2. What is a science fair?
• A journey of scientific inquiry. Students answer a scientific
question by conducting an experiment.
• The process ends with a showcase event.
3. Why are Science Fair Projects
so Important?
Students will…
1. experience PBL (Project Based Learning)
2. think like scientists
3. develop organizational skills
4. enhance writing and presentation skills
5. work on real science problems
6. demonstrate their abilities and knowledge to an audience
7. learn the scientific method
4. Student Benefits
Integrates skills learned in other classes:
-Math skills,
-Computer skills, Research skills,
-Writing and presentation skills
Serves as a basis for future science fairs, which present opportunities for
scholarships, awards, and prestige
Promotes interest in a science career
5. Partnership
Students
• Choose a topic
• Design and perform
experiment
• Communicate
results through
presentation
Teachers
• Keep students on Parents
Science
track Fair • Encourage your child
• Answer Questions Success to do their best work
• Provide rules and •Supervise safety
regulations of fairs
6. Partnership
Students
• Choose a topic
• Design and perform
experiment
• Communicate
results through
presentation
Teachers
• Keep students on Parents
Science
track Fair • Encourage your child
• Answer Questions Success to do their best work
• Provide rules and •Supervise safety
regulations of fairs
7. Partnership
Students
• Choose a topic
• Design and perform
experiment
• Communicate
results through
presentation
Teachers
• Keep students on Parents
Science
track Fair • Encourage your child
• Answer Questions Success to do their best work
• Provide rules and •Supervise safety
regulations of fairs
9. Concerns About Science Projects
“So what kind of a project is
required?”
Allowable Projects: Experimental
type projects that use the scientific
method with a testable question.
Ex. How Does …brand fertilizer
affect the growth rate of roses?
Projects Not Allowed: Research
projects (What is a hurricane?) or
models (a paper mache' volcano).
These do not involve testing.
14. 1-Ask a question.
This is the foundation.
If your child identifies a
question that is safe and can
be answered through
experimentation, the rest of
the project will follow.
For Example: How will the amount of
fertilizer affect plant growth?
15. How to Pick a Good Question
The question should be interesting enough for your
child to read about and then work on for the next
couple months.
Make sure the experiment is safe to perform.
Ensure there is enough time to do the experiment
before the science fair. For example, most plants take
weeks to grow. If your child is doing a project on
plants, he or she will need to start early.
16. 2-Do background research.
Collect information by
looking in a variety of
sources.
Goal: Obtain enough
information to make a
prediction of what will
happen in the experiment.
17. 3-Construct a Hypothesis
What is a hypothesis?
An educated guess about the
answer to a question. (It is a
statement of “expected” results.)
Avoid statements like “I think”
and “I predict.” The hypothesis
should be in the form of
If/then: If I do [this], then [this]
will happen.
•For Ex: “If I increase dosages of fertilizer, it will
cause greater growth in tomato plants.
18. 4-Design Experiment
Independent Variable Is the factor that changes in an
experiment BY EXPERIMENTER
Dependent Variable Is the factor that changes in the experiment
because of the change in the independent variable
Control Variable(s) All other aspects of the experiment must
remain the same.
“How Does amount of fertilizer Affect the Growth Rate of Roses?”
Ind. Dep. Cont.
19. 5-Materials
The materials section is a detailed list of
everything used in the experiment. Include what,
how much, and kind of things used. They are
typically measured in metrics.
Non-Example Example
•Water •5 liters of rain water
•Flower pots •Six 4 cm. clay pots
•Seeds •12 bush bean seeds
•Dirt •10 liters of potting soil
20. 6-Test the Hypothesis (Do an
experiment.)
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.
21. 7-Data
• Draw tables, charts, graphs. It can be Line or Bar or
Circle. Example of a graph that “How wind generator
power changes with wind speed”.
10
9
8
Wind Speed (m/sec)
7
6
5
4
3
2
10
0
40
60
50
30
20
10
Power (kW)
22. 8-Analyze the data
• After organizing the data in easy-to-read tables and
graphs. You create a written statement of the data
and your observations during experiment
• Look at measurements and observations recorded
during the experiment. Think about the data and
decide what the results mean.
23. 9-Conclusion
Did the data support the hypothesis?
If not, why do you think it did not? 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.
It’s ok if the experiment disproves the hypothesis.
Safety, safety, safety!
24. You can find this diagram and a lot of helpful information
about display boards at www.sciencebuddies.org
25. References
In addition to www.sciencebuddies.org, these websites are useful…
DiscoverySchool.com
http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/
Discovery Channel’s guide to projects. Includes project ideas, questions &
answers, tip sheets, and a “Parents-Get Involved” section.
All Science Fair Projects
http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/
Browse ideas by topic or grade level. You can also search if you know your
topic. Be sure to look at the grade level of the project.
United States Department of Agriculture
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/fair/ideasframe.htm
Agricultural project ideas dealing with Chemistry, Botany, Environmental
Science, Nutrition, Microbiology, and Zoology.
26. Changes this Year
Harmony will not be having a school wide science
fair this year.
Students will complete their projects as in years past
and present them to their classmates.
Students will not be required to create a science fair
board unless they are chosen to attend the cluster
science fair
Projects that will move on to the cluster science fair
will be chosen by members of the science department.
27. Important Dates
Harmony Cluster Science Fair held at Harmony
School of Political Science:
December 8th, 2012
Austin Energy Regional Science Fair:
February 20-23, 2013:(http://www.sciencefest.org)
Texas Science and Engineering Fair:
March 26-29, 2013:(http://emtsef.utsa.edu/)
If students don’t create their own learning experience, it defeats the purpose of the active inquiry.
If students don’t create their own learning experience, it defeats the purpose of the active inquiry.
If students don’t create their own learning experience, it defeats the purpose of the active inquiry.
No notes.
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Avoiding the shaky foundation: at this point, each student will fill out a project proposal, which is a rough map of where they plan to head. It is critical for me to evaluate each one so that the students can re-do their questions at this point, if it they are not practical or not safe.
No notes.
We will give students a worksheet to help them collect information. For example, one of the tables on the worksheet will help them brainstorm possible questions. Then students are asked to go through and pick the most relevant ones.
No notes.
No notes.
The graph shows that the power a generator is able to produce increases by the cube of the wind speed.
Mention a clear next step. The kickoff will be on [DATE] Parents will receive an information packet with a letter, tips on how to support their child throughout the process, and a copy of the student assignment timeline.