1. The Parent’s Survival Guide To S.T.E.M Fair Projects
Hostess Cupcake
Lake Arbor ES
Mr. Sweets
5th Grade

2. Things to Remember
Make sure that you are aware of the time lines and due dates for your child’s project.
The S.T.E.M Fair date has been tentatively set for Monday, December 12, Monday, March 6, 2017
Make sure that you check Livingtree.com or Lake Arbor’s website for any S.T.E.M Fair updates.
This year’s information: (including the S.T. E.M. Fair booklet will be on line) but the teacher’s will provide the necessary pages for the students in order to meet the deadlines.

3. Things to Remember
All students in grades 3-5 are required to complete a Digital S.T.E.M. Fair Project and share it with the class.
Your child will need a USB Drive to complete there STEM Fair project.
When selecting projects please select project that can be completed within in the given time frame.
Please remember your role is to support your child not do their project.

4. THINGS TO REMEMBER
ALL PARENTS ARE REQUIRED TO SIGNED THE STEM FAIR LOG SHEET TO ENSURE THEY HAVE REVIEWED THEIR CHILD’S ASSIGNMENT BEFORE SUBMISSION.
GRADE 3: The students must performed at least three (3) trials.
GRADE 4: The students must performed at least four (4) trials.
GRADE 5: The students must performed at least five (5) trials.

5. Things To Remember
Remember to list specific amounts of items and to always use metric measurement.
Measurement Items
Metric Units
Abbreviations
DISTANCE/LENGTH & HEIGHT
Millimeters
Centimeters
Meters
Kilometers mm m km
Weight
Milligrams
Grams
Kilograms mg g kg
Capacity
milliliter
liter ml l
Temperature
Celsius C

6. Things to Remember
Students in grades 4 & 5 are required to do a research paper.
The research paper gives you an opportunity to learn more about your topic and should be closely related to the investigation you have chosen for the S.T.E.M Fair. It is mandatory for anyone in grades four, five and six.
The research paper is not complicated and only needs five parts:
Title Page, Acknowledgements, Question (Problem or Purpose) Background Research, & Bibliography(sources)

7. S.T.E.M. Fair “ Just Say No”
Here are a few guidelines to consider when selecting projects:
You cannot conduct experiments on vertebrates (people, other mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, or amphibians.
You cannot conduct experiments on molds or bacteria of any kind.
You cannot make models that only display information or show how it works: such as volcanoes, solar system, the water cycle, cells etc.

8. Effect of Temperature on a Magnet’s Strength
Hostess Cupcake Lake Arbor ES Mr. Sweets 5th Grade

9. Statement of the Problem
Does temperature affect how
strong a magnet’s pull is?

10. Project Overview
The purpose of this experiment is to test whether the temperature of a magnet will affect how strong its magnetic pull is. I think heat and cold will affect the ability of a magnet attract metal. For my materials, I will use a ceramic magnet, 2000 metal paperclips, a thermometer, a bowl of ice cubes, 2 liters of boiling water, an oven mitt, a pair of tongs, 4 liter bowl. I will place the magnet in three temperature settings (freezing, room temperature and boiling water). I will then place the magnet in a bowl with the paperclips and weigh how many clips the magnet picked up in grams. I will repeat the test four times for each temperature.

11. Research
Magnets are have an opposite charge, positive and negative, at each end.
Magnets repel
Heat causes the molecules in a magnet to move around.
Cooling a magnet makes the molecules move less.
When the molecules in a magnet move around, the molecules that are grouped at each end become messy and disorganized.

12. Hypothesis
I think temperature will affect the magnet’s ability to pick up the paperclips, and the magnet will be able to pick up the most paperclips at room temperature. I am making this prediction because I think heat and cold will affect the ability of the magnet’s forces to attract metal.

13. Materials Ice cubes (3 trays worth) Industrial ceramic magnet
3 liter plastic bowl
2 liters of water
Stove for heating water
4 liter pot
Industrial ceramic magnet
2000 metal paper clips
Scale
Tongs (or holding magnets)
Thermometer
Oven mitt
Freezer

14. Procedure
Take an industrial ceramic magnet and put it in 3 different temperature settings for 10 minutes:
0°C (water ice bath)
20 °C (room temperature)
100°C (boiling water)
Place the magnet in a bowl with 2,000 metal paperclips.
Turn the magnet over 3 times in the bowl and remove the magnet.
Remove the paperclips that the magnet picked up.
5. Take an industrial ceramic magnet and put it in 3 different temperature settings for 10 minutes:
0°C (water ice bath)
20 °C (room temperature)
100°C (boiling water)
6. Place the magnet in a bowl with 2,000 metal paperclips.
7. Turn the magnet over 3 times in the bowl and remove the magnet.
8. Remove the paperclips that the magnet picked up.

15. Variables Independent Variable: (What did I change on purpose?)
temperature (freezer, water ice bath, room temperature water & boiling water)
Dependent Variable: (What changed because of my independent variable?)
Magnet’s strength (weight of paperclips the magnet can pick up)
Controlled variable: (What stayed the same?)
bowl, paperclips, notebook, pot, scale, tongs, thermometer, triple beam balance

16. Effect of Temperature on a Magnet’s Strength Data Collection Tool
Weight of Paperclips Picked Up (grams)
Trial 1
Trial 2
Trial 3
Trial 4
Trial 5
Average weight
(Sum of trials/5)
Water Ice Bath
760 grams
780 grams
764 grams
Room Temperature
755 grams
740 grams
Boiling Water
620 grams
660 grams
640 grams
632 grams

17. Effect of Temperature on a Magnet’s Strength

18. Written Results
This experiment tested the strength of a magnet at different temperatures. The magnet was placed in different temperatures of water and I measured the weight of paperclips that the magnet was able to pick up. The magnet picked up 764 grams when in an ice bath. It picked up 755 grams of paperclips at room temperature. It picked up the least amount of paper clips in boiling water which was 632 grams. My results show that the strength of the magnet increased as the temperature decreased.

19. Conclusion
My results show that the strength of the magnet increased as the
temperature decreased. My hypotheses was partially correct since I
believed that the temperature would affect the magnet. I thought the
magnet would be able to pick up the most paperclips at room
temperature, which was incorrect. This is because heat caused the
molecules in the magnet to move around. When the molecules in
a magnet move around, the molecules that are grouped at each
end become messy and disorganized. This weakens their
magnetic pull. Cooling a magnet makes the molecules move less which
keeps them grouped together and strengthens their magnetic pull. The
only problem I encountered with my experiment was converting my
measurements to the metric system, but my mom encouraged me by
telling me to stay focus. I discovered that converting to the metric system
wasn’t that hard, it only involved using a measuring cup that I already
had in the house. For future research I would use cold/lower temperatures.