A quick “how to” guide for parents and kids. GRES Science Fair 2017! A quick “how to” guide for parents and kids.

Welcome Introduction Did everyone get a ticket for the raffle? Why have a science fair?

Expectations All students are expected to complete a scientific experiment to present at the Science Fair in late March as part of our science curriculum.

Due Dates January 27th - Experimental Question Due February 3rd - Materials and Procedure Due March 13th - Experiment Data and Conclusion Due March 17th - Final display due at school. March 23rd - Science Fair!!! Public viewing 3:35 - 6:00

Key Parts of a Science Experiment Question Hypothesis Variables Materials Procedure Data (Results) Conclusion

Designing a Question Get ideas from your interests first. Shouldn’t be a demonstration. “This is how a volcano works.” Should be written in one of the following ways. (Does A affect B? or Does A have an effect on B?)

Demonstration to experiment

Demonstration to an experiment Using this acronym, students can take a demonstration and then turn it into an experiment.

Example Demonstration - “How does a plant grow?” We could… substitute different types of soil modify the temperature of the soil eliminate water, soil, etc.

Hypothesis Educated guess or prediction. Should be done before you begin the experiment. Should be a complete sentence with some explanation for your prediction if possible.

Variables Independent - What the experimenter is changing or testing. Should be only one. Dependent - What is being measured. Can have more than one as long as question is answered.

Variables cont. Confounding - We don’t want these. Anything that might make your results unreliable. A thorough, detailed procedure helps a lot. Constants - Conditions of the experiment that remain the same.

Materials Should all be collected prior to starting experiment. Should be in a detailed list which is bulleted or numbered.

Trials Experiments need more than 2 trials for each condition tested. Should be an odd number. The more the better. Control trials always a plus!

Procedure Step by step list, which is numbered, on how the experiment will be completed. Steps for the first trial in each condition should be listed, subsequent trials should just be mentioned with “repeat steps”.

Data/Results Should be quantitative if at all possible. Observational data, while an interesting extra, is hard to make objective. Should be in a table and graphed. Be careful when averaging data. May skew results.

Conclusion Should state whether hypothesis was proven or not. A disproven hypothesis does not mean it wasn’t a good project.

Don’t worry. You are not alone!!! Your child will conduct experiments in class in which all of these components are taught and discussed. Trust your child. If you have a question, feel free to email your child’s teacher.

Be bold. Be realistic. We want experiments that are out of the box. We do not want experiments that will potentially harm animals or people. We do not want experiments which mess up life for a month.

Judging Students will present their projects during school on March 23rd. They will be judged by area science teachers, administrators, and 4H faculty. Ribbons will be rewarded based on judge scoring. GRES 5th grade teachers do not judge. Grades for projects are separate from ribbons.

Display 36” Display boards are the biggest we allow. Headers optional. Make sure your information is in a logical place on your board. Everything Typed...Spell check, spell check, spell check!!! Don’t overdo decor. Shouldn’t detract from the information. Glue: Less is More!!!

Further Information www.mrcampbellsclass.net Look for “Science Fair Headquarters” under the “More” tab at the far right. http://mrjohnsonsfifthgradeclass.weebly.com/science.html www.sciencebuddies.org Has a survey students can take to find project topics.

Have fun!!! Enjoy this time you have to work on a meaningful scientific endeavor with your child. It can be a very rewarding experience. Thanks for coming!!!