It’s Time for
Oak Knoll’s Science Fair!
Cool!
OAK KNOLL SCIENCE FAIR:
Wednesday, March 30th & Thursday, March 31st: 6:00-8:00 PM in the New Multi
Monday, January 31st - Registration begins (on-line)
Thursday, March 3rd – Last day of registration Monday, February 28th –
Friday, March 4th: Science Fair Presentation Boards available in the office
Friday, March 11th - Last day to submit Science Fair idea (please submit your idea to: [email protected])
Wednesday, March 30th - Science Fair for 2nd and 3rd graders (new Multi)
Thursday, March 31st - Science Fair for 4th and 5th graders (new Multi)
iMovie: Let the Experts show you how!
http://teachers.mpcsd.org/cbrewbaker/Brewbaker/OakKnoll/Science/ScienceFair09.html
The Scientific Method
For Brew baker’s Se con d Gr ader s!
So your teacher said that you were required to do the
Science Fair… “COOL!” many of you shouted. She loved
your excitement to be a part of Oak Knoll’s Science Fair.
But you have probably started wondering… “Can I really do this? Isn’t it
hard?”
Well, Mrs. Brewbaker enthusiastically says, “YES! It’s hard… What
good thing in life (that’s worth anything) isn’t worth a bit of a struggle?”
Do you know, that by the time you have survived Science Fair Night, you
will have used your Reading, Writing, Math, Investigative Skills, Logic,
and Performing Arts Skills? There are other skills that you will be
learning, but they are too numerous to mention. Wow! From beginning to
end, doing the Science Fair is a wonderful package of
“COOL!”
So, let’s get going! I’ve made up a packet to help guide you through the
steps of performing a real experiment, taking data, and then explaining it
in a way that your classmates will understand what you have discovered.
Not only will you be learning about your own interesting experiment… you
will also have a chance to learn about all the other science that your
fellow classmates have found so interesting.
“COOL!”
I will provide you with a big envelope to hold all your Science Fair
questions, ideas, notes, research… whatever feels “right.” This envelope
is a depository of all your “Science Fair Stuff.” Keep this “How To”
packet in there too!
ASK A QUESTION
Learning to ask questions is the most important thing in Science. We will
never find out answers without questions! We ask questions based on our
observations.
Let’s practice. Write down three questions that you could do an
experiment about.
√ Choose from the following words to begin each question. Try to
start your questions with a different word each time.
Who, What, When, Where, How, Why
√ Remember to end with a question mark!!
1. _________________________________________________
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2 _________________________________________________
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3 _________________________________________________
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Name___________________
Turn this paper in to Mrs. Brewbaker. Please tear it out carefully.
The Question for my Science Fair experiment is:
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I will hand this paper back to you after I review it. This, or a copy of
this, will be put on your tri-fold for display. You can make an attractive
copy as we get close to “show-time.”
RESEARCH THE QUESTION
I have told Ms. Bennion (our wonderful librarian) that you
will be researching your topics of interest. She will teach
you how to search for “Key Words,” and show you where to find information.
Write down notes to remember what you already know about this
question. Remember your specific question.
I already know this about my question:
___________________________________________________
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___________________________________________________
My teachers, parents, and other grown-ups have told me this information
about my question:
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I have found out the following information from books, the Internet,
encyclopedias, and other places: Hint… If you use the internet, you will
find information really quickly if you Google phrases such as: Why do
plants need light? or Why do some things float?
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
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If you need more space, write on the back of this paper, or staple in some more
pages.
Name____________
RESEARCH
(HERE’S SOME PAPER FOR YOUR ROUGH DRAFT)
… Turn this page in to Mrs. Brewbaker
I will hand this paper back to you after I review it. This, or a copy of this, will be
put on your tri-fold for display. You can make an attractive copy as we get close to
“show-time.”
√ Your research is written up in paragraph form and will hold key “real
estate” on your tri-fold. Everyone likes to read your research (Remember to
indent each paragraph).
