Science Presentations Information Packet (2013-2014)
Schedule of Important Dates
Tuesday, September 24, 2013 - Project Ideas form due with signed parent acknowledgment; Set
up conference with teacher, if necessary (10 pts)
Monday, September 30, 2013 – Begin Research – use research to develop and plan your
experiment.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013 – Science Presentation Project Plan Due (20 pts)
Wednesday, October 30, 2013 – Abstract due (20 pts)
Wednesday, November 13, 2013 – Mini-Report is due. The mini-report will include:
1. A Title Page – name, project title, area of research
2. Abstract
3. Introduction – including hypothesis and preliminary research
4. Materials – you may list
5. Procedure – you may list
6. Preliminary Results – Your experiment has begun, discuss any trials that have been
conducted – include data. METRIC ONLY!
7. A summary of remaining research and trials left to be conducted.
8. A Works Cited in the MLA Format
This portion of your project is worth 50 points.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013 – Prepare Power-point to be printed out. Continue research,
experimentation, and analysis of your results. Analysis requires you to look at your results
and interpret the data. Analysis is not the same as conclusions. Your conclusions will either
support or reject your hypothesis with an explanation and “real world” application of your
results.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013 – Rough draft of written report is due! (100pts) The rough
draft of the written report will include:
1. Title Page (5pts)
2. Abstract (10pts)
3. Introduction (15 pts)
4. Materials (10 pts)
5. Procedures (10 pts)
6. Results – including all relevant data in tables, chart, or graph format – METRIC
ONLY! Analysis of results supported by research and your data (20 pts).
7. Conclusion – analysis and “real world” application (15 pts)
8. Works Cited – proper MLA format is required! (15 pts)
All reports must be typed and use proper grammatical and sentence structure.
Wednesday, January 15, 2013 – ORAL PRESENTATIONS & FINAL DRAFT OF REPORT
DUE . YOUR FINAL DRAFT IS WORTH 100 PTS! YOUR ORAL PRESENTATION
WORTH 50 PTS.
Getting Started
Pick your topic. Choose an area of science that interests you. Select a topic that you have been
curious about or based on a hobby if possible. Your enthusiasm for your topic is very important.
Judges like to see students that have a genuine interest in their topic. The following internet
resources have a multitude of potential topics in every area of science.
http://www.factmonster.com/spot/sciproject2.html
http://www.scienceproject.com/
http://www.sciencefaircenter.com/
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/
http://www.education.com/science-fair/
http://sciencefair.math.iit.edu/projects/
http://www.sciencebob.com/sciencefair/ideas.php
http://www.ipl.org/div/projectguide/choosingatopic.htm
Be sure to choose a topic that you can test and that test materials are available to you!
Research your topic. Go to the library and read everything that you can about your topic. You
need to be an expert on your topic. Gather as much existing information available on your topic.
Look for articles that discuss either unexplained or unexpected information about your topic. If
possible, interview experts in the field. Your research must include at least two books.
Wikipedia is not acceptable as a source.
Develop a hypothesis. Based on your knowledge of the topic and the preliminary research you
have conducted; prepare an educated guess that will answer the question that you have posed for
your research.
Draft your Research Project Plan. The purpose of the Research Project Plan is to act as a
guide for you to conduct your research. You will make a timeline for yourself including dates
that you will conduct research and experimentation. You will also include materials that you
will need on the specified date and procedures that you will follow. The plan will give structure
to your research and keep your project moving along appropriately so that you are not
scrambling at the end. I will review your Research Project Plan with you and then you will
finalize your plan with your parent’s signature.
Conduct your experiment. Keep detailed notes on each and every trial. Record how the
manipulated and responding variables behave during each trial. Make observations, record
measurements, and take pictures!!! Conduct as many trials as necessary to give provide enough
data to either support or reject your hypothesis. COLLECT DATA – preferably
QUANTITATIVE DATA!

Manipulated (or Independent) Variable: This is the variable you will change in your
experiment. For example, if you wanted to know how fertilizer affects plant growth, the
amount of fertilizer applied is the only variable that you would change. A good
experiment will test more than one amount of fertilizer and compare the growth among
all groups.

