Student Science Fair Project Journal
can be found on the attached white pages.
If completing the project conflicts with family time, please feel free to complete as little or as much
as works for your child and family. Third graders are strongly encouraged to participate in
preparation for fourth grade. If the project seems too difficult for first graders, please feel free to let
them enjoy watching the presentations of others in class as their introduction for future years.
Try to allow three weeks to do your project. See the packet for a suggested pacing guide.
Turn in Project
Science Fair Day
February 8-18
February 18, 2016
Parental Assistance Defined
 This project is designed to be a collaborative project; we expect parents to
help guide their student through the steps.
 We expect that this will be a student-led project and that the topic will be one
which interests the student. We also expect parents to provide practical help to
the student –writing (for the youngest students), organization, research,
generating ideas, sifting through the possibilities of the chosen topic.
 It is important that the student be able to discuss the topic, the experiment
process, and the results with their classmates and others.
 Due to the student’s age, the amount and type of help that is necessary will
vary.
 If you have any questions, please consult with your classroom teacher.
A large part of this project is the display board. It is undeniable that computer
generated pictures and written pieces are easy to read and are attractive. Please feel
free to help your child keyboard the written parts. If you do not have access to a
computer, it is best to do the writing on a piece of paper which can be glued to the
display board, rather than write directly on the display board. The last task in the
journal is a checklist of what to put on the display board and where to put it. If
you have questions or anticipate problems, talk to the teacher as soon as possible.
As always, if you need paper or markers for this project, please contact the teacher.
1
Expectations and Purpose
The purposes of the project:
1. The pride of accomplishment and the building of skills that comes with
completing the physical project and presentation.
2. The experience of looking at a question in a scientific way--using scientific
processes to test the question and make a conclusion.
3. This work is a preparation for grades four and higher where the science fair
project is a required graded work.
This is a big project. The Student Science Fair Project Journal leads the child
through the process in a timely way. Please take the time to read through the
complete packet before beginning the project. Read week three carefully; it
provides specific directions for the display board. This is a great place to use
creativity to make the project interesting and appealing to the audience. Neatness and
organization are critically important; most students will need help with this.
Students will present their projects to the class as well as participate in the
Science Fair day when the students from all classrooms will have an opportunity to
tour all the classrooms and see this year’s projects.
Science Fair Project Basics: Experiments vs Reports/Models
We are looking for projects that are experiments and that show use of the
scientific processes. This differs from reports or models which only tell about
something, exploring a subject in detail, or which show a physical representation of
the subject. An experiment involves setting up a controlled situation in which the
scientific process is used to look at the change that is being stimulated in the subject or
subjects. We recommend that you stick with simple subjects—look around the
kitchen to see what might be interesting to test. Those of you with some
experience/science background can branch out a bit, but remember that your student
will have to present and explain the experiment.
The Scientific Process
You can best support your student if you understand the scientific process
yourself. There are many helpful websites, a few of which are listed below.
Remember, this is to be a student and parent collaboration. We expect age appropriate
work and thought processes. This will be a really big project for first graders; it is
best to keep questions simple and connected to everyday life. There are many books
available from the library and sites on line which can be very helpful.
2
Helpful websites:
http://tinyurl.com/2jlclb
http://tinyurl.com/bjmfnyo
http://tinyurl.com/87s6chc
http://tinyurl.com/33p84wg
http://chemistry.about.com/od/sciencefairprojects/a/sciproelem.htm
http://1000sciencefairprojects.com/?gclid=CL6zvanrybQCFQThQgo
dRXQAqw
http://www.education.com/science-fair/elementary-school/
Helpful books:
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Science Fair Projects by Nancy
K. O'Leary and Susan Shelly
The Usborne Big Book of Experiments
101 Great Science Experiments by Neil Ardley
Quick- but-great Science Fair Projects by Shar Levine and
Leslie Johnstone
3
Science Fair Requirements at a Glance
Week 1
Step 1: Decide on a topic and a question to be answered by an experiment’s results.
Step 2: State where you found information on the chosen topic
Step 3: Describe your experiment
Step 4: State your hypothesis
Step 5: List of materials and procedures
Week 2
Step 1: Run your experiment three times, record data, and put into a table.
Step 2: Make a graph of your data (3rd grade only)
Step 3: Write a conclusion. Was the hypothesis correct or incorrect?
Step 4: Why do you think the experiment worked or didn’t work? (3 rd grade only)
Week 3
Step 1: Complete your display board
Step 2: Fill out the rubric
Project Due Date: Between February 8-18
Science Fair Day is February 18, 2016
4
Turn in Project
Science Fair Day
February 8 - 18
February 18
Name__________________________________________
My experiment is:
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
5
Week 1
Step 1
The question I plan to answer with my experiment is:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Step 2
A list of where I found information, giving credit to the author/website.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
6
Step 3
Write a sentence that tells us what your experiment is and what you expect
to happen when you do it:
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Step 4
From your research form a hypothesis for your research question. Write it
into the following sentence:
Based on my research, my hypothesis is: If _________________________
____________________________________________________________,
then ________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
7
Step 5
Make a list of the materials that you need to do your experiment. Also,
plan out in detail the steps you will use to do your experiment (procedure).
Grades 2 and 3: Remember that all of this information needs to go
on your display board, too. Have you decided how you are going to
do that?
Grade 1: List the steps in simple words and put on the display board.
Materials List:
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
8
Procedure Steps:
1. ___________________________________________________
2.___________________________________________________
3.___________________________________________________
4.___________________________________________________
5.___________________________________________________
6.___________________________________________________
7.___________________________________________________
8.___________________________________________________
9.___________________________________________________
10.__________________________________________________
11.__________________________________________________
12.__________________________________________________
13.__________________________________________________
14.__________________________________________________
15.__________________________________________________
9
Week 2
Step 1
Run your experiment three times or make sure that you are testing three
different things and record the data that you get. Your parent will help you
put it into table form. Put the table on the display board. Remember to
make it easy to read, interesting, and creative.
Step 2: Grade 3
If applicable, make a simple graph using your data. Put it on the display
board.
Step 3
Write a conclusion. Tell us if your hypothesis was correct or incorrect and
explain why.
Based on the results of my experiment, I conclude that my hypothesis was
_________________, because _________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Step 4: Grade 3
Tell us why you think your experiment worked or didn’t work:
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
10
Week 3
Step 1
Complete your display board. Make sure to make it interesting and
creative.
Display board checklist (suggestions for location)
Top center
___Title of your project
Left-hand fold (when looking at the board from the audience)
___Question
___Hypothesis (grades 2 and 3 only)
___Materials used (grades 2 and 3 only)
___Research references (if any)
Right-hand fold (when looking at the board from the audience)
___Steps and Procedures
___Conclusion
___Extended Conclusion (grade 3 only)
Middle space (Make the Wow! factor happen here - create a space that
really makes people want to come closer to see what you did.)
___Tables
___Graphs (grade 3 only)
___Pictures and diagrams explaining what you did and showing the results
Step 2
Fill out the rubric on the next page.
Project Due Date: Between February 8-18
Bring your project and this booklet to school between February 8th –18th.
Be ready to explain your project to the class.
Thursday, February 18, 2016 (Science Fair Day)
11
Sample Display Ideas
12