1. Science Fair Projects

2. Logbook Due Date__________
 Your log book is a diary of your project. It doesn’t matter how neat it is.
Your logbook should be a composition type notebook. The pages must be sewn in, spiral bound logbooks are not acceptable.
You should label the outside of your logbook with your name, school name, grade, the date and your project title.

3. Logbook
Your logbook entries should be written (never typed). Write them in ink. No white out is allowed. You must strike through any errors to correct them.
DO NOT TEAR PAGES OUT OF YOUR LOGBOOK.

4. Logbook
You should record everything in your logbook as you work on your project. Judges will look to see that you wrote down your findings as they occurred so put the date down next to all of your entries. Also, collect your data by hand and create graphs by hand in your notebook. You can type them up later to put on your display board; but here, they should be by hand. Include EVERYTHING in your log book.

5. Logbook
By the time you are done, everything that is on your board will be hand written in your log book. All of your research notes will also be hand written in your log book.
Your measurements and observations should be described in detail.

6. Logbook Example of Poor Logbook Entries:
Day one – I decided to do a project on the effect of hip hop music on African Violet Plants.
Day two – Today I started my experiment.

7. Logbook Example of Good Logbook entries:
Day one (Date) – The topic I will be investigating is the effect of hip hop music on African violet plants. I’ve always wondered if it is true that music affects plants. Since I like hip hop music I decided to see if hip hop music will affect the plants. I chose African violet plants because they are inexpensive and I can easily get them at Wal-Mart.

8. Logbook
Day two (Date) – Today I went to Wal-Mart and got my African violet plants. I made sure to get plants that are almost exactly alike. They are the same size and have the same number of leaves and almost the same amount and color of blooms. Since they are almost alike I’m pretty sure they are the same age. All of them seem pretty healthy. I took a picture of them and it is pasted in my logbook on the next page.

9. ( See handout for timeline.)
Choose a Topic
Due Date________________
Pick a topic that:
Will be interesting.
You will be able to complete in the required time.
( See handout for timeline.)

10. Topic
Choose a topic that you are interested in and want to know more about. Make sure your experiment has significance. For example, seeing how long medicines take to dissolve in water isn’t significant because biologically medicines are dissolving in our stomachs which have acids.

11. Topic
Choose a topic that is not “worn out”. An example of “worn out” topics would be “Which Chocolate Melts Faster?” or “Which Battery Lasts the Longest?” Try to find an interesting, unique topic. Topics that have been done a lot can still be done well; but if someone else does the same topic, the judges will end up comparing the two projects. A unique topic that is done well will do best in the competition.

12. Topic
Choose a topic that is not too difficult for you to understand, but don’t choose one that is too easy. Also, your teacher may not accept a topic that is too easy for you.
Choose a topic that is not too broad or too narrow. If you find too much information it will be hard for you to know where to begin.

13. Topic
MOST IMPORTANT! Make sure your topic is measurable. Choose a topic that is experimental, not a demonstration of an already known scientific fact or something that is just a report. “How does the solar system work?” is a topic that would result in a report, not an experiment. “How to Make an Egg Float” would be a demonstration of the density of salt and fresh water.

14. Topic
If you can find the answer to your question easily in research sources then you know that it is not experimental in nature. To see if your topic is an experiment, ask yourself the following questions: “Once I’ve done this project, will there be data I’ve collected that I can graph?” If the answer is no, you are probably not doing an experiment. If the answer to your science fair question is “Yes” or “No” (example: Can a rock float?) then it is not an acceptable topic.

15. Title Due Date______________ Choose a title that reflects your topic.
It may be catchy, funny, witty, etc.

16. Purpose Due Date___________
Write 1 to 3 sentences describing what you want to find out in this project.
Example: The purpose of this project is to find out if a pea plant will grow taller when given caffeine rather than water.

17. Hypothesis Due Date____________
Use your research to make a prediction about how you think your experiment will turn out.
Use the “ If __________ then _____ because_________”format
Example: If 100ml of coffee is poured on four pea plants and 100ml of water is poured in another four pea plants, then the plants with coffee will grow taller because caffeine will stimulate the plants.

18. Research
Research should be designed to get background information about your topic, before you begin your experiment.
Develop 3 questions that you want to answer about your topic.
Try to use various sources for your research.
Suggested sources:
Books
Magazines
Newspapers
Internet

19. Procedure Design your experiment
Design your experiment so that they only test for one thing.
Make sure that you do the same things to all groups of objects being tested.
Example: If you are testing plants:
Use the same seeds.
Plant all of them with the same soil.
Put them all in the same amount of light for the same amount of time.
The only thing that should be different about the plants is that one received coffee and the other water.

20. Procedure To increase the validity of your experiment
Make sure to keep a control group.
Keep in mind sample size.
The more objects in your sample the more valid your experiment.
Use multiple trials. (At least three.)

21. Procedure
Write down step-by-step directions on how to do your experiment.
Do not leave anything out!
Example

22. Procedure Get 8 pea plants ( 100 cm tall).
Place 4 pea plants on each tray.
Label one set of plants “Caffeine”.
Label the second set “Water”.
Pour 100ml of coffee( with caffeine ) onto the soil of each plant twice a week.
Pour 100ml of water onto the soil of each plant twice a week.
Measure each plant with a metric ruler
Record data in record book.

23. Materials
Make a complete list of everything you will use in your experiment.
Tell how many and how much of each object used.
Use metric measures only.

24. Do your experiment.
Have fun !

25. Make Charts and Graphs Display data using charts, tables, and graphs.
Use the Graph Club or Inspiration program.
Choose the correct graphs for your data.
Bar-comparison
Pie-percentage
Line-change/time

26. Results
Using your data write a few sentences how your experiment turned out.
Example:
From reading my charts and graphs, I know that Plant Group #1 grew an average of 40cm with 100ml of coffee. Plant Group #2 grew and average of 20cm with 100ml of water. The Plant Group that was given coffee grew 20cm more on the average than the Plant Group that was given water.

27. Conclusion
Write down why you think your experiment turned out the way it did, include if your hypothesis was supported or not.
Be sure to use the term “ My hypothesis was/was not supported.
Do not say I was right/wrong.
Even when your hypothesis was not supported you gain information about your topic.
Use scientific reasoning for conclusion.

28. Conclusion
Example:
My hypothesis was supported. The plants that were watered with coffee ( caffeine ) grew taller than those that were given water. Therefore, caffeine has a positive effect on the growth of pea plants. This may be due the fact that caffeine is a stimulant. The caffeine could have stimulated the plant to grow.

29. Future Considerations
Tell what variable you would change if you could do the experiment again.
Tell how you might take your experiment to the next step.

30. Future Considerations
Example
If I could do this experiment again , the variable I would change would be the amount of caffeine I would place in each plant group. I would use 50ml for plant group #1, 100ml for plant group #2, and 150ml for plant group #3. I would also have three “control groups” of plants. One would get 50ml of water. One would get 100ml of water. And one would get 150ml of water. I want to see which amount of caffeine helps plants grow the tallest.

31. Make Your Board
Start your information on the top left panel of the board, move down the left panel, across the middle panel, and from the top down on the right panel.
Place pictures of your experiment on your board.

32. Make your Board

33. Helpful Resources Science Fair Web Pages
Best site for help through out project!
This is a good site explaining the parts of a science fair project.
A web site for children to use in setting up their science fair project
A great site! It has info for parents, teachers, and students. It has project ideas, research tools, and tip sheets for all kinds of projects.

34. Bringing It Together Keys for success:
Make a time-line and stick to it.
Parental support
Organization