San Jacinto Intermediate School
Science Fair Handbook
Table of Contents
Topic Page
Table of Contents------1
Science Journal Guide------2
Research Paper------3
Tools for Success------4
Schedule/Timeline of Important Dates------5-6
Planning a Successful Experiment------7-8
Display Board Details and Examples------9-11
Guidelines for Citing References------12-13
Presenting Your Project------14
Judging Criteria------15
Project Categories ------16
Where Do You Start (from SEFH) ------17
Science Fair Experiment Guidelines (from SEFH) ------18
Science Fair Display Guidelines (from SEFH) ------18
Good websites to know and use:
http://www.sefhouston.org/
http://www.sefhouston.org/sites/sefh/files/docs/sefh-rules-guidelines-13.pdf
https://apps.societyforscience.org/isef/students/wizard/
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas.shtml
Science Journal (Required)
Keeping a science journal is essential and a required part of your project. It should be one of your most valuable tools. It will contain all of your thoughts, procedures, observations, and research. The act of writing in the journal forces the researcher to stop and think about each aspect of the experiment. This is part of doing “good” science. The following guidelines should help you develop a proper scientific journal.
· The notebook should be bound; not a loose-leaf notebook. Use a spiral or a composition notebook.
· The cover should have a title that reflects something about the project you did. Do not put your name on the front cover or on any of the front pages. Your name can only be placed on the last page of the journal.
· The first page of the journal should be your Title Page.
· The next two pages should be reserved for the Table of Contents. Add entries to your content pages as you progress through your experiment.
· All the rest of the pages should be numbered on the top outside corner of the pages.
· The right-hand pages should be used for making formal entries, recording information on research and web sites you have used. The left-hand pages should be used for calculations, illustrations, diagrams, and scratch paper. Date all entries.
· Label all of your diagrams and illustrations.
· Do not remove any pages from your journal and do not erase anything from your journal either. If information on a particular page becomes invalid, draw a single diagonal line through the information. Write a brief statement next to it briefly explaining why you have crossed it out.
· Keep careful records of what you do, when you do it, what is happening, etc.
· Remember to date each journal entry.
· Begin recording in your journal right from the start. For example, your first journal entry can be the information you and your parents discuss after looking through this packet. What ideas/conversations did you have? Write it down!
· Photographs and computer printouts should be properly labeled and glued/taped on the right-hand side pages. Pictures showing the process of your project are very valuable and can be displayed on your tri-board and in your journal.
· Explain how you used the scientific process throughout your experiment.
· It is required that you write a research report and include it in your journal. Be sure to write your research paper on only the front sides of pages.
· In summary, a project notebook does not have to be perfect and beautiful. It is a working document that might have a few stains and maybe a slightly torn page. It is something you have used throughout your entire project. However, keep it as presentable as possible. The entries should be legible, complete, reasonably neat, and logically presented.
Research (Required)
The research portion of the project needs to follow the criteria listed below.
· One page in length
· Can be hand written in print or cursive or typed on a computer
· Needs to cover some aspect of your project
o It should not be a research paper where you researched the exact project you are doing and just wrote a report about. Your project should be original. You are simply researching about something having to do with your project or what has previously been done concerning your project.
· Should contain a bibliography referencing where the information was found. YOU MUST HAVE 5 SOURCES.
o Information on how to set up a bibliography is on page 14 of this packet.
· Write the final copy of your research paper in your science journal
· Format:
This part of the project is designed to allow the researcher to delve deeper into some aspect of the topic. This will help show a depth of knowledge of the subject and hopefully, make the entire project more meaningful.
Here is an example:
Experiment question: How many drops of water will fit on the head of a penny?
Someone doing this experiment could choose to do a research paper on the principles of water tension. Another possible research topic could detail information on how pennies are made. The research could be any topic that directly relates to some aspect of the experiment.
You might also choose to write about information you found necessary to be able to start working on your project. It might include details about some of your materials or design of something necessary for the experiment.
The most important part of this section is to have a good bibliography with at least five (5) sources.
Tools for Success
· Start by focusing on a topic you are already interested in and start asking questions!
· Make good observations by paying attention and noticing details. Every time you work on your experiment, take notes in your journal about your observations.
· Think logically. What do your findings tell you about your experiment? What makes sense?
· Gather as much information as possible. Record this information in your journal.
· Repeat your steps several times in order to reduce your margin of error.
· Be accurate when measuring and taking averages.
· Label your measurements. (linear, area, volume, time, temperature) You should always use METRIC units.
· Make sure your journal entries and display board are neat and readable. What you have written needs to make sense to others. Have someone proofread your display board.
· Communicate clearly when writing and speaking.
· Make inferences throughout your experiment.
· Choose only one variable when testing your hypothesis.
______ / Week 19/03/2013 / Choose a branch of science to investigate. Explore possible project ideas.
______ / Week 2
9/09/2013 / Submit your project idea for approval. Include the topic and the variable you will test. Write as a scientific question.
Question due by September 13, 2013.
______ / Week 3
9/16/2013 / Begin a journal for record keeping. Make a list of resources. Gather more information.