Responding (or Dependent) Variable: This is the variable that changes as a result of the
changes in the manipulated variable. In our fertilizer example, the responding variable
would be the size of the plants.
Controlled Variables (or Controls): These are all the things that you will keep the same
in your experiment. Controls in our example would include: the origin of the seeds (they
must all come from the same package and should be randomly selected), the amounts of
light and water each plant receives, the type of soil used (same type, brand, etc.), the size
of the pot, and the temperature.

Examine your results. When you complete your experiment, examine and organize your data.
Did your experiment provide you with the outcome that you expected? Was there anything that
surprised you about your data or the experimentation process? Were there other factors that you
had not considered? Was your experiment conducted with the exact same steps each time? Why
or why not? Analyze your data!
Form your conclusions. Which variables are important? Did you collect enough data? Do you
need to do more experimenting? Keep an open mind - never alter results to fit a theory.
Remember, if your results do not support your original hypothesis, you can still have
accomplished successful scientific research. An experiment is done to prove or disprove a
hypothesis. What are the “real world” applications for your research? Why is it relevant?
Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________
PROJECT IDEAS
Due September 24, 2013
You are writing a research paper for a science project. You will form a testable hypothesis,
design the experiment, perform it, collect data, analyze the data, and form a conclusion. The
research paper with completed experimentation is due in November.
You need to think of areas of science that you are interested in. Using these areas of interest as a
guide, state three problems that you are interested in researching and investigating. These
problems should be in the form of a question and fairly specific. Star the one you are most
interested in. See examples given below.
1. Do metals rust at different rates?
2. Does magnetism/electricity affect plant growth? How?
3. What detergent is the most biodegradable or effective?
Remember: this is the first step of the scientific method that will lead to a
hypothesis and ultimately an experiment. You will be designing this experiment with
equipment that you possess or can obtain.
PROJECT IDEAS
1.
2.
3.
I have read and understand my child’s ideas for his/her science project. I understand that he/she
will be completing the research paper as well as performing and documenting the experiment by
December 11, 2013 (rough draft of paper is due). I understand research may have to be done at
other libraries as well as laboratory facilities when necessary.
Signature _________________________________________ Date ______________________
SCIENCE RESEARCH PROJECT PLAN
Due October 16, 2012
1. Write your problem statement in the form of a question.
2. What is your independent variable? (What would you change as you investigate your
problem?)
3. What is your dependent variable? (What would you measure as you investigate your
problem?)
5. Write a hypothesis in the form: If…….., then……..
6. How will you test your hypothesis? Write a step by step procedure showing how you will
change your independent variable and how you will measure the dependent variable.
7. List any materials, instruments, or people you might need to perform your experiment.
8. Include a timeline with proposed dates for when you will conduct your trials and collect your
data
YOUR FINAL PAPER
All sections should appear in this order.
No exceptions.
A. Title Page. Center the project title and put your name, grade, and Christ the Divine Teacher
Catholic Academy.
B. Introduction. This sets the scene for your report. The introductory paragraph should explain
what prompted your research, what you hoped to achieve (your purpose), and your thesis
statement. Then, from the review of the literature, summarize information essential for
understanding your research project. Establish a strong rationale for the study by emphasizing
unresolved issues or questions. Conclude by stating the research hypothesis. (Powerpoint slides
will include Problem, Purpose and Hypothesis
C. Materials and Procedures. Describe in detail the procedure used to derive your data and
observations. Your report should be detailed enough so someone would be able to repeat your
experiment just by reading your paper. Include precise description of the sample, any apparatus
that was constructed or modified for the study, methods of data collection, and brand names for
materials. These items should be in LIST form.
D. Results. Present the data collected in the experiment in the form of tables and/or graphs AND
SUMMARIZE the data in paragraph form. This is the place where you ANALYZE your data.
E. Conclusion. The discussion is the finale of your paper. Your results and conclusions should
flow smoothly and logically from your data. BE THOROUGH! Compare your results with
published data and commonly held beliefs and/or expected results. Was your hypothesis correct?
A complete paper also should include a discussion of possible errors as well as the following
observations:
1. How did the data vary between repeated observations of similar events?
2. How were your results affected by uncontrolled events?
3. What would you do differently if you repeated this project?
4. What other experiments should be conducted?)
5. How does you experiment benefit society? (“real world” applications)
G. Works Cited. Your works cited should include any material that is not your own (i. e., books,
papers, journal articles and communications cited in the paper). If it is on your Works Cited
page, it should be cited in your paper. Follow the MLA style. Be sure you have correctly cited
sources within your paper.