Science Fair Packet

Science Fair Packet

Do Not Lose!

Science Fair Project

Time Line

Make a schedule for yourself. It will keep you on task at a reasonable rate and help

eliminate a last-minute rush. Generally, four to five weeks should be plenty of time to

complete most projects. Then think of how relaxed you will be when it is done!!

Check off when Complete

_______ Brainstorm (1-2 Weeks)

? Choose an area of science

? Choose a question

? Identify the problem

Due Date

______________

_______Research (1 Week)

______________

? Identify research variables, gather information using books, magazines, internet,

and experts in the field.

? Write bibliography, including names of experts (authors, etc.)

_______Write the Science Fair Proposal for teacher approval ______________

? Write ¡°the question¡± you will investigate

? Write the types of questions you investigated in your research or will investigate

? Write a hypothesis (based on the research)

? Write down the materials you will need

_______Do the Project ( 1-3 Weeks, longer if using plants)

______________

? Gather materials for experiment

? Conduct experiment using the procedure you wrote

? Collect and organize data in more than one way (graph, chart, diagram,

andphotographs)

? Write final procedure, background research, hypothesis, conclusions, and etc.

_______Finalize Your Project (3-5 days) and Turn It In

? Put together your display board

______________

_______My Oral Presentation in Class

______________

The Scientific Method is an organized way of figuring something out. There

are usually six parts to it.

1. Purpose/Question- What do you want to learn? An example would be,

"What doorknob in school has the most germs?" or "Do girls have

faster reflexes than boys?" or "Does the color of a light bulb affect the

growth of grass seeds?"

2. Research- Find out as much as you can. Look for information in books,

on the internet, and by talking with teachers to get the most

information you can before you start experimenting.

3. Hypothesis- After doing your research, try to predict the answer to the

problem. Another term for hypothesis is 'educated guess'. This is

usually stated like " If I...(do something) then...(this will occur)" An

example would be, "If I grow grass seeds under green light bulbs, then

they will grow faster than plants growing under red light bulbs."

4. Experiment- The fun part! Design a test or procedure to find out if your

hypothesis is correct. In our example, you would set up grass seeds

under a green light bulb and seeds under a red light and observe each

for a couple of weeks. You would also set up grass seeds under

regular white light so that you can compare it with the others. If you

are doing this for a science fair, you will probably have to write down

exactly what you did for your experiment step by step.

5. Results/Data- Record what happened during the experiment. Also known

as 'data'. As you observe your experiment, you will need to record the

progress of your experiment. Data can be whatever you observe about

your experiment that may or may not change during the time of the

experimentation. Examples of data are values in pH, temperature, a

measurement of growth, color, distance, and etc. Data should be

shown in more than one way. Examples of ways to show date; graphs,

tables, charts, models, pictures, realia, and etc.

6. Conclusion- Review the data and check to see if your hypothesis was

correct. If the grass under the green light bulb grew faster, then you

proved your hypothesis, if not, your hypothesis was wrong. It is not

"bad" if your hypothesis was wrong because you still discovered

something! Your conclusion should also include next steps.

The Project Board

You should have the following components on your board

TITLE and QUESTION - The title can be the question in a "catchy" form. If your title is

different than your question, then make sure you also include your question.

Ex. Your question might be, "Which bath soap cleans the best?" but your title might be

"Splish Splash I Was Taking A Bath."

RESEARCH - You have to include a short paragraph that gives the background

information on which you based your hypothesis.

HYPOTHESIS - This is your educated guess based on your research.

EXPERIMENT - This is the procedure you followed to do your experiment. It should

follow the scientific method and include:

Materials ¨C Everything you used!

Procedure ¨CExactly what you did step by step. It should be so clear that someone else

could repeat your experiment just by following your steps. Be sure to explain your

constants and variables.

DATA - These are your results displayed in a way that your audience can understand. It

is usually displayed in a table, graph, or photographs. It is an "analysis" of what you

have done. You should show your data in more than one way!

CONCLUSION - This is a statement of whether your hypothesis was right or not; if it

wasn't right, why you think it turned out the way it did, and what you would do

differently next time.

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