Project Due Date: March 17th
SENT HOME ON:________________
(Grades will be dropped one full grade if late)
It's very important for parents to be enthusiastic as that will rub off on the child. At the same time,
remember all you eager dads and moms - this is your child's experiment - not yours! You had your chance
decades ago! Let your kid do the thinking and experimenting! You're there to facilitate and guide your
child - to make sure that he or she goes through the right steps. But at the end of the day, its going to be
your child's experiment. Science fair projects are all about doing an experiment while practicing the…
SCIENTIFIC METHOD= practice collecting
and analyzing data the way real scientists do. (see picture)
3 types of activities to choose from:
1. The investigation Here you're expected to ask a question,
constructs a theory or hypothesis, draws a conclusion and then
tests that hypothesis by constructing an experiment.
2. The laboratory experiment This requires you to repeat an
"experiment" found in textbooks, workbooks and other references.
It does not seek to investigate new theories.
3. The report or poster This is an activity that is based on
extensive research done in books and other materials in order to
write a paper on the chosen topic. Backboards (posters) are then
used to illustrate key concepts from the research paper.
Remember - whatever model that you choose, eventually, it will
help bring out the "detective" in your child
SELECTING YOUR SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT IDEA: a really good way would be to start asking yourself
some simple questions about something that interests you. The best science fair project ideas are
often the simplest!
AN EXAMPLE: if you've noticed that plants seem to grow faster when placed next to a window, rather than in the dark,
you might then ask yourself "What is causing the plant to grow faster?" Your experiment needs to be limited to a specific
topic. First, start with a general subject such as "plants". Then, narrow down to one particular aspect of the topic. You could
ask then yourself "What affects the growth rate of plants?". Once you have decided on this particular aspect of plants, you
can then further narrow down your topic to a very specific question such as "Do plants grow faster when they are placed in
sunlight, instead of in the dark?"
STEPS:
1) Pick a topic: use websites to research topics that might interest you
2) Decide how to record your experiment:
Reports, pictures, surveys etc. Record whatever you have discovered in your research to pick your topic including all your thoughts and discussions, in your science journal. You can use a simple notebook - just
so long as you keep your handwriting neat and tidy
-What's most important is that you keep as accurate a recording of your experiment as possible.
3) Display your project:
Display poster board is an important tool for the presentation of your research.
Objective of a display board is to present the main areas and conclusions of your project so that others
can easily understand what you accomplished. Think of the display board as a commercial for your
project. The commercial will state the main points and key features of your research so that others will
understand what you did and how you did it.
Like books, people will read your board from left to right and top to bottom. It is a good idea to arrange
your project information so that observers can read your display in logical order.
Make it easy for others to understand your work. Be attractive, interesting and have details that are
through but not overloaded with distracting information
Title: title of your project and your name
Data and Graphics : Present any significant data, graphs, and pictures in this section. Visual
representations of your results, if done effectively, are worth thousands of words.
Problem/ Purpose: State the problem that you were originally concerned with and explain why you selected the
topic you did?
Hypothesis: State your theory, guess, suggestion, idea.
Procedures: State the procedures you followed. What experiments did you perform and why?
Results: What did you find out from your data? Explain the results here.
Conclusions: Was your hypothesis right or wrong? Can you make a new statement that you know to be true based
on your research?
Recommendations: From everything you learned would you make any recommendations for further research?
Write your ideas for research in this section.
Models or Research Apparatus: Did you create any models or experimental setups that are important in explaining
your work? Three dimensional objects and pictures are often more effective than words at communicating complex
ideas. Find out from your teacher if it is appropriate for you to display models or apparatus and whether or not
you can show them working.
Other Display Materials: Extra Credit!!!!
Abstract
An abstract is a brief overview of your project work. It should include the title, your name, and brief summaries
of the problem, hypothesis, procedures, data and conclusions. It should be no more than one typed page with 1 or 2
paragraphs.
It is a good idea to have copies of your abstract available for visitors to take with them.
WEBSITES: