3. Oh No! Ornery old Mr. Hill is making me do a science fair project!

4. A science fair project is not that hard! You’re going to learn how do do one!

5. Three things aren’t a science fair project:

6. A report A demonstration An experiment

7. That’s nice, but I need to know what is a science fair project!

8. A science fair project has the following parts:

9. A question A hypothesis An experiment and a control experiment

10. Now I know what it is, how do I do one?

11. Step #1 - Question You must start with a question!

12. Examples of questions: Do girls or boys my age have better short-term memory? Can I blow Square bubbles? How does acid rain affect buildings?

13. Step #2 – Research Next, you research to see what information you can find about your question.

14. Step #3 – Hypothesis The hypothesis is what you believe is the answer to your question.

15. Step #4 – Experiments You design two experiments.

16. You design an experiment to test your hypothesis. You design your control experiment.

17. (Remember, the control experiment is done under different conditions than the experiment.)

18. While you are doing your experiments, you will be recording your observations and results.

19. Step #5 – Analyzing Results You look at the results from your experiments and come to a conclusion.

20. Step #6 – Conclusion My hypothesis is correct because … My hypothesis is not correct because …

21. Follow these steps and you will have a science fair project.

22. Now we will look at things that will help you have a great science fair project.

23. The most important question you should ask:

24. So What?

25. When selecting your topic, consider:

26. Is it interesting to you? Do you have enough time? Can you do this by yourself ?

27. Can you really do it? Is it safe?

28. Keep a Logbook!

29. As you do your research, consider:

30. Where do you look for information? The Internet Ask an expert.

31. What are the best sources of information?

32. Up-to-date. Different sources. The information is easy to understand.

33. Examine your experiments.

34. Have a clear, written procedure. Make sure your control experiment does what you want it to. Be sure to identify all variables.

35. Is it safe? What materials do you need? Identify problems early.

36. Record your observations.

37. Qualitative Observations Observations not based on fact; observer uses her/his own judgment.

38. Quantative Observations Observations based on fact; the data can be measured exactly.

39. How do you present your data?

40. Tables Charts Graphs Photographs

41. What is the most important thing to avoid?

42. Plagiarism! 1. stealing somebody’s work or idea: copying what somebody else has written or taking somebody’s else’s idea and trying to pass it off as original Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

43. Plagiarism! 2. something plagiarized: something copied from somebody else’s work, or somebody else’s idea that somebody presents as his or her own Microsoft® Encarta® Reference Library 2004. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

44. Now you have to put it all together.

45. Title/hypothesis/purpose Background How to do the experiment Results Conclusion(s)

46. Always check your work!

47. Preparing your display

48. Well-organized Colorful and attractive Easy to read Enough space for pictures and papers

49. Title/hypothesis/purpose Free of spelling and grammatical errors. Foam or cardboard display board

50. May be plain or have color

51. Tips for preparing your display:

52. Have an extra display board! Lay things out first before gluing on the board Always work in pencil first!

53. Finishing touches

54. Tablecloth Photographs Drawings Logbook

55. Computer Models

56. Now you know how to do a science fair experiment!

57. That’s all, Folks!