2.  Once a year opportunity to explore a field of science that you like  The experience to teach others about your topic – You are the teacher and get to teach adults about your topic and project  To learn from other young scientists  A competition to create a high-quality project – You get to compete against others in your class and grade level  Eliminates the Fear Factor - An event that develops oral presentation skills – Helps you overcome fears of talking and presenting in front of people  Participation in the JISD Science Fair is mandatory for students in grade 6.  Each student will have mini assignments that will be counted as part of the overall science grade.

3.  Animal Sciences (Zoology)  Behavioral and Social Sciences  Biochemistry  Cellular and Molecular Biology  Chemistry  Computer Science  Earth and Planetary Science  Engineering: Electrical & Mechanical

4.  Engineering: Materials & Bioengineering  Energy & Transportation  Environmental Management  Environmental Sciences  Mathematical Sciences  Medicine & Health Sciences  Microbiology  Physics and Astronomy  Plant Sciences (Botany)  Team Projects There are 17 categories to choose from! Project categories continued:

5.  Must choose 1 of the 17 categories  Students can also choose to compete in Team Projects. Team projects will compete within the 17 categories and will be judged with all other projects in the category selected. Teams may have up to 3 members.  Must submit parent science fair information and assignment 1 by September 8th  Must get teacher approval before you begin your project › Some projects may have to have an SRC (Scientific Review Committee) approval  The proposal form helps your teacher understand what question you want to answer and how you are going to test the question

6.  When typing your reports, use the Scientific Method (like our lab reports) Reports may also be handwritten, however, if you win and compete in Regional, you will have to redo your report in typed format. › Define problem  What scientific question are you trying to answer? › Hypothesis › Procedure and Plan  Give detailed information how you are going to prove or disprove your hypothesis and give a list of materials you will use  Be clear about the variables (elements of experiment that change to test hypothesis) verses your control (elements of the experiment that change). › Test  Record observations in detail. Use data tables and graphs to record information and results. › Analysis  What result occurred and what did your experiment prove? › Conclusion  Was your hypothesis correct? Why or why not?  Use data from experiment to make inferences about the outcome of experiment  What further study do you recommend and if you repeated the project again, what would you change?

7.  Your display board must have: › Title › Your name ( ONLY on the BACK of the board) › Typed information using Scientific Method › Charts, diagrams, graphs, pictures to support procedure and results  Try to use: › Computer generated graphs › Contrasting colors, but limit the number of colors › Rubber cement of double-sided tape to attach papers for neat presentation (glue may wrinkle to paper)

8. Try not to: › Handprint title and name › Make title or headings hard to read  Don’t use uneven letters (use all capitals)  Don’t use words with letters of different colors › Attach folders that fall open › Misspell words › Leave the front of the table empty  Display models (if any), reports, copy of abstract (summary of project), and journal

9.  Pictures › Don’t use photos and names of a student or student’s family (pictures should not have your face or name in them) › Don’t use photos or other visual items depicting animals in surgical techniques, dissections, or other lab procedures  Don’t use living organisms – no live plants or animals  Don’t use human/animal parts or body fluids – like blood or urine › Exception: teeth, hair, nails, dried animal bones, dry mount sections, completely sealed wet mount tissue slides  Don’t use laboratory/household chemicals including water › Exception: water can be used if in enclosed container  Don’t use batteries with open-top cells, flames or flammable materials, poisons, hazardous substances or devices, dry ice, sharp items, glass or glass objects, etc.  Don’t use active Internet or e-mail connections as part of displaying or operating the project  Don’t use unsafe apparatus: large vacuum tubes, dangerous ray-generating devices, empty tanks previously containing combustible materials, pressurized tanks, etc.

10.  Creative Ability (30 points) › Focus is on what the student contributed and how creative the approach was to solving the problem  Scientific Thought/Engineering Goals (30 points) › Is problem clearly stated? › Are variables recognized and defined? Were controls necessary, and if so, were they correctly used? › Are limitations of the data recognized? › What further research is indicated?  Thoroughness (15 points) › How completely has the problem been covered? › Are conclusions based on a single experiment or on replication?  Skill (15 points) › Does the project exhibit evidence of the student her/himself having the requisite skills necessary to design, implement, and complete the project? Is there evidence the student worked largely on her or his own? › What assistance was received?  Clarity (10 points) › Can the student explain the purpose, procedure, and conclusions? › Does the presentation suggest evidence of the student having prepared the report by her/himself?

11.  You have the unique opportunity to: › Compete against others in your class and your grade  1 st, 2 nd, 3 rd place awards for each category  A campus can send up to 3 winners in each category to the district fair › Compete against other 6 th graders in the JISD District Science Fair in December  All 1 st – 3 rd place winners at the district level can compete in the regional competition › Compete against other 6 th graders from across North Texas in the Regional Science Fair in February  Win cash and awards › Compete against other 6 th graders from all across the state in the Exxon Mobil State Science Fair in San Antonio April  Win scholarships and awards