Both as a student and as a teacher, I have considerable experience
with science reports and projects. Hopefully these hints,
helps, and suggestions will make your learning experience more
satisfying with less anxiety. (Most of these principles work
for other subjects as well as science.)
Almost always the hardest part about a project or report is
selecting the subject or topic. Here are some possible
subjects, and some to be avoided. Also, here are some rules of
thumb for selecting the right subject for
you.
People have a tendency to assume that whatever is printed
in a book must be true. It is important to check
information against that from other sources, and see how it
connects with what we think we know. To illustrate the
principle, here are some things you may find in your school
books which are not true.
Because of the Internet, it is now possible for students (or
anyone else) to get raw data direct from remote sensors.
Satellite images of Earth for studying weather in near
real time. Earthquake data in real time for some
areas, near real time for the rest of the world. Live
camera views of major volcanoes. Live telescope views
of Sun. And much more raw data, in the form that
professional scientists get it.
