Science Fair 2017-2018 See Turner Webpage for Science Fair Information and Websites: http://turner.pasadenaisd.org/technology

Why Have a Science Fair? Students gain knowledge and skills that are applied directly to real-life settings. Students have an opportunity to engage in hands-on purposeful inquiry, higher-order thinking skills, critical thinking, problem-solving, and independent thinking. They learn the scientific process first-hand and understand that science is an integral part of life. Students practice observation, researching, inferring, measuring, collecting data, communicating, and forming conclusions. Science Fair is an interdisciplinary activity that permeates many other academic disciplines. It has the potential for building a student’s self-esteem, morale and generating an interest in science related careers.

Science Fair Categories Health and Human Studies – psychology, sociology, educational testing and medicine Consumer Science – product comparison and testing Physical Science –chemistry, physics, math and engineering Life Science – plants, animals, and the environment Earth/Space Science – Earth’s resources and Space

Choose a Topic Students will complete an interest inventory on www.sciencebuddies.com. Students will search through recommended topics for ideas or design an experiment of their own. Students will develop questions for 3 possible topics and consult with parents and teacher to choose one.

Testable Question/Problem Students will decide on a testable question to investigate and obtain approval from parents and teacher. Question can NOT be answered by Yes or No. You must be able to measure your results in metric units.

Research Students must identify key words for researching their topic. What scientific principles are you studying? You must have at lease 3 different types of sources for your research and provide a bibliography for each. (book, internet, encyclopedia, video, magazine, interview an expert)

Research Tips Read the article and find 3 important facts. Write down notes in your own words. DO NOT copy information directly from the source. Record all information needed for your bibliography. (title, author, publisher, year published, pages used)

Hypothesis After learning more about your topic, form a hypothesis. The hypothesis should be written as an If….., Then…. statement. Remember: Your hypothesis is an educated guess or prediction. Don’t change your hypothesis if your data doesn’t support it. Your teacher must approve your hypothesis before you proceed with the project.

Variable Record your variable in your journal. Your variable is the ONE thing that you change in the experiment.

Constants Your constants are all the things that you keep the same during your experiment. Be sure to list all of your constants in your journal.

Control A Control is a sample that is not exposed to the variable. All experiments DO NOT have a control. If your experiment has a control, list it in your journal. Remember that your experiment might not have a control! No problem!

Measurements VERY IMPORTANT – What are you going to measure? ALL measurements MUST be in metric units! (centimeters, meters, milliliters, liters, grams, kilograms, degrees Celsius, etc…) THINK about which scientific tool you will use to measure your data. If it can’t be measured, it is not a good experiment for the science fair!

Materials You need to list all materials needed for your experiment. (If you need a spoon, bowl, or measuring cup – write it down.) List supplies with specific metric quantities needed!

Procedures Your procedures are like a recipe. Be specific! List all procedures in the correct order. Someone else should be able to follow your procedures exactly and complete the experiment! Step by Step

Safety First Be safe! List any safety precautions that need to be taken. Do you need goggles, gloves, protective clothing, etc…? Remember to treat your work area as a science lab and follow all of your safety procedures.

Conduct the Experiment A valid experiment has many trials (minimum of 3). The more trials, the more accurate the data. (10 recommended) Follow your procedures exactly – if you find that you have to modify the procedures, make sure you change them in your journal. Record all observations in your journal!

Data Measure and record your data carefully! Date all entries! Make a data table to record your findings. Measure accurately! If something goes wrong – repeat the trial again! Record all observations – remember your five senses! A good experiment requires observations over time. Take photos as you conduct your experiment.

Journal Your journal is one of the most important parts of your project. Be sure to write down everything – (what are you thinking, seeing, wondering, surprised about, confused?, need more information?)

Graphs, Charts, Tables, Photos Record your data in at least two different formats. You will be given extra points if you record data in three different formats. Record your data neatly and accurately. Make sure you have a title on your graph, chart or table. Label everything correctly. METRIC measurements!

Analyze the Data What does your data show? Study your results – what do they mean? Draw conclusions about your experiment. Write down your findings in a few sentences. Make sure you UNDERSTAND what happened in your experiment!

Results Briefly describe what your data shows.

Conclusion Wrap it up - Did your results answer your original question/problem? Was your hypothesis correct? If not, how was it different? Were the results the same for each trial? – Why? Write down your important observations. What problems did you have? How could you correct them next time? What would you do differently if you did this experiment again?

Real World Application Think about what your results mean. How could you use this information in the real world? Would it help solve a problem or make something easier? Write about any real world connections that you made by conducting this experiment.

Important Tips for Success Data is very important! – Do plenty of trials, measure accurately, record all findings, date your entries in your journal. Results – Understand what your data means! Be able to discuss it. Conclusion –Details about your observations, results and your hypothesis. Real World Application- This section is usually what distinguishes the winners! Do you understand how this information can be used?

Display Board The school will provide a tri-fold board. Follow the diagram provided to display your material. BE NEAT and spell carefully! This should be easy to read! You can add color and be creative, but don’t go overboard! Your information is the most important part of the display. Use your space wisely! Include at least two different forms of data (preferably 3) Turn in your project on TIME!

Journal You will turn in your journal with your display board. Make sure that your journal is neat and completely filled out. All entries should be dated! The judges WILL look at your journal!

Oral Presentation Practice your presentation before you turn your project in. Speak clearly and loudly. Look at the audience and explain the steps of your project. (Don’t just read off of your board.) Show your charts and data. Discuss your results, conclusion and real life application. Tell what you would do differently if you did this project again!

YOU DID IT! Be proud of your work! You have accomplished the work of a scientist!

Winners Your teacher will select the best projects to go to the library for the Turner Science Fair! She will submit the projects to the Science Committee for review. The projects selected will be judged in the library on February 6. Outside judges will grade the projects, and the top 5 will be selected to go to the District Science Fair.

District Finalists The top 5 projects will be invited to the District Science Fair. The boards and journals will be sent home for review before the District Science Fair. The District Science Fair will be held on March 20, at the Phillips Gym during the school day. Students will ride a bus to that location. Awards will be presented on the evening of March 20, at Phillips Gym.