Mater Academy Charter Middle / High School



Top of FormMater AcademyMiddle/HighScience FairAssignment PacketFor the 2015 - 2016school yearTo: Students and ParentsFrom: Erica Martinez, Science Fair Coordinator and the Mater Academy Science TeachersIn an effort to reduce the amount of workload that occurs every year in the fall for the students, we are submitting the science fair projects to a step by step approval. The Science Teachers will be assigning the sections along with due dates as they will be announced. The FINAL COMPLETED PROJECT is due September 29, 2015.NO late projects will be accepted. This is a MANDATORY ASSIGNMENT for all middle and high school students, which will be worth 10 grades.This packet outlines the details and requirements of the science fair project assignment. Included in this packet are the required forms, an explanation of each part of the scientific process, the directions for the journal, report, and PowerPoint/board, and a judging rubric that will be used by the Science Fair judges to evaluate each project. Once the winners for our school have been selected, they will meet with Mrs. Martinez to make sure all the proper documents completed. This year we are requiring a PowerPoint presentation instead of a display board. The top 5 best projects for each teacher willbe selected for the science fair and will receive the assistance of the teacher to create their display board.Students are responsible to select a topic which they would like to investigate. They will be graded on projects in individual parts and as a whole. The 10 grades will go into their first 9 weeks grading term. Creativity and individuality will definitely help their grades. Students can contact their previous year’s teacher through their email, or Mrs. Martinez at emartinez@ for additional help during the process. Final Drafts need to be turned in using a folder. Your report,PowerPoint presentation, and journal should all have your name on them and be placed into the folder, which should also have your name on it. BE SURE TO SAVE ALL OF YOURWORK ON A FLASH DRIVE, AS YOU WILL HAVE TO PRESENT IT IN CLASS USING YOURPOWERPOINT PRESENTATION.Getting StartedStart a Journal ALL projects require a journal. The journal is where you will keep all of your information and data to write the report and make your PowerPoint presentation.Things to write in your journal (IN THIS ORDER)TITLE: Every project needs a title. It lets people know what you have workedon. The title should be in the form of a statement, unless you use the problem statement as your title. Then it should be in the form of a question.Example: Which soappowder is the best cleaner of catsup stains?Example: Cleaning powerof soap powders.PROBLEM STATEMENT: The problem statement is always written in the form of a question, even if it is also used as the title. The question tells people what you are trying to find out. Example: Which type of water will help a beanplant germinate the fastest?BACKGROUND INFORMATION/RESEARCH: You must complete research related to your project. It must be in your own words and you must use a minimum of five different resources. Ideally, you should go to the library or internet and learn everything you can on your topic. Observe related events. Gather existing information on your topic. Look for unexplained or unexpected results. Also, talk to professionals in the field, write or email the companies for specific information, and obtain or construct needed equipment.You MUST document your sources correctly in your journal. Please be sure to write in the bibliography information with each of your sources (see below for more detailson how to do this). Each source needs to be written on its own page in your journal with the bibliography information written with it. The summery of all ofthe sources is what you will put into your report. In your journal, each source should bewritten out separately. Be sure to put it in your own words by summarizing each source. Anything directly quoted should have quotation marks around it.HYPOTHESIS: After gathering information about your topic, you should make aguess about what you think the answer to your question may be. State your hypothesis in the If/then format, using the independent and dependent variables to predict the outcome. Examples: If I fingerprint 50 different people, thenthe loop fingerprint will be the most common.If I give bean plantseither Pepsi, milk, or lemonade, then the one with the milk will grow thetallest.Once you have stated your hypothesis, you can carry out anexperiment and collect data.MATERIALS: What did you use? List all of the items youused. Tell how many and how much.Examples: 20mL ofspring water 20mL of tapwater 20mL of pond water 12 bean plants 12 cups for plants 30mL of soil for each plantPROCEDURES: List all of the steps of your experiment in the order you will perform them. Be specific, but try not to make it complicated. The experiment should be repeated at least 3 times. The more the tests are repeated, the more accurate your results will be. During experimentation, keep detailed notes of each and every experiment, measurement, and observation. Do not rely on your memory. They need to be written into your project journal. This is your most treasured piece of work. Accurate and detailed notes make a logical and winning project. Good notes show consistency and thoroughness and will help you when writing your research paper.CONTROL: In every experiment, there is a control group. The