Abbott Middle School Science Fair 2016 January 2016
Dear Students and Parents,
A Science Fair project is an opportunity to experiment on your own, to investigate a piece of the real
world, and to discover the thrill of real science. In addition, children can develop an appreciation
for the work of scientists.
It is our goal to provide students, with a thorough, systematic approach to developing a successful
Science Fair project. This is not a guarantee of a first place award or trophy. Our intent is to help
each student enjoy the process of science discovery instead of focusing on winning a prize. Success
is not defined in terms of how many awards or trophies a project earns, but by how well a budding
scientist uses creative and inventive skills to discover more about his or her world.
Participating in the Science Fair can be a source of enormous satisfaction for a child, but it also
means lots of planning and work. It is important that a child receive encouragement to discover his
or her own solutions. The value of a project lies in the amount of effort that is put into it. Learning
to solve problems is something that scientists do everyday. That experience is an important part of
the development of a Science Fair project.
Parents can provide great encouragement along the way. Examples of how that can be
accomplished are by asking questions like:
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What else could you contribute here?
How would a scientist solve this?
What other solutions can you think of?
Is there another possibility?
Can we look at this in another way?
What else could you add?
How do you feel about the project?
Are you pleased with your effort? Explain.
Do you need anything additional?
We encourage parents to support their child’s effort at every step by guiding and encouraging
whenever necessary. A Science Fair project can provide a family with many enjoyable hours
together, time that will have a significant impact on a child’s scholastic and personal growth.
th​ th​
Completing a Science Fair Project is OPTIONAL and Extra Curricular and is offered to all 6​
, 7​and
th​
8​grade students. Students can earn extra credit in science for completing a Science Fair Project. A
Science Fair Project is a long-term project completed outside of school, at home by the student.
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Completed Science Fair Projects will due on ​
April 26​
,​
2016​
before 1​
​
hour​
. Science teachers will
judge the submitted projects. All students will have the opportunity to visit the Science Fair with
their classes. There will be a Family Night on ​
Thursday, April 28, 2016.
“The origin of science is the desire to know causes…” ---William Hazlitt Students who choose to complete a Science Fair Project must follow the steps below:
1. Register for the Abbott Science Fair as a participant. There is no fee.
2. Select a topic and follow the process of the Scientific Method.
3. Dedicate time between January and April for completion of the project.
4. Research the subject and write a formal research paper.
5. Write the hypothesis.
6. Plan the project/experiment.
7. Design and Perform an experiment with multiple trials.
8. Make and record observations.
9. Analyze the results of the experiment.
10. Draw conclusions.
11. Prepare an exhibit for the Science Fair in the form of a display board.
A Science Fair project is a huge commitment of time and is not something can be completed the
week or weekend before it is due. There are checkpoints along the way.
Scientific Process
Experimental
Setup
Data Collection
Stage
Due Date
➢ Topic Selection
*Jan 29, 2016
➢ Research Paper
*by February 20, 2016
➢ Hypothesis and
Experimental Design
*by February 26, 2016
➢ Completed Data Table,
Analysis, and
Conclusion
*by April 11, 2016
➢ Display Board
At Abbott by 8:00am April 26, 2016
(None accepted early or late)
➢ Family Night
April 28, 2016
Presentation
* Denotes that this stage may be completed ahead of time. You may not work ahead until each
stage is completed fully. Note your teacher’s instructions for checking your progress in with him or
her.
We ask that parents share with their child the time and effort that should be put into such an
endeavor as well as the benefits that can be gained from their participation. We hope that you will
support and encourage involvement as we do.
-The Abbott Science Department