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Field trips are a great way for students to connect conceptual ideas to concrete examples. This website has a lot of great options for students to explore!!

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Join us for our Virtual Field Trips or watch them on-demand after their premieres. Each no-cost Virtual Field Trip comes with a companion guide packed with standards-aligned, hands-on learning activities! Select one of the options below to register.

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Take students beyond the classroom and into some of the world's most iconic locations with virtual field trips. Learn more!

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I really love using Jam board because it allows each student to participate as well as the teacher to assess the knowledge of the whole class in one place.

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Students can get with a partner and interview each other over the topic that was learned. The teacher can provide the interview questions and the students can turn their answers in at the end of class so the teacher can see what needs to be covered more in depth or again.

Brianna Nance

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Student can make a brochure or foldable over the topic to explain what they have learned and cover different areas of the topic.

Brianna Nance

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I would include an engaging video to introduce the topic. You could choose to do a song that is about the topic.

Brianna Nance

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Forces students to retain information of what they learned.

Brittney Lozano

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Students can contribute input of their knowledge with other students.

Brittney Lozano

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Students may use this to present their information.

Brittney Lozano

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Brittney Lozano

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Next Generation Science Videos For K-8 - Generation Genius

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Get instant access to hours of fun, standards-based learning videos, lesson plans, activities, quizzes & more.

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Video or mentor text may arouse their curiosity for further interest.

Brittney Lozano

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This is a website that allows you to gather informative information from your students. The students will use QR codes to answer questions that I put up on the board. This will be used as an exit ticket so that I can see how well the students understood my topic.

Morgan Roberts

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Easy and creative way to elaborate

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Allows students to list their individual findings as well as ask for clarification

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By Amy Cowen on November 9, 2020 10:00 AM
Is your school shifting from an in-person science fair to a virtual one? These nine steps provide an easy-to-follow roadmap for success.
The annual science fair is a hallmark of student science and engineering for many schools, an event where the hard work students put into their independent science projects is on display for peers, family, teachers, the community, and judges. As a culmination of the individual science project process, the science fair gives students a chance to show off their work, answer questions about their projects and findings, and, in some cases, be recognized by judges.

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing, and limitations on gatherings, your school science fair may not be able to be the same in-person event you've done in the past. That doesn't mean that you have to cancel the whole idea of the science fair!
A virtual science fair is a great solution for this year and doesn't have to be complicated to plan.
Science Projects During a Pandemic

With many students at home as a virtue of remote learning or hybrid learning with asynchronous blocks to fill, science projects are an excellent choice for STEM learning. (See our Five Reasons this is a Great Year for Student Science Projects post.)

Just doing and turning in the project isn't always enough though. A science fair adds an important layer to the project because students know the project will be presented and viewed by others. They'll prepare differently, work differently, and think about the project differently with the future event in mind.

So how do you assign projects and run a virtual science fair during a pandemic? We've broken the process into nine steps to give you the big-picture view:

1. Decide on the project presentation format for your virtual fair.

2. Decide on the "venue" for your virtual science fair.

3. Decide if the virtual science fair will be open to the community or will be for your class (or groups of classes) only.

4. Decide if the virtual science fair will be judged and whether or not there will be any awards given.

5. Assign the project and set the date for the virtual science fair.

6. Have students select and start their projects.

7. Create a project timeline with check-in points.

8. Invite feedback during the virtual science fair.

9. Congratulate ALL students for participating.

Nine Steps to a Virtual Science Fair

1. Decide on the project presentation format for your virtual fair.
Your virtual fair can take advantage of the tools and systems you are already using with your students. The main goal of your virtual science fair is to give students a way to showcase and share their science projects. Traditionally, students prepare tri-panel display boards to present at a science fair. You may still choose to have students create a display board that they share, but for your virtual fair, having students create digital presentations may be a better approach. The format of the presentation will depend, in part, on the venue you choose for the virtual science fair.
Note: If students will be creating display boards, share Smart Science Project Display Boards for tips and reminders.

