Written Research Paper for a Science Fair Project



Science Research Project Fall Semester 2015Dear Parents and Guardians:This year, all Biology students will complete a science research project. Enclosed is a schedule outlining due dates and important information regarding your child’s project. This assignment is a major project and will represent a portion of your child’s grade for the semester.The primary outcome of this project is to have students approach a problem scientifically. This includes:Asking questions and forming a hypothesis.Creating and performing experiments to test those anizing data and drawing conclusions.Writing about scientific research.Sharing discoveries with classmates, teachers, parents and judge from the community.The project must be experimental in nature as opposed to research oriented. In other words, students must do a test, survey or experiment to determine the answer to their question, instead of just looking it up in a book or online. We encourage students to pick topics they are genuinely interested in since this project will cover several months. Topics must be original – something students don’t already know.Students may work alone or in a team of up to 3 members. All group members are required to be enrolled in the same class period for the same teacher. Project guidelines state that the student must do all the work, however teachers, parents and experts may provide guidance. It is very hard to work alone without the exchange of ideas. So we encourage you to brainstorm with your child on different ideas and possible topics your child may want to pursue.Science Research Project Completion ScheduleAll parts must be turned in on time.AssignmentPtsDue DateI. Idea for project submitted for approval10Oct 7 (A-day)Oct 8 (B-day)II. Research paper and bibliography35Oct 28 (A-day)Oct 29 (B-day)III. Question, hypothesis, materials, procedures, and variables20Nov 11 (A-day)Nov 12 (B-day)IV. OPTIONAL:Science fair formsSee your teacher if you are interested in entering in the School Science FairNov 11 (A-day)Nov 12 (B-day)*Upon receiving approval for project, begin experiment*V. Data table, graphs of results, results and conclusion35Dec 10 (A-day)Dec 11 (B-day)VI. OPTIONAL: Display board and report notebookDec 14 (A-day)Dec 15 (B-day)TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE100Your child’s project will be eligible for entry into the school’s and county’s Science and Engineering Fair. While it is a requirement for students enrolled in Biology to complete a Research Project, students will not be required to participate in the school’s Science Fair. The Science Fair can be a great experience for students and it opens the door to more opportunities for our students. Please keep in mind that our school’s fair is the first step towards participating in the Regional Science Fair. The Intel Science & Engineering fair is only one of the few competitions that your child may have the opportunity to participate in. We look forward to working with you to make this a valuable learning experience for your child. Please do not hesitate to e-mail your child’s teacher with any questions or concerns.Science Research Project Requirements The following is a break-down of what is expected at each stage of the project. A more detailed grading rubric will be provided prior to the due date of each step. Project Proposal DUE October 7th (A Day) or October 8th (B-day)ExpectationsPoints PossibleA question is identified.If I change_____, how will this change affect________?10 pointsProposal is typed.Proposed project involves an experiment. Proposed project is significant to the real world. An explanation of this significance must be included. Must clearly state how you will measure the independent and dependent variables. These must be measurements with a unit and a number.Written Research Paper DUE 10/28 (A Day) or 10/29 (B day) ExpectationDescriptionPoints PossibleTitle PageMust state the title of project, your name, school, period/day, teacher35 pointsQuestionMust state the specific research questions you are trying to answer in your project.Background ResearchMust write a research paper about your topic. It should be a minimum of two pages typed, double spaced, size 12 font. This content should be composed of the students own original thoughts with reference to cited materials from appropriate and reliable sources. It should contain information about your experimental variables, and how they should affect each other, so you can make an educated guess about your hypothesis.**Please refer to the school’s academic integrity policy as reviewed in the Biology Course Outline**BibliographyMust have an alphabetical listing of books, articles, and other sources that you used when researching your topic, using correct bibliographic form. You must have at least three sources. Wikipedia may not be one of your sources. It is not a reliable source. Bibliography must be in APA format, please use to help you.Paper is Typed, written in paragraphs and a minimum of two pagesExperimental Design Due 11/11 (A Day) and 11/12 (B Day)ExpectationDescriptionPoints PossibleQuestionMust have specific question in the correct form. Must be typed.20 pointsHypothesisMust state what you think will happen. Must explain why you think this will happen using the information you obtained from your research.MaterialsMust list all of the equipment, chemicals, and other materials you will be using.ProcedureMust write out ALL the steps of your experiment.VariablesMust define the independent, and dependent variables. Must describe what variables will be held constant. Must describe your control experiment.The experimental design must be typed.Data Table, Graphs, Analysis, and ConclusionDUE 12/10 (A Day) and 12/11 (B Day)ExpectationDescriptionPoint PossibleData TableMust create a table to put all measurements. Your data must be measured with a number and a unit. Must be typed.Must perform a minimum of three trials. This number may change according to your subject matter. Please check with your teacher to ensure you are completing an appropriate number of trials. 35 pointsGraph Must graph your data. Graph must be computer generated. Must have independent variable on x axis, and the dependent variable on the y axis, with a label that includes the unit.AnalysisA typed written explanation of results. Describe what happened without rewriting your data. Must average the data from your eight trials. Discuss anything you may have gone wrong with your experiment. Discuss what you could have done differently to make it better. ConclusionMust answer your question supporting your answer with the data you collected. Make suggestions for further research. Must explain the significance of your findings to the real world. How will what you learned make a difference?RETURN TO BIOLOGY TEACHERStudent Name: __________________________________Parents/Guardians: I have reviewed the Science Research Project information and calendar with my child and we understand the requirements for a successful Science Research Project.___________________________________Parent/ Guardian SignatureDate__________________________________Student SignatureDate ................
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