Science Fair Project

Heritage Elementary

2014-15

Project Overview and Support

Project Guidelines

Project Proposal

Research Plan

Project Data Book

Project Report

Abstract/Summary

Display Board/Presentation

Project Guidelines

“So what kind of a project is required?”

Allowable Projects: Experimental-type projects that use the scientific method to answer a testable question.

Ex. How does aspirin affect the growth rate of roses?

Projects Not Allowed: Research projects (What is a hurricane?), models (a paper Mache' volcano), or demonstrations. These do not involve testing.

Categories for Science Fair Exhibits

Categories for 3-5th Grade Categories for 6th Grade

Behavioral and Social

Biological

Environmental

Physical

Animal

Behavior and Social

Chemistry

Earth and Space Science

Engineering

Environmental Science

Math and Computers

Medicine and Health

Physical Science

Plant Science

Please note: All projects must be pre-approved by

your child’s science teacher.

Remember, a science project is all about finding an answer to a question. Your question needs to be one that you can answer with a scientific experiment – not one that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no”.

Write your project idea in the form of a question:

How does ___________ affect ___________?

What is the effect of ____________ on ____________?

Which ____________ is the ____________?

Project Proposal Purpose or Question

Example: How does caffeine affect the growth of a pea

plant?

Then, write 1 to 3 sentences describing what you want to find out from this project.

Clear and focused purpose

Identify contribution to field of study

How can your project benefit society?

Project Proposal Purpose or Question

Example: The purpose of this project is to find out if pea plants will grow taller when given caffeine.

Decide what you need to know about your topic before you begin.

You will need to find out what others have already discovered about your topic.

Interview professionals and experts in the field.

Use a variety of sources: people, books, magazines, newspapers, and of course… the Internet.

Search the Internet: use good key words and reliable sources

Summarize your research (one full page – in your own words)

List your sources (must have at least 3)

Background Research

Building your Expertise

A hypothesis is a statement about what you think will happen in the experiment. You base your hypothesis on your background research.

It is stated in a positive manner. Avoid statements like “I think” and “I predict.”

The hypothesis should be written in the form of “If ___, then___.”

Example:

If I pour 100ml of coffee on four pea plants and pour 100ml of water in another four pea plants, then the plants with coffee will grow taller because caffeine will stimulate the plants.

Research Plan Make a Prediction

Create a research plan that explains exactly how you will

test your hypothesis.

Materials you will need to perform your experiment

The step-by-step procedures that you will follow

The variables and control of the experiment

How you will collect your data

How large of a sample size to use

How many times you need to repeat the experiment

Make a timeline to help you manage your time efficiently.

Research Plan Plan Your Experiment

The materials section is a detailed list of everything

used in the experiment. Include exactly what, how

much, and what kind of things used. They are

typically measured in metrics.

Research Plan Materials

Non-Example

•Water

•Flower pots

•Seeds

•Dirt

Example

•5 liters of rain water

•Six 4 cm. clay pots

•12 bush bean seeds

•10 liters of potting soil

The procedure is a listing of

steps used in the experiment. It

is very detailed, like a recipe. It

makes it easy for someone to

duplicate the experiment.

Research Plan Procedure

1)

2)

3)

4)

And so on…

1. Get 8 pea plants ( 100 cm tall).

2. Place 4 pea plants on each tray.

3. Label one set of plants “Caffeine”.

4. Label the second set “Water”.

5. Pour 100ml of coffee (with caffeine) onto the soil of each

plant twice a week.

6. Pour 100ml of water onto the soil of each plant twice a week.

7. Measure each plant with a metric ruler

8. Record data in record book.

Procedure Example:

Research Plan

Your experiment should must be a CONTROLLED

EXPERIMENT. This is one in which only one variable

is changed at a time. You will need to include a

1) TESTED independent variable and a

2) MEASURABLE dependent variable.

Your experiment should also identify the CONTROL (or

constant).

Planning Controlled Experiment

Research Plan

Independent Variable The one variable you purposely

change and test.

Dependent Variable The variable(s) that you will record

and measure. Its changes “depend” on the independent

variable.

Control: These are the things that are kept constant (the

same) throughout the experiment.

“How Does Aspirin Affect the Growth Rate of Roses?”

Planning a Controlled Experiment

Dep. V.

Ind. V.

Control

During experimentation, keep detailed

notes of every test, measurement, and

observation in a project data book.

Record the date and time of each entry.

Use data tables to record your exact

measurements. (use metric units)

Write down your observations.

Repeat at least 3x to confirm results.

Take pictures of your experiment.

Project Data Book Conducting your Experiment

Results include both data and observations.

Data: the information or facts you collect during an

experiment

Observations: what you see as you perform the experiment

Project Data Book Analyzing your Results

Look at measurements recorded in your project data book.

Think about the data and observations and decide what those

results mean.

Construct graphs or tables that will show results clearly.

Example of Analyzing the Results:

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 an 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.

Look at the data. The conclusion can be written in two paragraphs.