2. Decide on the "venue" for your virtual science fair.
Instead of people visiting a hallway or gymnasium to look at science projects on display, they will need to be able to watch or browse projects online. This might mean a virtual event where projects are presented in real time (like a Zoom meeting), or it might mean creating a digital gallery of projects that can be viewed at any time. Some possible solutions include:

Hold a Zoom, Google Meet, or similar event where students present their projects one at a time. If you record this event, it can then be shared for asynchronous viewing, too. If you plan to record and share the virtual science fair, you might hold the live event with your students over the course of several class periods and then make the recordings available to viewers.

Have students create short videos in which they describe their projects and results. These videos could be shared to a common drive, uploaded to a private YouTube channel, or shared with a platform like Flipgrid. (See Using FlipGrid with Science Buddies for Remote Learning in Science Class.)

Have students create presentations using multimedia tools like PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Prezi that can be shared to a common drive. Consider creating a virtual science fair webpage (or email) that lists all of the projects and links to each presentation for easy access.

Note: You may also have your students complete a research paper or written report as part of the science project, but these reports shouldn't be the basis of your virtual science fair. We recommend these reports be separate assignments.

Which approach is best? Any of these approaches can work! Choose an approach that will work with the technology and systems your school and students already use.

3. Decide if the virtual science fair will be open to the community or will be for your class (or groups of classes) only. Your decision about how broadly your virtual science fair will be attended will determine how much time you need to spend announcing the science fair. You will, at least, want to promote the virtual science fair in emails (or letters) to student families. We recommend you do this at the outset and then again at least once mid-way through the process as well as 1-2 weeks in advance of the event. If others will be invited to view projects, you might plan to announce the virtual science fair in a school newsletter and/or on social media platforms several times in the weeks leading up to the event.

4. Decide if the virtual science fair will be judged and whether or not there will be any awards given.
If you want to have projects be judged, you will need to recruit judges early and plan to create a scoresheet that judges can use during the virtual event. Depending on the format for your virtual science fair, you may need to have a practice or training session so that judges have a chance to see how projects will be presented.
Tip: Judging scorecard examples for both science and engineering projects are available on the Teacher Resources for Science Fairs page.

5. Assign the project and set the date for the virtual science fair.
Go over the plan for the virtual science fair with students so that they know what they will be expected to turn in, how and when they will present their projects, and what, if any, prizes might be awarded. Your assignment and grading rubric should clearly separate requirements for doing the project and requirements for participating in the virtual science fair.

6. Have students select and start their projects.
The first step for students is selecting a project. If you use the Topic Selection Wizard, students can view recommendations from our project library of more than 1,100 projects based on their interests. We recommend having students submit their project choice (or a few top choices) for your approval before starting a project. (Google Classroom teachers can assign the project selection form.)

7. Create a project timeline with check-in points.
Breaking the project into steps and having due dates for students to submit, turn in, or get feedback as they work on their projects, helps ensure everyone stays on track. With check-in points built into the assignment, you will know that students are all making progress on their projects for the virtual science fair. (No waiting until the last minute!) Working through steps on the Project Guide can help students organize their work. If they need assistance, they can use the free Ask an Expert forums to ask questions.
Note: To learn more about using the free Ask an Expert forums, see Free science project support in the Ask an Expert forums.

8. Invite feedback during the virtual science fair.
One particularly rewarding and educational part of a science fair is the thought process and communication skills that go along with answering questions about one's science or engineering project. If possible, you want to incorporate a question/answer or feedback element in your virtual science fair. Some strategies include:

If they will be presenting live to a small group (e.g., classmates and maybe judges): you may want to plan a 3-5 minute question time after each presentation, during which spectators are invited to ask questions directly to the student. We recommend limiting this session by time.
Note: If you have seen the projects in advance, we recommend having one question written for each student project in the event that no questions are asked. This helps ensure all students get a chance to answer a question at the science fair.

