ELEMENTARY SCIENCE FAIR

Guide for success

Types of Science projects

A model, display or collection

Shows how something works in the real world, but doesn’t really test anything

An experiment

Lots of information is given, but it also has a project that shows the testing being done and the gathering of data

An experiment is a GREAT choice for a Science Fair!

Choose a category that interests you!

Life Science – plants, animals, human body, behaviours

Physical Science – matter, structure, electricity, magnetism, sound, light

Earth and Space Sciences – weather, geology, space, stars, planets

Step 1 – Coming up with a good question

Once you have picked a topic that you like and are interested in, it’s time to write a question or identify a problem with that topic.

The EFFECT question:

What is the effect of _______________ on _______________?

The HOW DOES AFFECT question:

How does the ______________ affect _________________?

The WHICH/WHAT and VERB question:

Which/what ____________ (verb) ________________?

Step 2 – Doing the research and forming a hypothesis

Becoming an expert in your topic is what real scientists do in real labs.

Read about your topic – encyclopedias, magazine articles, books, Internet. Keep track of all the books and articles that you read.

Discuss your topic – talk about your topic with your parents, your teachers.

Talk with experts – veterinarians, doctors, weathermen, people who work with the things you are studying.

Write a hypothesis.

PREDICT what you think will happen if you test your problem. What do you think will happen?

The HYPOTHESIS not only predicts what will happen in the experiment, but also that the “Scientist” used research to back up the prediction.

Sample worksheet for students: PROBLEM: ________________________________________________________

RESEARCH: My problem is about this subject: __________________________

BOOKS I FOUND IN THE LIBRARY ON MY TOPIC ARE:

TITLE: ___________________________

AUTHOR: _________________________

INTERNET SITES I FOUND ON MY TOPIC ARE: ___________________________

PEOPLE I TALKED TO ABOUT MY TOPIC ARE: ____________________________

SOME IMPORTANT POINTS I LEARNED ABOUT MY TOPIC ARE:

_______________________

_______________________

_______________________

HYPOTHESIS: I think that ________________ (will happen) because (my research shows) _____________________.

Step 3 – Testing your hypothesis by doing an experiment

1. Gather up your materials.

2. Write a procedure.

3. Identify your variables.

4. Test your experiment (3 to 5 times).

5. Collect your data. Keep a science journal.

Have the right tools to do the job.

Tables, charts and diagrams.

Be accurate and neat.

Use the right graph for your experiment (pie graph, bar graph, line graph).

6. Write a conclusion.

7. Understand its application.

Sample worksheet for students: Materials:

List the materials that you will need for your science experiment here: _________

Variables:

List the variables that you will control, the variables you will change and the variables that will be the results of your experiment.

My controlled variables are (the stuff that always stays the same): ___________________

My independent variable is (this is the thing that changes from one experiment to the next, it is what you are testing): ________________________________________________

My responding variables will be (in other words, the results of the experiment): ________

Procedure:

List the steps you have to do in order to perform the experiment here.

Data collection:

Design a table or chart to collect your data. Include photos of the experiment.

Conclusion:

Tell what was learned in this experiment and if you were able to prove your hypothesis. Did it work? Why did it work or why didn’t it work? What did the results tell you? Sometimes not being able to prove a hypothesis is important because you still proved something. What did you prove?

Application:

(How does this apply to real life?) It is important to know about this experiment because . . . . .

Step 4 – The presentation

Step 5 - Judging

Criteria:

1. Clearly stated title, purpose and reasonable hypothesis. (2 points)

2. In depth report on science topic. (2 points)

3. 3 or more sources cited. (2 points)

4. Thoroughly stated procedures and materials. (2 points)

5. Clearly stated variables and controls. (2 points)

6. Measurable data that includes 3 or more trials, or when testing human subjects, 10 people or more.

7. Effective analysis of data clearly stated results (graphs, charts and tables). (3 points)

8. In-depth knowledge base of topic with use of related vocabulary at grade level. (3 points)

9. Well elaborated conclusion based on results. (3 points)

10. Stated real-life connections. (2 points)

11. Effective closure of presentation. (2 points)

TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS = 25

For more information -

http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/projectguide/

http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/

http://www.halcyon.com/sciclub/cgi-pvt/scifair/guestbook.html

http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/welcome.html

http://tryscience.com

http://yucky.kids.discovery.com/

http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/SciProjIntro.html

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~macinnis/scifun/projects.htm

http://users.rcn.com/tedrowan/primer.html

http://www.energy.sc.gov/K-12/science_fair.htm

http://www.thesciencefair.com/guidelines.html

http://www.scifair.org

http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/Resources/Good_Project.html

http://www.ri.net/Schools/East_Greenwich/Cole/sciencefair.html

http://faculty.Washington.edu/chudler/fair.html