control group has no variablesadded. You use this information to compare your results with.VARIABLES: Any item or factor in your experiment that is changed in order tosolve your problem statement is a variable.Independent Variable – Manipulated variable (the oneyou decided to change) – There should only be one!Dependent Variable – Responding variable (the one thatresponded to the change you made.)DATA: This is what you are measuring. You will record your data into a data table, and represent your data with charts, graphs, etc… Observations are an important part of your data. Don’t forget to write down what you observe using your senses. Data must be in the form of numerical (quantitative) data. This means you must have numbers that you can put into a data table and make a graph(s) with.When creating graphs, please remember the words DRY MIX. This stands for:D – Dependent variableR – Responding variableY – Y-axisM – Manipulated variableI – independent variableX – X-axisThis means that the dependent (responding) variable always goes on the Y-axis and the independent (manipulated) variable always goes on the X-axisRESULTS: State the findings of the experiment based upon the data you observed and analyzed. Record the results. This is a written explanation of what happened with your data. Be detailed.CONCLUSION: Your conclusion should begin with a statement on whether or not the results supported your hypothesis. Include a description of problems that might have affected the results and why. Also include any new discoveries that you have made in addition to the results of the experiment. APPLICATIONS: State how you could use this information in real life.13. ABSTRACT: COMPLETE PROJECT TITLE (all incapital letters, as it appears on the project)Student’s name (Last name, Firstname, Middle initial if used)A. PurposeB. HypothesisC. Procedure(summary only)D. Results(summary only)E. ConclusionsTHE ABSTRACT SHOULD BE 250 WORDS MAXIMUM. 14.BIBLIOGRAPHY: List (Cite) the sources that you used. Follow the example for theworking bibliography below. Use APA format. BooksHyman, Sidney. (1985). TheAmerican President. New York: Collins, p. 146.EncyclopediaStrong, David. (1991). “Australia”.World Book. Volume 26, pp. 296-301.CD ROM Encyclopedia“Witches”. (1996). Encarta.Version 7.2 CD-ROM. Chicago, Illinois: Encarta.InternetTo cite files from the internet, give the author’s name, last name first (if known) followed by first initial only; the date of the document or last revision (if available) or the retrieveddate; the full title of the work (in quotation marks) or the title of the web page if no title is available; the title of the complete work (if applicable), in italics; any version or file numbers (if available); and the protocol (i.e.“http”) and the full URL.Merka, L. (1993).“A Hypertext History of Multi-User Dimensions.” MUD History. If author isunknown:_____. (1993). “A Hypertext History of Multi-UserDimensions.” MUD History. If publisheddate is unknown:Merka, L. (Retrieved 2010). “A Hypertext History ofMulti-User Dimensions.” MUD History. ** The Journal does not have to be perfect. Donot worry about whiting out things. Please just draw a line through what you want to change and write on a new page.Write Your ReportYour report should be written in the format shown below. Be sure to follow all directions and answer all questions related to each section.Your report should be written AFTER your experiment is completed, and AFTER you have all information required in your Journal. Your journal is your guide to writing your report.REPORTINSTRUCTIONS:Your report should be typed using standard style (i.e. “Times NewRoman”), size 12 font and printed in black ink. You should have 1 inch margins all the way around. It should be put together neatly in the orderwritten below. Each section should beclearly labeled. Make sure each sectionin on a separate sheet of paper. The roughdraft of the report and the data/graphs will be turned in no later thanSeptember 17th. Your final draft of yourreport should be AT LEAST 11 pages long, since you have 10 sections foryour report, and the background information needs to be at least 2 pages. The final draft should be placed in a folderwith the printout of your PowerPoint presentation and your journal.I. Title Page – Center the project title, then put your name, address, school, and grade at the bottom right.II. Table of Contents – Include a page number for the beginning of each section.III. Introduction – The introduction sets the scene for your report. The introduction includes your hypothesis, an explanation of what prompted your research, and what you hoped to achieve.IV. Background information– This is where you write up the research you completed on your project, in your own words!!! If your research is not in your own words, you will automatically be given an “F” on this section of your project. Be sure to cite your sources for anything you paraphrase from someone else’s documents or for what you quote directly! To cite your source in your writing, use the following format:(Author last name, date, page # or shortened website)Example: (Smith, 2010, pg 10) or (Smith, 2010, )Be sure to put into “quotes” anything that is word for word from the source, however this should be limited to statistics like” “One in every 5 girls will get pregnant before they reach 18 years old” (Smith, 2010, ). ** The full citing goes in the bibliography section of your report.V. Experiment – Describe in detail the procedures used to collect