If they will be presenting live to a larger audience (e.g., students, judges, and others) with a remote meeting tool: encourage the "audience" to use the tool's chat feature to ask questions. At the end of the presentation, the teacher (or a designated helper) should read one or two of the questions to the student to be answered. Limiting the number of questions will help ensure students aren't overwhelmed with questions and will help with overall timing of your event. Again, if you have seen the projects in advance, we recommend preparing one question ahead of time for each student project. This helps ensure all students get a chance to answer a question at the science fair.

If projects are shared online for asynchronous viewing: set up a spreadsheet (or Google Form) where questions or comments can be entered for the student or allow questions to be emailed to the teacher to be collected and shared with students. Classmates could also be encouraged to post questions using Google Classroom (or the classroom tool your school uses). Students won't be able to answer questions directly, but you might have students write responses to questions after the event (and turn them in) as a way of reflecting on the feedback and their project.

9. Congratulate ALL students for participating. Even if awards are given for some projects, recognize the hard work and scientific achievement for all participants. Hopefully, all students enjoyed their hands-on projects and learned something in the process!

The Virtual Science Fair Learning Curve

Shifting the science fair online in response to the pandemic may be the smartest and safest approach for your school. A virtual science fair allows you to continue emphasizing the value of hands-on STEM inquiry and exploration with a remote venue. As noted above, this process doesn't have to be overly complicated and can and should be designed to make use of the tools you and your students are already using for remote learning. Even with forethought and planning, there may be some hiccups in the process and some unforeseen issues. Be patient. Be flexible. And, when possible, run through things in advance to help anticipate problems before they happen.

We would love to hear how you structure your virtual science fair this year and how it goes. Good luck!

You Might Also Enjoy These Related Posts:

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Plan, Run, and Succeed with a Virtual Science Fair - 9 Easy Steps! | Science Buddies Blog

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By Amy Cowen on November 9, 2020 10:00 AM Is your school shifting from an in-person science fair to a virtual one? These nine steps provide an easy-to-follow roadmap for success.

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I would include a video, or a brainstorming web about the topic we will be discussing.

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This can be made on Google Slides and students can use this to match definitions.

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Students can make a presentation and elaborate on what the learned in a group project.

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This is a great way for students to answer questions and the teacher can see who wrote what all in one spreadhseet.

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The Mysterious and Powerful Force of Gravity

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The students can add sticky notes to the board that allows the entire class to see each others thinking. You could do this with different vocabulary words to see how each student would define the word.

Brianna Nance

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You can have your students create an example model of what they are learning about so they have have a visual to refer back to.

Brianna Nance

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This allows students to get engaged and want to learn more about the content. It can also help refresh their background knowledge about the topic.

Brianna Nance

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This is a great way to evaluate students knowledge that they have gained through the lesson.

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This is similar to Kahoot. This is a fun way to quiz students to see what they have learned but puts a fun competition into it for the students.

Victoria Coody

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The students can post sticky notes to show what they have learned and elaborate on what they have discovered.

Victoria Coody

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You can use this to present the information and the students could also interact and participate in the lesson.

Victoria Coody

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Virtual labs give students opportunity to explore the topic even more and be interactive.

Victoria Coody

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Showing a video about the topic to get the students interested is a good way to engage.

Victoria Coody

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These Virtual Labs help students learn basic laboratory techniques and practice methods used by lab technicians and researchers in a variety of careers, using specific food science lab processes.

It is easy for consumers to take safe food for granted: as most people don't understand the rigorous testing, research and assessment food and food processing requires. Healthy, safe food is of extreme importance and vital to human survival. Expert lab technicians help make sure that the food we eat and feed to our animals will not harm us or our livestock.

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Students can learn basic laboratory techniques and practice methods used by lab technicians and researchers in a variety of careers, using specific food science lab processes.

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The Mysterious and Powerful Force of Gravity

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After visiting a place virtually a student can use the information they learned to create a "travel brochure"

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I think building a Jamboard for students to ask their questions is a great way to have them engaged.

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Jamboard is a fun way to have students answer questions or pose their own about a topic. Students can share their ideas and see their classmates as well.

