Queens Creek Elementary Science and Engineering Fair November 30, 2016

DATES TO REMEMBER 9-29 Fliers returned to homeroom teacher. Flier should have parent signature Parent contact information 10-6 Students proposed project plan due to Science Lab Teacher for approval. 11-29 Project Boards are due to school These should not be brought to or from school on the bus Parents will need to make arrangements to drop off and pick up 11-30 Projects will be judged 12-13 Onslow County Fair @ American Legion in Jacksonville

Why an independent research project at this grade level Build excitement! Learning how scientist approach problems. Teaching time management, organization and a love of learning. Encouraging curiosity. Personal sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Learning to follow an outline, rules, and high standards.

The Process Think about what interests them, their own real world problems Start journal on Research Select Topic Do Background Research Develop Questions Develop a Research Plan Submit Plan to the Teacher for Review Conduct Experiment (only with approved plan) Analyze results Write up findings Create the Display

Research takes TIME! What do I want to learn Develop a research plan Determine variables Determine resources Background research Variables Topic Resources Writing the proposal Hypothesis Lab skills Scientific writing Lab safety and/or ethical issues Best procedures

TIME pt. 2 Set up & Conduct Experiment Collect Data Analyze Data Organize the notebook - Create sections for each part of project (even your beginning thoughts) Collect Data Analyze Data Create tables or graphs Look for patterns Interpret the Data What does the data mean? Was the hypothesis accepted or rejected? Report Results Write a scientific paper Design a tri-fold board and oral presentation

The Board

THE BOARD pt. 2 Organize your information like a newspaper so that your audience can quickly follow the thread of your experiment by reading from top to bottom, then left to right. Include each step of your science fair project: Abstract, question, hypothesis, variables, background research, and so on. Use a font size of at least 16 points for the text on your display board, so that it is easy to read from a few feet away. It's OK to use slightly smaller fonts for captions on picture and tables. For more details see: Everything You Need to Know About Fonts for Display Boards  The title should be big and easily read from across the room. Choose one that accurately describes your work, but also grabs peoples' attention. A picture speaks a thousand words! Use photos or draw diagrams to present non-numerical data, to propose models that explain your results, or just to show your experimental setup. But, don't put text on top of photographs or images. It can be very difficult to read. Your name on the display board---Pictures of yourself---Captions that include the source for every picture or image---Acknowledgements of people who helped you---Your laboratory notebook ---Equipment such as your laboratory apparatus or your invention

SCIENCE/ ENGINEERING *From www.sciencebuddies.org

FORMS RES will send a paper copy of forms home with your child when the project plan has been approved. ISEF rules wizard can be useful to determine forms needed. http://apps.societyforscience.org/isef/students/wizard/index.asp http://ncsciencefair.org/index.php/students-a-parents/forms IF IN DOUBT—FILL IT OUT!

Need HELP? Science Buddies- is a great place to get ideas, but create your own project http://www.sciencebuddies.org/ NC Science and Engineering http://www.ncsciencefair.org/index.php/students-a-parents/doing-a-science-fair-project Discovery Education http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/Getting-Started.htm Look through the 3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade Standards. You can choose from any grade level. http://richlands.nc.oce.schoolinsites.com/?PageName=TeacherPage&Page=9&StaffID=127001&iSection=Teachers&CorrespondingID=127001