Gamble Rogers Middle SchoolScience Fair Guidelines and Timeline

You will participate in the Science Fair producing a project that will display your research and experimental data on a topic of your choice. Preparation for the fair begins well before the day when the exhibits are set up! Working on this project will require you to use scientific processes and conduct a controlled experiment:

Observe the world around you. Be curious. Ask a question about what you see. Identify or originate/define a problem. Review published materials related to your problem or question. (research) Evaluate possible solutions to your question and make an informed inference about the answer (hypothesis).

Design an experiment to challenge and test your hypothesis. Carry out your experiment and collect data. Analyze it. Evaluate the results of your experiment and reach conclusions based on your data. Was your hypothesis

supported? Do you have new questions? Communicate your findings through a written report, visual display, and oral presentation.

This process takes time. You will start thinking about these steps now in order to be ready for the science fair on December 3, 2014. Projects are due November 24, 2014(maroon) or November 25, 2014 (silver)

You will need to complete this project at home.

This packet of instructions will be checked periodically as part of your project grade.

The following guidelines describe the steps you will need to follow in order to successfully complete your project. Each completed step needs to be initialed by Ms. Annucci or Mr. Barrett.

12 weeks before the final due date – Project Idea Due: 9/4 (Maroon) or 9/5 (Silver)

Pick Your Topic – Get an idea of what you want to study. Ideas might come from hobbies, interests, or problems needing solutions. Limit your topic to concentrate your time and resources. Many ideas are available through books and web sites. Choose a topic that not only interests you, but can be done in the amount of time you have.The following websites are good sources of additional information:

St Johns County School District Science Fair Website http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/depts/is/science/fair/Society for Science Website: http://www.societyforscience.org/isef Society for Science Website – Getting Started: http://www.societyforscience.org/page.aspx?pid=311Science Fair Project Resource Guide http://www.ipl.org/div/projectguide/ Science Buddies www.sciencebuddies.org

Share your idea with your parents and make sure they’re willing to support you in this project.By this point, you should have:

Chosen a topic __________

Received parental approval ___________

My topic is _________________________________________________________________________________

Parent’s signature

9 – 11 weeks before the final due date– Research Plan and Paperwork Due: Sept. 23 (maroon) Sept. 24 (silver)

Start Researching Your Topic – Find good sources on your topic. Use the internet, go to the library, talk to professionals in the field, and/or write to companies for information. Note: You must use at least FIVE quality sources as part of your research. A complete bibliography must be included in your Research Plan.

Start a Logbook – Use this for keeping records. In ink, write down everything you do, think, and observe about your topic and experimentation. Date each entry. See more details on the attached “Logbook Guidelines” page.

Plan Your Experiment – This plan, written in your logbook and submitted in the Research Plan format (attached), should include the problem, your hypothesis, the procedures you will follow to test your hypothesis, including the materials needed, and your research bibliography (5 quality sources.)

Conduct your Research, Write your Research Plan and Fill Out Paperwork and Get Required Signatures. – Follow the instructions on the forms provided.

As you plan your experimental procedure, remember to change only one variable at a time. Include control experiments in which none of the variables are changed. In order to obtain reliable results, you must have at least FIVE trials for each of your test groups.

Help Yourself Stay On Top of This Project – Some main deadlines for this project are on the timeline on the last page. Give yourself some personal deadlines for carrying out your procedure. Include plenty of time to experiment and collect data—even simple experiments do not always turn out as you might expect the first time. By this point, you should have

Started your project Log Book. _________ Selected sources and started your research. _________ Written the bibliography – 5 sources. _________ Written a hypothesis and experimental procedures. _________ Submitted the official Research Plan, Forms 1, 1A and 1B. _________

8 – 9 weeks before the final due date – Preparing for Experimentation Check In Date: Oct. 1 (M) or Oct. 2 (S)

Get Ready to Start – Obtain or construct needed equipment, and make sure it works. Arrange where you will perform your experiment (school, home, other) and who will supervise your work, if necessary.

Keep Researching Your Topic – Take notes in your logbook. Write your findings in bullet points—it’s faster than writing complete sentences, and it ensures your notes are in your own words. Remember to record the source and page number for every fact or idea you copy down.

Record Progress in Logbook – Keep dated, detailed records of everything you do.

By this point, you should have Collected materials for your experiment __________

Learned how to use all apparatus needed for experiment __________

Begun building model, writing experimental tests or setting up experiment

__________

Kept logbook current __________

6 – 7 weeks before the final due date- Experimentation Check In Date: Oct. 16 (S) or Oct. 17 (M)

Conduct Your Experiments – Follow the procedure you planned for yourself. You may need to adjust your plan. Check with Ms. Annucci or Mr. Barrett for approval before making experimental changes.

