Science Fair Information Night Presented by: HSA -WH Science Teachers There can be no doubt that scientific literacy . . . is now more important than ever before.” - Glenn Seaborg, 1992 No notes. Adopted & adjusted from www.sciencebuddies.org. October 6, 2009 Copyright ©2008 Kenneth Lafferty Hess Family Charitable Foundation. All rights reserved.

What is a science fair? A journey of scientific inquiry Students utilize the Scientific Method to answer a question that is interesting to them. An opportunity to practice skills the students have been working throughout the year. A way to showcase their Science skills and talents to their peers, their school, and their community. If available, go ahead and provide parents with the date of the science fair and the date of the kickoff.

Calendar of events December 2012 – January 2013 HAS-WH Science Fair Handbook released. (December 14, 2012) Deadline for signed Science Fair handbook (December 17, 2012) Submit Topic Approval Form (January 14, 2013) February 2013 Background Research and Bibliography Due. (February 4, 2013) Hypothesis, Variables, Procedures, and Materials (February 19, 2013) March 2013 Data Collection and Tables and Graph Due. (March 28, 2013) April 2013 Final Report Due. (April 19, 2013) May 2013 Display Board (May 3, 2013) Students will present presentations between the 3rd and 10th. Science Fair (May 11, 2013) Students cannot change title of the project after they submitted the forms. Refer to page three of the handbook. Items will be labeled with how they will be graded.

Student Benefits Inquiry and Experiential Hands-on experimentation about their topic of interest. Integrates skills they’ve learned in other classes Math, Language Arts, Computer, and Research Skills Furthers students’ interest in science Possible interest in a science career No notes.

Support and Partnership No notes.

Project Planning Students will be responsible for planning out the project. The students will have short-term deadlines to meet, so they do not wait until the last minute. We will provide students with detailed guides to explain exactly what needs to be done at each step of the project. No notes.

Partnership Students Work Responsibility Parents Teachers Encourage Answer questions Supervise safety Come to the fair! Teachers Step-by-step assignments Checkpoints graded along the way Science Fair Success Discuss page 1 of handout—”Parent’s Guide to Science Projects”

What do the students need to do? No notes.

Overview 6 Science Fair Project Steps Ask a question. Do background research. Construct a hypothesis. Test the hypothesis by doing an experiment. Analyze the data and draw a conclusion. Communicate the results. Discuss page 1 of handout—”Parent’s Guide to Science Projects”

How to Pick a Good Question This is the foundation of the Science Fair project. The question should be interesting enough for your child to read about and then work on for the next couple months. There should be at least three sources of written information on the subject. Make sure the experiment is safe to perform. Ensure there is enough time to do the experiment before the science fair. For example, most plants take weeks to grow. If your child is doing a project on plants, he or she will need to start early. Visit Science Buddies or Discovery Science Fair Central for more helpful tips. No notes.

Doing background research. Collect information. Define what to look for. Look in a variety of sources. Key Goal: Obtain enough information to make a prediction of what will happen in the experiment. We will give students a worksheet to help them collect information. For example, one of the tables on the worksheet will help them brainstorm possible questions. Then students are asked to go through and pick the most relevant ones.

Do background research, continued Organize research. With organized research that is based on questions, the writing will flow. Use multiple sources, no copying. Writing should be focused on the project. Elementary student are expected to be able to write 1-2 paragraphs about their topic. Middle school students are expected to write 1-2 pages. This is a key opportunity for the student to learn about ethics and how to avoid plagiarism.

Construct a hypothesis. What is a hypothesis? An educated guess about the answer to a question. If/then: If I do [this], then [this] will happen. “If I increase the temperature of water in a cup, then the more sugar will dissolve.” It should include the variables and be testable. No notes.

Test the hypothesis by doing an experiment. Process Part 1: Design an experimental procedure. Steps and materials should be spelled out. Part 2: Do an experiment. Actual testing of hypothesis occurs, answering the question. Expectations It’s ok if the first experiment goes wrong and your child has to modify the procedure. It’s ok if the experiment disproves the hypothesis. Safety, safety, safety! It takes time! No notes.

Analyze the data and draw a conclusion. Example of a graph that draws a conclusion: How wind generator power changes with wind speed. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50 60 Wind Speed (m/sec) Power (kW) The graph shows that the power a generator is able to produce increases by the cube of the wind speed.

The poster board should read like a newspaper. Communicate results. The poster board should read like a newspaper. The display board tells a story from left to right, generally on three panels. It mimics the steps in the scientific method and is a combination of written material, as well as photos, charts, diagrams, and graphs.

What do the parents need to do? From Sciencebuddies.org What do the parents need to do? Project Step Helping at the Right Level Going Too Far Ask a question. Discussing with your child whether a project idea seems practical. Picking an idea and science project for your child; a topic that isn't of interest to him or her will turn into a boring project. Do background research Taking your child to the library. Helping your child think of keywords for Internet searches. Doing an Internet search and printing out articles. Construct a hypothesis. Asking how the hypothesis relates to an experiment the child can do. Writing the hypothesis yourself. Test the hypothesis by doing an experiment. Assisting in finding materials. Monitoring safety (you should always observe any steps involving heat or electricity). Writing the experimental procedure. Doing the experiment, except for potentially unsafe steps. Telling your child step-by-step what to do. Analyze data and draw a conclusion. Asking how your child will record the data in a data table. Reminding your child to tie the data back to the hypothesis and draw a conclusion. Creating a spreadsheet and making the graphs yourself, even if your child helps type in values. Announcing the conclusion yourself. Communicate your results. If a presentation is assigned, acting as the audience. If a display board is assigned, helping bring it to school. Writing any of the text on the display board. Determining the color scheme and other graphic elements.

Have fun! Have fun! Mention a clear next step. The kickoff will be on [DATE] Parents will receive an information packet with a letter, tips on how to support their child throughout the process, and a copy of the student assignment timeline.