Partnership for Environmental Education and Rural Health Science Fair Tips Partnership for Environmental Education and Rural Health

1. Picking a Science Area First find an area that you are interested in exploring. If you are unsure of what each area is about, research a few before choosing one. Some areas of science include: -Physics -Electricity -Biology -Chemistry -Botany/Plants -Medicine -Zoology -Biochemistry -Astronomy -Earth Science Once you choose an area of science to investigate, then you can begin the process of finding a specific topic or question for your project.

2. Choosing a Project Choose a topic that interests you! Make sure you follow all the school and regional rules for the science fair. A good science fair project does not have to be complicated. Make sure you have a specific question to ask (question/hypothesis), and be sure that you answer it through your experiment.

3. Researching the Topic Learn as much as possible about your topic and question. The more background information you know about your topic, the better your project and experiment will be. Use library books, encyclopedias, and the Internet as resources for research. If you will need to compile your research (report), now is a good time to write down the all the resources you use.

So, how do we come up with a hypothesis (question)? 4. Designing an Experiment Remember to design an experiment that will answer your question. For a successful project and conclusions, you must run the experiment multiple times. The ideal experiments have only one variable. Make sure this variable matches what you are asking in your question. To design an effective experiment, we need to review information about the scientific method So, how do we come up with a hypothesis (question)?

5. The Scientific Method OBSERVATION CONCLUSION QUESTION RESULTS Hmmm, my mom makes me wash my hands. CONCLUSION My hypothesis was incorrect/ correct because… QUESTION Why is ___________ happening (or not happening). RESULTS Determine the real cause of the _________. PRELIMINARY RESEARCH Obtain basic information about the problem. Observing things closely is a hallmark of good scientists. They tend to see things that other people do not see. Scientists are curious, always asking questions. Why did what they observe happen? They also tend to ask “what if” questions, because this makes it easier to develop testable hypotheses. Example: What would happen if I thought that the earth was NOT the center of the universe? Answer: if something else is the center of the universe, then the earth might be moving around that center instead of everything else moving around the earth. This idea was actually tested by Galileo, who made drawings of the sun and Venus (which was big enough for him to see in his primitive telescope). Then, by making drawings of various possibilities of how Venus might orbit (around the sun, around the earth, etc.), he hypothesize and predict what would be seen (planets reflect the sun’s light and have predictable “phases,” just like our moon) under various assumptions. This then leads to a whole series of questions, some of which lead to hypotheses that might be testable. An hypothesis is a educated guess or speculation. The most useful hypotheses are those that can be tested by experiment. Hypotheses make predictions. That is, for example, certain things should result or happen if we conducted a certain experiment that was designed around an hypothesis. The most powerful or efficient hypotheses are stated with alternative results. In such cases, no matter what happened in the experiment, you would get a definitive answer. Conducting the experiment must be done carefully, so that the data are reliable and the same general results can be obtained every time the experiment is conducted. Good research should be able to be replicated by others. Results includes organizing, making inferences, and interpreting data collected during experimentation. The conclusion analyzes the results, brings all of the information together, and comments on the validity of the hypothesis. Any inferences or statements made should be supported by the data received from the observation and experiment. TEKS: Science – 6.2 (A, C), A) Planning and implementing investigative procedures C) Analyzing and interpreting information 6.3 (A) Analyzing, reviewing, and critiquing scientific explanations EXPERIMENT Collect the data. HYPOTHESIS I think ______ is what is happening.

6. The Scientific Method Is it ok if after analyzing all of the data, you find that your hypothesis was incorrect? YES! You just re-state your hypothesis based on your new information.

7. Setting up the Experiment Plan your experiment carefully. Determine how and when you will do each step of your experiment. Write out a brief procedure for your experiment before you actually conduct it. Make and record a hypothesis or what you think the outcome of your project will be before performing your experiment.

8. Doing the Experiment When conducting your experiment, have a camera or notepad handy. Jot down any notes and observations, and take pictures of your experiment if possible. Make sure to run more than one trial to make sure that the results are consistent.

9. Analyze Your Results Organize the notes and other observations taken during your experiment. Looking at the results, try to come up with a theory of what happened, why it happened, and if it agreed with your hypothesis. This step is where having completely researched your topic comes in handy. Make graphs and/or charts to organize your results so others can easily understand them.

10. Writing a Report Write a detailed report about your project. Make sure you explain exactly what you did, how you did it, and what you discovered. Write about your plan and your experiment so that anyone copying your project will get the same results you did. Include the data, and present your findings in some charts and graphs to help others understand the results.

12. Working on the Presentation Work on the title and layout of your project last. When writing out the procedure for your backboard, make sure the steps are clear so that anyone can follow your instructions and get the same results you obtained. Use the brief procedure written during the experimentation as a rough draft. Results ONLY show what data you got from the experiment. Conclusions drawn from the results should be saved for the Conclusion section.

13. Drawing Conclusions The Conclusion section is where you interpret the results and determine the answer to the question/hypothesis you started with. Choose a catchy and interesting title. Even if your science experiment ‘doesn’t work,’ you will still learn something from it, and should address this in your Conclusion section. What could you have done differently? What did you do wrong?

14. Organizing your Backboard Organize your backboard in a logical order with clearly labeled sections. The following sections must be included in your project: Title, Purpose, Hypothesis/Question, Research/Background, Experimentation/Results, Conclusion Add enough color to your display to make it interesting and eye-catching. A splash of color here or there is enough.

15. The Presentation Before the science fair, rehearse your presentation by yourself a few times. Make sure you go in a logical order when presenting your project. Begin with the title, then state the question you asked, what you predicted the answer to the question would be (hypothesis), how you set up your experiment, how you conducted the experiment (procedure), the results you obtained, and the conclusions you drew (if your hypothesis was correct or not).

Presentation (cont.) When presenting, do not read off of the backboard. The less you look at the backboard, the more thoroughly you know your project. Judges know this and look for it when grading your project.

16. Practice, Practice, Practice After rehearsing your presentation by yourself a few times, ask for one or two people to watch you present. This will keep you from getting too nervous when presenting in front of a judge on the day of the fair. Also, when others listen to your presentation, they can let you know of areas in your presentation which may be confusing or unclear.

17. The Big Day The day of the fair, dress nicely. Positive first impressions can be very helpful. When presenting, stand up straight, and make sure not to fidget. Being confident about your presentation, it is important. Stay calm and professional. Most judges will ask you questions about your project after you present it. Pause, think about the question, and answer as best you can. It is okay to say ‘I don’t know.’