RICHMOND HEIGHTS MIDDLE SCHOOL



South Miami Middle Community School

GUIDELINES FOR SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT

Current 2018-2019 8th (ALL) & 7th grade (Honors only) Parents & Students

We are embarking on a brave new path. Learning and implementing the scientific method is an important aspect of participating in our science program. To this end South Miami Middle School expects each 8th grade student to complete a science fair project.

I understand what is expected.

Student Signature: ________________________________________ date:_________

Parent Signature: ________________________________________ date:__________

This assignment is done entirely as a home learning project. Due dates are to check on progress. If you need additional support please contact your teacher to make arrangements before or after school.

Due Dates:

| |Due Date |Worth |Grade |

|Signature |October 15 |1 | |

|Title | | | |

|Problem Statement | | | |

|Variables |October 17 |1 | |

|Hypothesis |October 19 |1 | |

|Materials |October 22 |1 | |

|Procedure |October 24 |2 | |

|Results |November 2 |2 | |

|Tables/Graphs |November 7 |1 | |

|Analysis |November 9 |1 | |

|Conclusion |November 14 |2 | |

|Final Power Point Presentation |November 26 |2 | |

TITLE: ____________________________________________________

Problem Statement

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|Variables | |

|Test Variable: | |

|Outcome Variable: | |

|Constant Variable(s): | |

Hypothesis

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Materials

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Procedures

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Results (Data table and Graph)

Analysis

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Conclusion

Claim – Write a statement that answers the original question based on what you observed in the lab you performed.

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Evidence – Support your claim by citing data you collected in your lab. The data needs to be appropriate and sufficient to support the claim. You must include quantitative data.

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Reasoning – Using science concepts, explain why or how the evidence you presented supports your claim.

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Parts of a Lab Report Reminder

Problem Statement

• What do you want to find out? Write a statement that describes what you want to do. It should be as specific as possible. Often, scientists read relevant information pertaining to their experiment beforehand. The purpose/problem will most likely be stated as a question such as:

“What are the effects of _________ on ___________?”

Defining Variables

• TEST VARIABLE (TV) (also called the independent variable) – The variable that is changed on purpose for the experiment; you may have several levels of your test variable.

• OUTCOME VARIABLE (OV) (also called the dependent variable) – The variable that acts in response to or because of the manipulation of the test variable.

• CONSTANT VARIABLES (CV) – All factors in the experiment that are NOT allowed to change throughout the entire experiment. Controlling variables is very important to assure that the results are due only to the changes in the test variable; everything (except the test variable) must be kept constant in order to provide accurate results.

Forming a Hypothesis

• A hypothesis is an inferring statement that can be tested.

• The hypothesis describes how you think the test variable will respond to the outcome variable. (i.e., If….., then……)

• It is based on research and is written prior to the experiment. Never change your hypothesis during the experiment.

• For example: If the temperature increases, then the rate of the reaction will increase.

• Never use “I,” “we,” or “you” in your hypothesis (i.e. I believe or I think that…)

• It is OK if the hypothesis is not supported by the data. A possible explanation for the unexpected results should be given in the conclusion

Designing an Experimental Procedure

• Select only one thing to change in each experimental group (test variable).

• Change a variable that will help test the hypothesis.

• The procedure must tell how the variable will be changed (what are you doing?).

• The procedure must explain how the change in the variable will be measured.

• The procedure should indicate how many trials would be performed (usually a minimum of 3-4 for class experiments).

• It must be written in a way that someone can copy your experiment, in step by step format.

Results (Data)

• Qualitative Data is comprised of a description of the experimental results (i.e. larger, faster….).

• Quantitative Data is comprised of results in numbers (i.e. 5 cm, 10.4 grams)

• The results of the experiment will usually be compiled into a table/chart for easy interpretation.

• A graph of the data (results) should be made to more easily observe trends.

• Example of a data table

|Independent Variable Variations |Trail 1 |Trail 2 |Trail 3 |Average |

|________________ | | | | |

|_______________ | | | | |

|_______________ | | | | |

|Control | | | | |

Analysis

• Interpret your data. What does it all mean?

• How did the test variable affect the outcome variable?

• State in words what the data says in numbers.

CONCLUSION WRITING

Claim, Evidence and Reasoning

Claim: Write a statement that answers the original question based on what you observed in the lab you performed.

The claim is a testable statement or conclusion that answers the original question. The claim is

the simplest part of an explanation and often the part students find the easiest to include as well

as to identify when they are critiquing other peoples’ explanations. One of the purposes in

focusing on scientific explanations is to help students include more than a claim in their writing.

Evidence: Support your claim by citing data you collected in your lab. The data needs to be appropriate and sufficient to support the claim. You must include quantitative data.

