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Science Fair Projects

Science Fair Projects. Heritage Elementary 2013-14. 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 aspirin affect the growth rate of roses?

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Science Fair Projects

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  1. Science Fair Projects Heritage Elementary 2013-14

  2. 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 aspirin 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. 

  3. Science Project Categories • Physical: Projects related to the physical sciences such as physics, chemistry and astronomy that deal primarily with non-living materials.

  4. Science Project Categories • Biological: Projects that deal with the vital processes of living organisms and how these processes are affected as a result of manipulating a variable. *No animals may be harmed*.

  5. Science Project Categories • Environmental: Projects dealing with human’s relationship with the earth and human’s effect on the earth. The student should show clearly the connection between humans and their environment both in the written and oral presentation.

  6. Project Overview Question or Purpose • 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”). • 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: • Example: The purpose of this project is to find out caffeine will grow taller when given caffeine. • Identify contribution to field of study

  7. Project Overview Background Research • Let’s say you decide to bake lasagna for your family. Well, you can just start throwing random ingredients together, or you can flip through cookbooks or search the Internet for the best recipes and helpful tips. • Finding information for your background research is very similar. You will need to find out what others have already discovered about your topic. • Decide what you need to know about your topic before you begin. • Interview professionals and experts in the field. • Use a variety of sources: people, books, magazines, newspapers, and of course… the Internet. • Key to Internet searches: use good key words and reliable sources • Summarize your research (in your own words) and list your sources.

  8. Project Overview Hypothesis • 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 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.

  9. Project Overview Plan Your Experiment • Make a time table of timeline to help you manage your time efficiently. • Create a research plan that explains exactly how you will conduct your experiment. • Materials you will need • 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

  10. Project Overview Materials • 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. 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

  11. Project Overview Procedure • 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. • 1) • 2) • 3) • 4) And so on…

  12. Procedure example: • Get 8 pea plants ( 100 cm tall). • Place 4 pea plants on each tray. • Label one set of plants “Caffeine”. • Label the second set “Water”. • Pour 100ml of coffee( with caffeine ) onto the soil of each plant twice a week. • Pour 100ml of water onto the soil of each plant twice a week. • Measure each plant with a metric ruler • Record data in record book.

  13. Project Overview Variables • Your experiment should include a TESTED independent variable and a MEASURABLE dependent variable. • Your experiment should also identify the control

  14. Dep. V. Control Ind. V. Project Overview Variables • 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?”

  15. Project Overview Conducting your Experiment • During experimentation, keep detailed notes of every test, measurement, and observation in a project data book. • Date each entry. • Use data tables to record your exact measurements. (use units) • Take pictures of your experiment; just be sure not to include your face.

  16. Project Overview Analyzing the Results • 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 • 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.

  17. 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 and 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.

  18. Project Overview Writing the Conclusion • 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.

  19. 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.

  20. Project Overview Writing the Summary (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: • Introduction • Purpose of experiment • Procedures used to test • Results and conclusion • Possible research applications http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_abstract.shtml

  21. Display Board Make your Presentation Board • Your board must include: • Title • Purpose • Hypothesis • Materials • Procedures • Variables/Control Identified • Data Charts & Results • Conclusion • Application • Summary/abstract • (Pictures are appreciated) • 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. • Place pictures of your experiment on your board (do not include pictures of your face). • See possible examples on next 3 slides.

  22. Science Project Display Board

  23. Science Project Display Board

  24. Project Report Writing the Research Paper • The research paper is a wrap-up of the entire project. It should be very comprehensive and complete. • It should include: • Title page • Table of contents • Bibliography/references

  25. Project Report Writing the Research Paper • Paragraph 1: Introduction • State your research question and your purpose for the experiment. • Include what you wanted to achieve through this experiment. • Tell the hypothesis and explain why you thought this would happen. Sample sentences: “My problem is _______? I decided on this project because_______. I started researching and asking questions and found out that_____________” “My hypothesis was ____________. I thought this would be true because_________.”

  26. Project Report Writing the Research Paper • Paragraph 2: Tell how you tested the hypothesis. Explain in detail how you conducted the experiment. Be sure to describe your variables and how you set up a fair test. Include why: • you tested your problem the way you did (procedures) • you chose the materials that you used • you collected data the way you did • you chose the experiment design that you used And how you made the sure the test was fair by: • Explaining how you tested your hypothesis • Telling how many times you repeated the tests • Mentioning the variables you used and describe the difference between the control group and experimental group.

  27. Project Report Writing the Research Paper • Paragraph 4: Tell about your results. • Include some of the most important data such as totals and averages of measurements. • Mention one or two of your most important or unusual observations. • Discuss anything that happened that could’ve affected the results. • What would you do differently if you repeated the experiment? Sample Sentences: “While doing my science project, I observed that _______. Also _______. Another interesting thing that happened was _______.”

  28. Project Report Writing the Research Paper • Paragraph 5: Tell about your conclusions. Include: • whether or not the data supported the evidence • the most important thing you learned • how people in general (or scientists) might apply this information to everyday life • if you could do this project over again, what would you do different? “My data (did or did not) support my hypothesis. The most important thing I learned was ____. My results show _____. This information can be used by _____. If I were to do this project over again, I would _____.

  29. Project Report Bibliography (5th & 6th Grade) • 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 website: http://www.bialik.netaxis.qc.ca/homework/stylesheet2.htm http://www.noodletools.com

  30. Internet Sites for Science Fair ProjectIdeas 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.

  31. References Original PowerPoint created by Atlantis Elementary Also: http://student.societyforscience.org/judging-criteria-intel-isef?pid=284 http://narsef.uah.edu

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