections can also be offered as a science extra credit project. As the teacher you will need to define what type of collection will need to be assembled, how many pieces it will need to have and what features it will need to have to qualify for points. Possible collections include leaf collections, flower collections, insect collections and rock collections.
#5 Group Projects
Group projects can also be offered as a middle school extra credit project. This type of project will focus on the solving of a science problem as a group. In order to earn credit each member of the group will need to participate in the presentation of the solution and each member will need to contribute to the solution.
#6 Seasonal Projects
Since the school year covers about 75 percent of the year several seasons and holidays are enveloped in the school year. You can develop extra credit projects around these special events and seasons. For example, you can have your students collect data about something related to a season or a holiday celebration. They can keep a journal about the temperatures and weather or they can collect data on how many calories people consume on a normal day and how many calories they consume at a holiday celebration.