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Nearpod interactive lessons are a fun way to teach students new information and assess them as you go.

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Prezzi is a great way for students to show the information they learned in a creative and engaging way.

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I think a virtual field trip is a great way to have students explore a topic and gather information.

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Youtube videos are a great way to introduce student's to an unfamiliar topic. There are lots of videos that are exciting and include fun music or graphics.

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I cannot remember the name of the website they use, but it is a information/lesson giver for class and the STAAR tests.
-Shilo Stallcup

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Virtual bulletin board for students add sticky notes for comments, and videos/images. Students can also attach documents to show their data and go into more detail about their experiment.

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lino is an online web sticky note service that can be used to post memos, to-do lists, ideas, and photos anywhere on an online web canvas. lino is a completely free service that runs on all popular web browsers.

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Students can create notes that include videos, links, and pictures to talk about what they have learned after participating in the explore actiivity.

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Wakelet | The All In One Content Platform

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Wakelet allows you to bookmark, organize, collaborate and present on content all in one platform. Harness your content to build remarkable things.

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Students can go into their Google Classroom and answer questions over what they have learned and if they are still confused on a certain part.

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A virtual interactive whiteboard allows students to share their ideas and elaborate on them. The teacher can also add questions for the student to answer such as "what would happen if you added vinegar instead of water to the experiment?"

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Students can use Canva to create a virtual brochure that explains and organizes the information they learned.

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Students can explore nature through live webcam videos of animals in their habitats.

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The teacher will create a google doc with a KWL chart and send the link to the students. Then have them each add one comment under the K and W column.

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Edpuzzle is a resource that has several educational videos that give students checkpoints throughout. These checkpoints can consist of multiple choice or open-ended questions. I think Edpuzzle is a great way to evaluate students because it checks for their understanding and reviews what they have learned.

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Students can answer an open-ended question on the discussion tool.

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Students can create an infographic to share what they are learning about. They can also be used to explain the topic being addressed.

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Students can use Seesaw to share what they have learned by making a journal post.

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Virtual stimulations for students to participate in and build comprehension.

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Hi there. We're ExploreLearning!

We're an education technology company creating seriously fun solutions for the most critical challenges in K-12 STEM learning.

What's this serious fun business all about? Tell me more...

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We're an education technology company creating seriously fun solutions for the most critical challenges in K-12 STEM learning.

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Students each write one thing they learned, then when given the signal, they will toss them all in the air. Students will pick up one closest to them and read it out loud.

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The student each receive a square with a QR code on it and letters A-D on each side. The students will answer the questions on the board by holding their QR code up with the correct answer choice at the top. Fun and interactive way to check for understanding.

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The teacher writes a specific word on the board or a giant piece of poster paper. The class then goes and writes words that they think are connected to the new word being introduced.

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Students could create a short video to explain the information in their own words.

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This would be a fun way for students to look for examples of the information they have just learned about.

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When students are learning about habitats or a specific animal, zoo's and other websites offer a live webcam feed where students can see what the animals are doing in real time.

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Quizizz allows the teacher to assess the students understanding of the information on a topic.

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Screencastify allows students to present the information learned on a topic with the class or teacher.

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Google forms allow students to individually share their findings on a topic.

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Students can attend a virtual field trip to help build an understanding of the topic being learned.

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YouTube videos are a great resource for visual learners and boosting student interest. A YouTube video can be used in a lesson to introduce a topic or deepen student understanding.

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Students will be able to compete and have fun as well as allowing us a chance to see if they understood the lesson.

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Students could work together and explain what they learned

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Gives students a way to show off what they learned.

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This allows them to deeper explore the topic

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A fun way to introduce a new topic and refresh their memory

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The students can gain information from the websites and videos.

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Will allow the students to explain what they learned

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A fun way to introduce the topic.

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You will be able to see what might need to be covered again.

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Students can use the Jam board to explained what they learned.

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Students can discuss what they have learned and apply it to their everyday life.

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Students can use this to discuss background knowledge on a subject

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Used to get students excited about the content.