your data or make your observations. Your procedures should be detailed enough so that someone would be able to repeat the experiment from the information you gave. This can be written in step format instead of paragraph form. Include detailed photographs or drawings of self-designed equipment.VI. Discussion – The discussion is the essence of your paper. The results andconclusions should flow smoothly and logically from your data. Be thorough. Allow your readers to see your train of thought, letting them know exactly what you did. What observations did you make? Compare your results. Include a discussion of possible errors. How did the data vary between repeated observations of similar events? How were your results affected by uncontrolled events? What would you do differently if you repeated this project? What other experiments should be conducted? (Be sure to both describe your results and answer the questions above for this section)VII. Conclusion –Briefly summarize your results. Be specific, do not generalize. Never introduce anything in the conclusion that has not already been discussed. Your conclusion should begin with a statement on whether or not the results supported your hypothesis. Include a description of problems that might have affected the results and why. Also include any new discoveries that you have made in addition to the results of the experiment. VIII. Acknowledgements – You should always credit those who assisted you, including individuals, businesses, and educational or research institutions. Identify any financial support or material donations received, but do not put on display board.IX. BibliographyX. Abstract – Typed on the Abstract FormSample Abstract COMPLETE PROJECT TITLE (all in capital letters, as itappears on the project)Student’s name (Last name, First name, Middle initial ifused)The following parts should be included in an abstract:1. PURPOSE: Whyis the research being done?2. HYPOTHESIS: What is the expected outcome of theresearch?3. PROCEDURE:Briefly, inparagraph form, describe the materials used and how the experiment wasdone. This section should not be alist, but a summary of your methods.4. RESULTS:Brieflysummarize the data from charts and graphs in narrative form. Be sure to include measures of centraltendency and variation. Include only information collected during the study. (Do NOTinclude previous years’ results).5. CONCLUSIONS:Briefly, innarrative form, cite interpretation of the results. Briefly, compare findings with otherresearch. Include suggestions forprocedural improvements and recommendations for future study, as well asapplications for the research.THE ABSTRACT SHOULD BEAPPROXIMATELY 250 WORDS AND FIT IN THIS SPACE. THE BOX IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE PART OF THEABSTRACT, IT SERVES ONLY AS A GUIDE.Create Your PowerPointYour PowerPoint should be created after your experiment is done, and after your report is typed.The PowerPoint presentation is an OUTLINE of your project. It SHOULD NOT be the same as the report.The PowerPoint should only contain the basic information of your project, the details should be explained in the report.You should have 1 slide for each of the following:Title Page that includesyour name, grade, and period numberProblem StatementHypothesisMaterialsProceduresVariables/ConstantsData – Charts, graphs,data tablesResults – this is asummary describing your data in wordsConclusion ApplicationPicturesScience Fair Forms**All Projects are required to submit the following forms:Form 1, Form 1A (with research plan), Form 1B, Form 3, and the Abstract Once the students for the science fair have been selected, they will meet with Mrs. Martinez to go over all the forms required. All students, once they have selected a topic, must go to the following link and complete any additional forms needed. WILL BE AS FOLLOWS: (This project is worth 10 grades!)PowerPointPresentation – do you have all the parts? Is it evident that you did it and notyour parents?ReportOrganization – Is it organized correctly? Is it typed andformatted correctly? Are allsections on their own sheet of paper? Are all the sections labeled correctly and clearly? – (As describedin the project outline)ProjectSection 4 – (2 grades) this is the research paper section. Did you do accurate research? Does the research reflect yourexperiment? Is the paper in yourown words? Is the paper cited correctly? – REMEMBER THAT IF IT IS NOT IN YOUR OWN WORDS, YOU WILLAUTOMATICALLY BE GIVEN AN “F”!! - Needs to be at least 2 pages.ProjectSections 5 through 8 – (2 grades) this is the experiment portionof your project. Is itdetailed? Is it logical? Is it easily followed? Be sure to include all information from the experiment and any information that resulted from the experiment.ProjectSection 9 – Bibliography – Thissection should be alphabetical. Besure to make sure you use the format listed in the project outline. Be sure to list ALL sources that youused in your research, and for your project in this section.ProjectSection 10 – Abstract andForms– Should be approx. 250words and include required information, and typed onto the AbstractForm. All forms should be included– Form 1, 1A (with research plan), 1B, and Abstract formProjectJournal - (2 Grades) Doesthe notebook contain all information? Is it complete? Is itdetailed?Make sure to have fun and be creative! I look forward to working with all of you this Science Fair! Good Luck!!!! ................
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