Name:



Name(s): ______________________ Topic/Idea: ___________________________

**Final Project Due Date: Thursday, February 2nd, 2012**

Each 4th and 5th grade student who elects to complete a science fair project both alone or in a small group should try and follow the scientific method - where an experiment could be performed.

A successful science fair project does not have to be expensive or even terribly time-consuming. However, it does require some planning and careful thought. Projects become frustrating to students, parents, and teachers when they are left to the last minute and thus don't have the chance to be as good as they possibly can. You can't rush good science!

The 7 Sections of the Scientific Method

1. Title

Ideally the title of your project should be short and catchy, an "interest-grabber," but it should also describe the project well enough that people reading it can quickly figure out what you were studying. You will want to write your title AFTER you have come up with a good question to study.

2. The Question (must end in a question mark!)

Probably the most difficult part of a science fair project is coming up with a good subject to research. I suggest you:

A. Think about WHAT INTERESTS you.

B. think of a TESTABLE QUESTION about that subject.

If you are doing a project about something that interests you, you will likely enjoy the research more and stick with it long enough to get good data. Remember, you are being a scientist. Scientists go to work each day because they are interested in what they are studying and because they are curious to know the answers to the questions they are researching.

Projects can incorporate any of the following areas of science

• biochemistry

• botany

• chemistry

• computer science

• consumer science

• earth and space science

• engineering

• environmental science

• mathematics

• medicine and health

• microbiology

• physics

• zoology

If you are working to ANSWER A QUESTION, you will be doing real research. (Often students want to do a project on "volcanoes" or "tornadoes." It is possible to build cute models of these things, but it is pretty hard to come up with questions about them that are testable with materials available to the average person and in the time frame between when the science fair project is assigned and when it is due!) Another problem occurs when students need special equipment to test a question. For example, it might be interesting to find out if television commercials really are louder than regular programming ... but how would you test that unless you have access to a decibel-meter?

Some of the best science fair projects I have seen have also been the simplest. Other students who like sports have done experiments with the equipment for their sport: Do new tennis balls bounce higher than old ones? Do basketballs that are fully inflated bounce better than flatter ones? These projects just require some tennis balls or basketballs, some volunteer "bouncers", and a tape measure or meter stick!

3. Hypothesis

As soon as you come up with a testable question, you will probably instantly have a hypothesis (prediction) about what the results will be from your testing. It's a good idea to write this down before starting, because it may change as you go about your experimenting. Your hypothesis should begin “I think/feel that … OR we think/feel that …

4. Materials

Once you have come up with a question that you can actually test, you need to compile a list of materials that will be used to complete the experiment. This list should include everything that was used for your project from start to finish. You may need to add items to your materials list as you begin the experiment. The list should be bulleted or numbered on your presentation board.

5. Experimental Plan

Your experiment tests whether your hypothesis is true or false. It is important for your experiment to be a fair test. You conduct a fair test by making sure that you change only one factor at a time while keeping all other conditions the same.

Keep good notes of the things you have tried and plan to include even the "didn't-works" and "mess-ups" in your project report. Be sure to try your experiment several times to be sure you have enough data to make a logical conclusion. Again, GET STARTED EARLY on carrying out your project. You can't still be doing the experiment the day before the project is due and expect to have a first-class write-up!

In science fair projects as in life, "a picture is worth a thousand words." It is a good idea to take pictures of the materials you used, and of the experiment as it is being carried out. If you get started early, you will have time to have the pictures printed and include them as part of your report.

Anyone reading your experimental plan should be able to conduct the experiment themselves based on your explanation. Your plan must be in sequential order from start to finish using sequence words (first, second, next, then, finally).

6. Results or Data (Tables, Graphs, Charts)

The results section is where you show your reader the actual numbers (or other data) that you got as you were doing the experiment. (In the tennis ball experiment, this would be a table with the different brands of balls and the actual heights each of them bounced on each trial.) You might also include a graph, chart, or table if your data lends itself to it. But you do not tell your interpretation of the data - that's for the last section.

7. Conclusion

In the conclusion you finally get to tell your readers what you found out from the experiment, or how you interpret your data. This section should be focused on what you learned about your original question and hypothesis. For example, DID newer tennis balls really bounce higher than older ones?

The Display

Each project is best presented on a tri-fold display board (a board that folds creating 3 sections) that can be purchased at any office supply store. This shape is the most stable and will stand up in the science fair display.

Once you have written or typed up all of the above sections, be sure you have TITLES for each section that are large and legible (I'd suggest 24 size font or larger on the computer). That way if people have questions about some part of your project, they can go right to the section they need to answer their question. Arrange the sections of the report on the board as follows:

1. Title: the title should be on the top as a separate piece that attaches itself to the top of the tri-fold board or on top of the center section

2. Question: the question should be on the far left portion of the board near the top

3. Hypothesis: the hypothesis should be on the far left portion of the board directly underneath the question

4. Materials: the materials list should be directly under the hypothesis on the far left portion of the tri-fold board

5. Experimental Plan: the experimental plan should be on the center section

6. Results: the charts, tables, or graphs should be on the far right portion of the tri-fold board

7. Conclusion: the conclusion section should be on the far right portion directly underneath the results

Make sure that each and every word is spelled correctly. Please use a dictionary if you are unsure about the spelling of any word.

Be creative! Use paper of different colors to draw attention to parts of the report, use eye-appealing fonts in different colors to label each section, and even paint your tri-fold board a vibrant color to draw attention to it to make it stand out from the rest.

The Log Book

Whatever you do, don't forget to secure your own personal science research journal or notebook from your local office supply store. Your science notebook will be your most valuable aid you have. In it, you will summarize your Internet and library research, detail your hypothesis, carefully describe your experiment's design, record all your data, and work through all your analysis. When something unexpected happens, you must write that down as well. Your goal should be to write down enough information so that someone reading your notes would be able to exactly duplicate what you did.

If at any time during the project you have any questions, please ask! I will be more than happy to help. Also, if you are stuck on an idea, I have many books in my classroom that can help. Good luck and have fun!

MR E(

behret@

I am working (please check one of the following):

____________ alone

____________ in a group

My group members are (the maximum number in a group is 3 including yourself)

1. ___________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________

My Science Fair Project Question: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My hypothesis:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My name: ____________________________________________________________

Parents/Guardians Signature: _____________________________________________

***PLEASE RETURN TO MR E BY: Tuesday, December, 20th, 2011***

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Title

Materials List

(with pictures)

Results

(Graphs, Charts or Tables)

Question

Hypothesis

Experimental Plan

(with pictures)

Conclusion

................
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