Did the data support the hypothesis? If not, why do you think it did not? What patterns did you observe? What would you do differently the next time?

Do not worry about negative results, or results that come out differently than expected. Just explain why you think you got those results. If the results turned out as expected, explain why you think it turned out this way.

Project Data Book Drawing your Conclusion

Example of Conclusion:

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. If I repeated the project, I would…

Project Report Guidelines

Your project report is a wrap-up of the entire

project. It should be very comprehensive and

complete.

It should include the following:

1. Title Page

2. Table of Contents

3. Experiment Overview (A-G)

4. Bibliography/References

Project Report Experiment Overview

A. Introduction

State your research question and your purpose for the

experiment.

Include what you wanted to achieve through this experiment.

State your hypothesis and explain why you thought this would

happen.

Sample sentences:

“My research question was _______? I decided on this project because_______.

Through my background research, I discovered that_____________”

“My hypothesis was ____________. I thought this would be true

because_________.”

Project Report Experiment Overview

B: Materials and Methods: Explain in detail how you tested

your hypothesis.

Include a list of your specific materials and procedures.

Explain why:

you set up the experiment the way you did

you chose the experiment design that you used

you collected data the way you did

And how you made the sure the test was fair by:

Explaining how you controlled your variables

Telling how many times you repeated the tests

Explaining the variables you used, noting the differences between the control

group and experimental group

Be sure to

include pictures

and/or

illustrations of

your experiment

in this section!

Project Report Experiment Overview

C. Results: Include your data and analysis.

Discuss some of the most important data such as totals and averages of

measurements.

Include a detailed explanation of how you interpreted this data – what

did your results tell you?

Include tables and graphs of

your data in this section!!

Project Report Experiment Overview

D. Discussion: This is the HEART of your paper. Include:

Mention one or two of your most important or unusual

observations.

Discuss anything that happened that could’ve affected the

results.

Discuss any possible errors and possible reasons.

How do your results compare with your background research

or commonly held beliefs?

What would you do differently if you repeated the experiment? (future considerations)

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.

Project Report Experiment Overview

E. Conclusion: Briefly summarize your results. Include:

whether or not the data supported your hypothesis

the most important thing you learned from your results

how people in general (or scientists) might apply this

information to everyday life

Sample Sentences:

“My data (did or did not) support my hypothesis. My results show

______. The most important thing I learned was ____. This

information can be used by _____.

Project Report Acknowledgments

F. Acknowledgments: Briefly thank anyone who helped

you with your project, telling what they did for you.

Project Report Bibliography

This is an alphabetical listing of all books, articles,

people, interviews, websites, etc. used as resources before

and during the investigation.

Examples of how to write bibliographies can be found at

the following websites:

http://www.bialik.netaxis.qc.ca/homework/stylesheet2.htm

http://www.noodletools.com

Project Summary Writing the Abstract

The summary or abstract of your project is an

abbreviated version of your final research paper. The

maximum length is 250 words and should include:

Brief introduction

Purpose of experiment

Procedures used to test

Results and conclusion

Possible research applications

http://www.sciencebuddies.

org/science-fair-

projects/project_abstract.sh

tml

Project Summary Writing the Abstract

Example of Abstract:

What Mouthwash Kills the Most Bacteria?

The purpose of my science fair project is to show which mouthwash

kills the most bacteria. My hypothesis is if you use the more expensive

mouthwash, then it will kill more bacteria than the cheaper mouthwash. I

tested my hypothesis by growing bacteria from my mouth and then

putting different types of mouthwashes on the separate colonies of

bacteria. I then analyzed the Petri dishes and compared what the bacteria

looked like before the mouthwash was applied and after the mouthwash

was applied. Finally, I came to my conclusion which was that my

hypothesis was incorrect and the cost of the mouthwash did not make a

difference.

Display Board Make your Presentation 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.

See possible examples on next 2

slides.

Your board must include:

• Title

• Purpose

• Hypothesis

• Materials

• Procedures

• Variables/Control

Identified

• Data Charts & Results

• Conclusion

• Real Life Application

(Pictures are appreciated)

Science Project Display Board

Use bold, clear headings (see examples)

Make it neat and easy to read.

Correct any spelling, capitalization, and grammar

errors.

Place charts and graphs and pictures of your

experiment on your board.

Place pictures of your experiment on your board (do

not include pictures of your face).

Make your Presentation Board

Internet Sites for Science Fair Project Ideas and Support

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/search/experiment?q=science+fair

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/sciencefair.htm

http://www.super-science-fair-projects.com/

http://www.sciencefair-projects.org/

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas.shtml

http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/

http://www.education.com/science-fair/elementary-school/

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/fair.html

You can always use a search engine with the topic

“science fair projects”. Be sure to find an appropriate

project, not one that is just copied off of the internet.

References

Original PowerPoint created by Atlantis Elementary

Also:

http://student.societyforscience.org/judging-criteria-intel-isef?pid=284

http://narsef.uah.edu