The evidence is scientific data that supports the student’s claim. This data can come from an

investigation that students complete or from another source, such as observations, reading

material, archived data, or other sources of information.

The data needs to be both appropriate and sufficient to support the claim. When introducing

evidence to middle school students, we suggest discussing appropriate data in terms of whether

the data supports the claim. A good explanation only uses data that supports the claim in answer

to the original question. Students should also consider whether or not they have sufficient data.

When introducing this concept to middle school students, we suggest discussing sufficient data in

terms of whether they have enough data. When students are selecting their data to use as evidence, they should consider both whether it is

appropriate to support their claim and whether they have enough data to support their claim.

Reasoning: Using science concepts, explain why or how the evidence you presented supports your claim.

Reasoning is a justification that shows why the data counts as evidence to support the claim and

includes appropriate scientific principles. The reasoning ties in the scientific background

knowledge or scientific theory that justifies making the claim and choosing the appropriate

evidence.

We have found that students have a difficult time including the entire reasoning component.

Often students simply make a general link between the claim and evidence.

Examples

Claim: You should buy a Sham Wow.

Evidence:

It does not drip.

It holds 20 times its weight in liquid.

It absorbs all liquid from a carpet.

Reasoning:

The Sham Wow towel works so well because it contains micro fibers. Micro fiber towels are made from two synthetic (man-made) materials, usually nylon and polyester. The fibers are treated with chemicals and mechanically changed to make them very small, smaller than 1/100th the diameter of a human hair. This gives the towel a lot of surface area to make contact with the spill and absorb the liquid. The tiny fibers get into small places where most towel fibers cannot reach.

Focus Question: Does air always take up the same amount of space?

CLAIM: Air does not always take up the same amount of space. Air can be compressed into a

smaller space or can expand into a larger space.

EVIDENCE: When our group trapped air in a syringe with a clamp we could press down on the

plunger to make the amount of space that the air took up smaller. We were also able to

pull the plunger back up to allow the air to take up more space.

REASONING: The air in the syringe is made of particles that have nothing in between them. Since the

air is trapped in the syringe the number of particles stays the same and can’t change. The

space between the air particles gets closer together when the plunger compresses the air.

When the plunger is pulled out, the space between the air particles increases and the space

the air takes up expands.

The rubric below should be used when grading lab reports/conclusions to ensure that students are effectively connecting their claim to their evidence to provide logical reasons for their conclusions. Examples are included.

|Component |Level |

| |Low |Moderate |High |

|Claim - A conclusion that |Does not make a claim, or |Makes an accurate but incomplete |Makes an accurate and complete claim.|

|answers the original question. |makes an inaccurate claim. |claim. | |

| | | | |

| |States none of the liquids are| |Explicitly states “Liquids 1 and 4 |

| |the same or specifies the |Vague statement, like “some of the |are the same substance.” |

| |wrong solids. |liquids are the same.” | |

|Evidence – Scientific data that |Does not provide evidence, or |Provides appropriate but insufficient|Provides appropriate and sufficient |

|supports the claim. The data |only provides inappropriate |evidence to support claim. May |evidence to support claim. |

|needs to be appropriate and |evidence (evidence that does |include some inappropriate evidence. | |

|sufficient to support the claim.|not support the claim). | |Provides all 3 of the following |

| | |Provides 1 or 2 of the following |pieces of evidence: density, melting |

| |Provides inappropriate data, |pieces of evidence: density, melting |point, and color of liquids 1 and 4 |

| |like “the mass is the same” or|point, and color |are the same. |

| |provides vague evidence, like |of liquids 1 and 4 are the same. May | |

| |“the data table is my |also include inappropriate evidence, | |

| |evidence.” |like mass. | |

|Reasoning – A justification that|Does not provide reasoning, or|Provides reasoning that links the |Provides reasoning that links |

|links the claim and evidence. It|only provides reasoning that |claim and evidence. Repeats the |evidence to claim. Includes |

|shows why the data count as |does not link evidence to |evidence and/or includes some – but |appropriate and sufficient scientific|

|evidence by using appropriate |claim |not sufficient – scientific |principles. |

|and sufficient scientific | |principles. | |

|principles. |Provides an inappropriate | |Includes a complete generalization |

| |reasoning statement like “they|Repeats the density, melting point, |that density, melting point, and |

| |are like the fat and soap we |and color are the same and states |color are all properties. Same |

| |used in class” or does not |that this shows |substances have the same properties. |

| |provide any reasoning. |they are the same substance. Or |Since liquids 1 and 4 have the same |

| | |provides an incomplete generalization|properties, they are the same |

| | |about properties, |substance. |

| | |like “mass is not a property so it | |

| | |does not count.” | |

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