√ Make sure you can say the following before you turn your rough draft in.
“This research is interesting to read, and it is easy to read because I have used
proper conventions (punctuation, spelling, capitalization, grammar, etc.) I have
also avoided using the same words over and over again (“and then…” is boring
to read, and is to be avoided as much as possible!)”
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WRITE A HYPOTHESIS
… Turn this page in to Mrs. Brewbaker
I will hand this paper back to you after I review it. This, or
a copy of this, will be put on your tri-fold for display. You
can make an attractive copy as we get close to “show-time.”
Because we are second graders, we are not going to dive into dependent and
independent variables (although if you wish to tackle this, my hat is off to you). Let
it suffice to simply use the words “IF” and “THEN”.
What is a Hypothesis? It is three things:
1. Your best guess about what will happen based on your observations
2. Must be testable by making an experiment
3. A STATEMENT about what will happen and WHY
MY HYPOTHESIS FOR MY PROJECT
“IF”
____________________________________________________
“THEN”
____________________________________________________
EXPERIMENT
1. TEST TO SEE WHETHER YOUR HYPOTHESIS IS RIGHT OR WRONG.
2. MUST BE FAIR.
3. ONLY ONE FACTOR SHOULD BE CHANGED. EVERYTHING ELSE MUST
STAY THE SAME.
4. THE FACTOR YOU CHANGE IS CALLED THE VARIABLE.
5. THE FACTORS YOU DON’T CHANGE ARE THE CONTROLS.
6. REPEAT THE EXPERIMENT OVER AND OVER TO MAKE SURE THE
RESULTS ARE NOT A MISTAKE.
Think of your Experiment as a recipe card. Divide it into two parts…
(1) MATERIALS
(2) PROCEDURE
It’s good to take lots of pictures, or draw pictures to put on your trifold presentation board.
Mate rial s Neede d:
Proce dure :
COLLECT DATA
1. KEEP A SCIENCE JOURNAL WITH ALL THE
DETAILS OF YOUR EXPERIMENT (You can
display this at the Science Fair)
2. WRITE DOWN EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO.
3. MAKE ALL MEASUREMENTS AND RECORD THEM
**ANALYZE DATA**
then…
MAKE A CONCLUSION
Compare your results to your hypothesis
Does your hypothesis match your results?
YES?
Your experiment is ready to be
repeated by other scientists and
yourself
NO?
Your experiment needs to be
modified to see if you can get the
hypothesis and result to match.
For our Science Fair, modification is
not required for second grade, but
they should be encouraged to
problem solve and report on their
thoughts.
Communicate your results in a final paper or project.
Display “Conclusion” on your Tri-Fold.
COMMUNICATE RESULTS
IT’S SHOW TIME!!
Many people will be looking at your science
experiment results on your tri-fold, and will want to
know all about your project. Plan a memorized, 20
to 30 second speech, telling a little about your
experiment. Then encourage guests to ask questions.
Your project will be reviewed by a panel of experts.
They will give you important, written input about
your project.
EXHIBITING YOUR SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT The disp lay board is very important because it is the first th ing people see. The boards will be provided by the Science Fair Committee if you signed up. If you did not sign up, you will need to supply your own for this classroom project. The display' board should be eye-­catching and attractive. You want it to quickly capture the attention of the audience so they will stop and take a closer look at your science fair project. You state the problem you investigated in the form of a question, your hypothesis, the methods you used, the results you obtained, and the conclusion you reached. Attached to the display board are pictures, graphs or charts that help you tell the story of your science fair project. EVERYTHING ABOUT THE DISPLAY BOARD MUST BE NEAT AND ATTRACTIVE. This is just one possible way of many, that your Science Board can be set up. Here is a nice, colorful science board!
I know that you are going to enjoy the
Science Fair. I hope to see you
participate in it every year.
Science is
COOL!