Terra Vista 4 th /5 th Grade SCIENCE FAIR

Purpose of Meeting *To discuss importance of Science Fair/Science Fair Expo *To discuss upcoming dates/deadlines *To answer questions about Science Fair

Why Participate? 1.Students learn and apply the Scientific Method. 2.This year, 5 th graders will take the Science California Standards Test (CST) at the end of the school year; this test will cover a variety of science fields. Besides learning about the Scientific Method, our students will become exposed to a variety of science topics when they share and present their projects with each other. 3.Each student is challenged academically in a science or math field of his/her own interest; Many of our GATE students have chosen fields Science or Math as a personal topic of interest on their GATE Learning Plans for this year. 4. Students learn the difference between a demonstration project and a comparison project. 5. Students become participants in the Etiwanda School District Science Fair.

Important Dates 1) Parent Meeting p.m. Students may come also; homework passes will be given for that day if students and parents come to the meeting. 2) Checkpoint 1: Due to homeroom teacher on 12/16/14 3) Checkpoint 2: Due to homeroom teacher on 1/8/15 4) Final Project: Due to homeroom teacher 1/21/15 5) *Science Exposition: MPR on 1/22/15; time TBD; optional event *Note: At our Science Exposition, fifth grade students will present their projects to families and other students in the MPR. Students will, also, get the opportunity to observe and write about at least projects they view. Students who participate in Science Exposition will receive extra credit!

How to Get Started 1 st Each student picks a problem/question that would like to investigate; make sure to complete Checkpoint 1 by 12/16/14 to have your teacher approve your topic before you begin. One great website to help students choose science fair project topics is Sciencebuddies.org. Note: Our students will test only one variable for their projects. Each problem/question needs to be apart of a comparison experiment that test the variable using the Scientific Method. Demonstration projects are not appropriate for Science Fair. 2 nd Each student researches about his/her topic to help form a hypothesis, an educated guess regarding the outcome of the experiment. Make sure to complete Checkpoint 2 by 1/8/15. 3 rd Gather needed materials to conduct experiment: journal, 3-way display board, construction paper, etc. 4 th Before, during, and after the experiment, students take notes inside of journals regarding the entire process. 5 th When conducting the experiment, students take photos of Procedure/Steps. 6 th Each student completes at least 3 trials for his/her experiment. 7 th Save typed information on USB and/or Google Drive! Students can add on or edit information daily. Most of the items that go on the 3-way board are also included in the journal. 8 th Remember that final project (3-way board with journal) is due on 1/21/14. Points will be deducted for late entries.

A Great Website for Science Fair Project Ideas:

Q1: Is participating in the Science Fair mandatory? A1: Yes, participating in the Science Fair (with the student completing a journal and representing his/her experiment with a 3-way display board) is mandatory. Participating in the Science Fair Expo, however, is optional; students who participate in our Science Fair Expo will receive extra credit. Q2: What is the difference between Science Fair and Science Fair Expo? A2: The Science Fair is a competition of science experiments among our 4 th and 5 th grade students at Terra Vista; the 3 winners of our school will then compete at the district level. Science Exposition is a night for students to present their projects in the MPR; participating students of Science Fair Expo will also view and comment on other student projects. Q3: May students work together with partners? A3: Yes, students may work together on the project. Q4: Is this project to be completed at home? A4: Although teachers can assist students along the way, the majority of the Science Fair project (which consist of experimentation) would have to be completed at home. Typing and saving student work on flash drives and Google Drive are highly recommended. This way, students may continue working on the written parts at school. In addition, if students have questions regarding their projects, they may show/share the saved work with their teachers to get input. Q5: What is the difference between a comparison experiment and a demonstration project/experiment? A5: In a comparison experiment, a student is testing a variable using the Scientific Method. In a demonstration project/experiment, however, no comparison is being made. The student is only showing how something works or teaching facts about the concept. Each students is to do a comparison experiment for the science fair/expo. What are the F.A.Q.s? (Frequently Asked Questions) Q6: Will supplies be given to students to complete the Science Fair project. A6: At school, students may use the basic supplies such as construction paper, unlined computer paper, crayons, etc. White 3-way boards will be supplied to students who need them. If students would like colored three-way boards, they would need to purchase these items themselves. Other decorative materials and specific supplies needed to conduct an experiment would have to be supplied by the student. Q7: Should the information be typed or handwritten? A7: Even though it’s the students choice, it is easier for information to be typed. Students can edit work in and out of class if the information is typed and saved on Google Drive or flash drives. Also, most of the information will be repeated and can be used for both the 3-way board and the journal. Q8: How many trials should be conducted in the experiment? A8: An experiment should have at least 3 trials to validate results. Q9: Are students allowed to only turn in the completed 3-way board to get credit for their Science Fair Project? A9: No, each student must turn in a completed 3-way display board (experiment) and a completed journal for credit. Note: See packet for information explaining items for three-way board and journal. Also a rubric for grading is included.

Parts of Science Project *3-Way Board Left: Problem, Research, and Hypothesis Middle: Title, Steps (Procedure) with materials used, photos, illustrations and models Right: Results represented with graphs (show results of all 3 trials) and Conclusion Note: All sections need to be neatly labeled using a large font. See handout that explains each section in detail. *Completed Journal Read each section of the packet provided to see the setup of a Science Journal. Both the 3-way board and the completed journal including abstract and bibliography will be scored using the rubric provided. Title Problem Research Hypothesis Steps Results Conclusion

Observe Student Samples

Thank you for coming !