Teacher Resources

The USA Science & Engineering Festival is a fantastic opportunity to get your students excited about science in the world around them.

This will be the largest celebration of science and engineering in the United States and will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance for your students to see how science is involved in every aspect of their lives. If you plan one field trip this year, this is the one you can't miss!

Here are several ways you can get your students involved and ready for the Expo:

1-Bring Your Students to Sneak Peek Friday on April 27, 2012

The Festival Finale Expo will kick off with a special invitation-only "Sneak Peek Friday" on April 27 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center! Teachers and students from area and underserved schools, homeschoolers, military families, House and Senate members and their staffers, White House officials, key agency representatives are invited to tour the EXPO exhibits on "Sneak Peek Friday" before it opens to the general public on Saturday and Sunday. Click here to find out more.

2-Bring a group of students to the Expo and Book Fair on April 28 & 29, 2012

Plan Your Day: Coming Soon!

3-Thematic Tracks

We have put together a series of “tracks” around various topics to help you and your students navigate the Expo. Each track consists of 10-12 exhibits. This year, we are offering two types of tracks: (1) the National Academy of Engineering "Grand Challenges" Tracks, and (2) thematic tracks that focus on a specific subject area, including Chemistry, Biology, Nanotechnology, Energy, Green Technology and Sustainability, Robotics, Aerospace, Weather, Engineering, Evolution, Medicine etc..

To view and print the exhibits that make up a given track, simply go to the Exhibit page, select a track, and click “search”.

View the detailed descriptions of the tracks.

4-Give Extra Credit

We hope you will consider giving extra credit to your students for attending the Expo. Here are some ideas to challenge your students to earn extra credit:

-The Expo map will have an area to collect stamps for completed exhibit activities. Chose one of the tracks and have your students complete at least 10 exhibits from that track to collect 10 stamps. The proof is on the map!

-Create your own festival track for your students to collect stamps. On the exhibit page, search for specific topics and age ranges appropriate to your class.

-Have students create their own track and share their experience after the festival.

-Have students create videos for the Kavli "Save the World through Science & Engineering" Video Contest. Contest deadline is March 1, 2012.

-Enter a team into the You CAN Do the Rubik’s Cube Contest.

-Have your students enter the Grand Challenges Pitch Contest hosted by engineering.com

-Have students create exhibits of their own and have their own Science Fest based on what they learned at the USA Science & Engineering Festival Expo.

5-Have your students participiate in a Festival contest

-Enter a team into the You CAN Do the Rubik’s Cube Contest and attend a free workshop for teachers
-Have your students enter the Grand Challenges Pitch Contest hosted by engineering.com

Find out more about contests here.

6-Invite a Festival representative

To your next PTA meeting or faculty meeting to tell your community more about the Festival. Contact Larry Bock at biobock@mac.com

7-Help spread the word about the Festival:

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Black & White version

Have an idea you want to share about how to help teachers get their students involved at the Expo? Share your ideas with us: Contact Larry Bock at biobock@mac.com