Remember to change only one variable at a time when experimenting, and make sure to include control experiments in which none of the variables are changed. To be reliable, each testing group must each have at least 5 trials.

Record Progress in Logbook – Keep dated, detailed notes of all research, every experiment, measurement, and observation.

By this point, you should have Begun testing and experimenting __________

Kept logbook current __________

5 weeks before the final due date- Recording Data and Experimentation Check In Date: Oct. 22(S) or Oct. 23(M)

Continue Research and Experimentation – Continue research for background information about your topic, carefully noting it in your logbook. Become the expert. Continue collecting data from your experiment. Document your progress with photographs.

Record Progress in Logbook – Keep dated, detailed notes of every experiment, measurement, and observation. Also record the time you spend in research.

By this point, you should have Continued with notes and research __________

Collected data if experiment is ongoing __________

Taken photographs of experiment in progress __________

Kept logbook current __________

4 weeks before the fair – Experimentation and Project Report/Display Information Check in Date: Oct. 30 or Oct. 31

Continue Experimentation – Continue collecting data from your experiment. Continue to document your work with photographs and keep detailed, dated records of your progress in your logbook.

Start Writing Your Report/Project Display Information – Use your research notes to write your Introduction and Works Cited.

By this point, you should have Continued experimentation __________

Kept logbook current __________

Written introduction and works cited __________

3 weeks before the final due date- Conclude Experimentation/Continue Report Check in Date: Nov. 6 or Nov. 7

Continue Research and Finish Experimentation – As you wrote your introduction, you might have realized that you needed more information on certain topics. Continue research for background information. Continue collecting data from your experiment. Keep dated, detailed records of your progress in your logbook.

Start Examining Your Results – When you complete your experiments, examine and organize your findings. Analyze your data and organize your results into charts and graphs. Don’t be upset if your results don’t match your hypothesis. Understanding errors and reporting unexpected results can be valuable information.

Continue Writing Your Project Report/Display Information – materials, procedures

By this point, you should have Continued experimentation ________ Reviewed books, articles, etc. for any additional information ________

2 weeks before the final due date – Finish Project Report/Start Project Board Check in Date: Nov. 13 or Nov. 14

Finish Analyzing Data and Draw Conclusions – How do your results compare to your hypothesis? What variables were most important? Do you wish you had more information? If your results do not support your original hypothesis, you have still accomplished successful scientific research.

Continue Writing Your Project Report/Display Information – Add the next sections: results, discussion, and conclusion.

Begin Designing Your Display Board – See the attached “Display Guidelines” page for details.

By this point, you should have Finished analyzing your data _______ Made sure your log book is current _______ Begun designing your display board _______

1 weeks before fair – Final Preparations Final Project/Report/Board Due: Nov. 24 (Maroon) or Nov. 25 (Silver)

Prepare Your Display – It should be attractive, simple, and informative. See more details on the attached “Display Guidelines” page. Prepare Your Report – The report will use all of the information you prepared for your board, reformatted into the lab report format.Write your Abstract – use the official abstract form: http://www.societyforscience.org/document.doc?id=24 Compose and save your abstract in Word, then cut and paste into the abstract form on-line. Print 2 copies. Finish Making Things – Have someone proofread your project report/display information. Complete final revisions; assemble display board.

By this point, you should have Written the text for your display board. _______ Completed all charts, graphs and visuals. _______ Completed the final report and had someone proofread it. _______ Practiced presenting your project. _______

Logbook Guidelines

When scientists conduct research, it is customary for them to record it in a logbook. This provides an ongoing record of the process (successes and failures) that are part of their research. A logbook is an important record that lets the scientists (or any critics of their work) look back and see exactly how their results were obtained. It is designed to be difficult to change or “fake.” This encourages reliable scientific practice.

For the science fair, you will be keeping your own logbook. It should contain accurate and detailed notes of everything you do for your research project. Good notes not only show consistency and thoroughness, but they will help when writing your research paper.

Your logbook must be bound. Your pages must be numbered. Leave several pages for a table of contents in the front of book. Divide your logbook into the following sections, leaving extra space in each section.

Research notes Bibliographic information Experiment plans Weekly progress (what you did on your project that week, as well as thoughts about your progress,

notes of any problems, and plans for what you’ll do next) Experiment observations (detailed notes, tables, charts, etc.) Thoughts and conclusions

As you fill in these sections, each entry should be dated. Your logbook should be written in ink only. Computer generated log books will not be accepted.

Report Guidelines Your report will contain the following 10 sections. Each section should be written on a separate page.

1. Title Page: Project title, your name and address, your school, your grade.2. Table of Contents: Number each section as you finish writing.3. Abstract: summary of your entire project in 250 words or less. You must also include a copy of the official

abstract form on your display board.4. Introduction: Start with 2 -3 paragraphs that summarize your research. This provides background information

on your topic and explains the purpose of your experiment in detail. Include what you observed on your own and what you found out from your books or other sources. Clearly state the problem/question you decided to investigate. Conclude by stating your hypothesis.

5. Materials and Procedure: Describe in detail the procedure you followed. Include precise descriptions the materials you constructed and/or used and how you collected your data. Include drawings or photographs to describe your experiment further.

6. Results: Present the data collected in the experiment in tables and graphs; summarize the data in sentences. 7. Discussion: Connect your discussion with the data in your results section. Be thorough. How do your results

compare with what you expected to see? How do they compare with your background information? Which variables were most important? Did you collect enough data to be sure about your results? What possible errors or problems could have influenced your results? What are some limitations of your experiment?

8. Conclusion: Briefly summarize your results. What does your data show? Did your experimentation support your hypothesis? Do you need to do more experimenting? Do you have new questions?

9. Works Cited: List outside materials mentioned in your report. Page should follow MLA guidelines.10. Appendix: If necessary, include important information that is too lengthy for the main section of the paper, such

as raw data, additional tables and graphs, copies of surveys or tests, and diagrams of specialized equipment.

Your report should be typed in 12-point font, double-space, using Times New Roman or Arial fonts. Margins should be 1 inch. Where appropriate, cite your references (books, articles, interviews) in your report using MLA-style parenthetical citation. If you need help with this, ask Ms Penn or Ms Hinds.

Display Guidelines

Your visual display will be mounted on a trifold board. It should clearly display your question/topic and should highlight the major points of your project.

Your display’s purpose is to attract and inform. Make it easy for readers to assess what you have done and the results you have obtained.

Here are some tips to keep in mind: Have a good title that simply and accurately represents your research. Be organized. Your display should be logically presented and easy to read. Follow the path of Scientific Method

from left to right and top to bottom. Your display should include the following headings:

Question (or your title could be your question) Introduction/Background Research Hypothesis Materials Procedure Results Discussion Conclusion Abstract

Make headings stand out to guide your reader through your research. Make your display eye-catching. Use strong, large lettering and labels; simple, striking color combinations, and

well-labeled charts and graphs. Include relevant graphics and/or photographs showing experimentation. Make all text and graphics large enough to read from 2-3 feet away (think 20-point font). Bullet points are another good way to keep the text readable. Your board should be lightweight and self-supporting. It will be standing on a table. Get prior approval before including any models, etc. that will sit on the table in front of the display.

Science Fair Dates – Summary Timeline 2014

Assignment Points Due DateScience Fair Project TopicParent signature on packet

25(Assessment Grade)

August 26, 2013 (Silver)August 27, 2013 (Maroon)

Research Plan& Approval Forms (1, 1A and1B)

50( Assessment Grade)

September 16 (Maroon)September 17 (Silver)

Preparing for Experimentation No points/Checking in to keep on track

September 24 (Maroon) September 25 (Silver)

Experimentation No points/Checking in to keep on track

October 2 (Maroon) or October 3 (Silver)

Recording Data and Experimentation No points/Checking in to keep on track

October 10(Maroon )October 11 (Silver)

Experimentation and Starting the Project ReportRough Draft of Introduction and works cited page

25(Assessment Grade)

October 17 (Silver)October 18 (Maroon)

Conclude Experimentation/Continue ReportOct. 23 (S) or Oct. 24 (M)Rough Draft of Materials, Procedures and Results Due

25(Assessment Grade)

October 23 (Silver)October 24 (Maroon)

Finish Project Report/Start Project BoardRough Draft of Conclusion and Discussion

25(Assessment Grade)

October 30 (Silver)October 31 (Maroon)

Science Fair Board, Log Book, all Science Fair Forms, Research Plan and Project ReportStudents will present projects in class the week prior to the GRMS Science Fair

200(Assessment Grade)

November 12 (Silver)November 13 (Maroon)

Science Fair JudgingStudents selected to compete at Science Fair may need to present their project to the judges.All competing students must dress appropriately.

N/A Wednesday, November 208-noon

Open to Parents and Family MembersGamble Rogers Multi – Purpose Room

N/A Wednesday, November 205-7pm

River Region East Set up for Selected StudentsSebastian Middle School

N/A Tuesday, January 28, 20143 – 6 pm

River Region East JudgingFor selected StudentsSebastian Middle School

N/A Wednesday, January 298-1

River Region EastAwards CeremonySebastian Middle School

N/A Thursday, January 30