______ / Week 4
9/23/2013 / Complete initial research. Write a hypothesis. Make a list of materials needed for the experiment.
______ / Week 5
9/30/2013 / Decide on materials and procedures. Be sure to check with your parents and/or your teacher to be certain materials will be available. Make procedure list and include details.
Problem and Hypothesis due by October 4, 2013.
______ / Week 6
10/07/2013 / Work on plans for your experiment. Finalize your procedures with details. Make plans for data collection.
SRC Form due 10/11/2013
______ / Week 7
10/14/2013 / Get materials for your experiment. Record your final procedure and materials list in your notebook. Prepare your experiment area.
Procedure and materials list due October 18, 2013
______ / Week 8
10/21/2013 / Begin your experiment. Take any baseline photographs. Record all data and observations in your journal. Be sure to include the dates and times of your data collection.
______ / Week 9
10/28/2013 / Continue with your experiment. Record notes and observations in your journal. Take any photographs needed
Final Procedures and Material list due November 01, 2013
______ / Week 10 11/04/2013 / Continue with your experiment. Record notes and observations in your journal. Take any photographs needed
______ / Week 11
11/11/2013 / Continue with your experiment. Record notes and observations in your journal. Take any photographs needed
______ / Week 12
11/18/2013 / Continue with your experiment. Record notes and observations in your journal. Take any photographs needed
Journal Check November 22, 2013
______ / Week 13 11/25/2013 / Continue with your experiment. Record notes and observations in your journal. Take any photographs needed
______ / Week 14 12/02/2013 / Continue with your experiment. Record notes and observations in your journal. Take any photographs needed
Journal Check and at least 2 pictures due December 6, 2013
______ / Week 15 12/09/2013 / Continue with your experiment. Record notes and observations in your journal. Take any photographs needed
______ / Week 16 12/16/2013 / Continue with your experiment. Record notes and observations in your journal. Take any photographs needed.
______ / Week 17 12/23/2013 / Complete your experiment. Take any final photographs needed. Design charts and graphs. Prepare your conclusion based on the data you collected. Investigate real world applications for your findings. Remember to record all resources used in your journal and on the display board.
______ / Week 18 12/30/2013 / Finalize board and project including journal.
______ / Week 19 01/06/2014 / Present Projects to class and teachers. Make any changes to your presentation prior to science fair.
Project due with board January 8, 2014
______ / Week 20 01/13/2014 / School Science Fair January 14, 2014 (tentative)
Planning a Successful Experiment
Required Steps
***Your science experiment should follow the steps of the Scientific Method. All steps should be clearly displayed on your tri-board.
· Question / Problem
· Hypothesis
· Materials
· Procedure
· Data
· Results
· Conclusion
· Application
It is simply and orderly method for investigating a problem.
Question: Write a question you can answer by conducting an experiment on a topic of interest to you. Your question should be asked in such a way that it couldn’t be answered with a simple yes or no. For example:
· How does salt affect the freezing point of water?
· What affects how fast a substance decomposes?
Pick a topic you are interested in. It doesn’t have to be complicated. After selecting your topic, learn everything about it.
Hypothesis: This is a prediction. What do you think the answer to your question will be? Remember: The results to your experiment may or may not match your original hypothesis. Sometimes you learn more from experiments that give you a different answer than the one you were expecting.
List all of the materials you will need for your experiment.
Procedure: These are the steps you used to perform your experiment. Once you consider yourself an expert about your topic, make a plan as to how you will conduct your experiment. Plan a procedure to test your hypothesis. Include the resources you use: books, people, materials, and special equipment.
***Make sure you follow the Science Fair Guidelines.
Be sure to take photographs and/or make drawings of your set up and procedures. You can attach some of the photos to your display board and place others in your journal.
Conduct the Experiment: Follow the plan that you have written. While conducting the experiments, make sure you keep detailed notes in your journal on everything that you observe. Record the dates of the entries. These notes are vital to your experiment because they are needed when you write your report and make your display.
Recording your data in a logical way is very important. Construct detailed charts, tables, and graphs to help you collect and organize your data.
Analyze Results: This is the data or information you obtained while conducting your experiment. Once you are finished with the experiment, organize your notes. Then, analyze them. Ask yourself, what happened, what are the facts you obtained, and what does your data show?
Conclusion: Your conclusion explains how or why the results of your experiment came out as they did. Did the results support your hypothesis? Would you do anything different or better? If you did this experiment again, what would you do differently? Sometimes your results will be different than your prediction (hypothesis). This happens in scientific experiments and is a valid result.
Application: Experiments are usually done with a practical reason in mind. What practical purpose could your experiment serve? How could your findings be helpful to someone else? Explain how your results might fill a need or help solve a problem.
Create a Catchy Title. Think of something that will draw attention to your project.
The Display Board
The Display Board shows what you know, what you did, and what you have learned by doing this project.
Size: It is required that the display board be within the following measurements:
Height – Minimum of 86 cm (34 in); Maximum of 274 cm (108 in)
Width – Not to exceed 122 cm (48 in) from side to side
Depth – Not to exceed 76 cm (30 in) from front to back
YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DISPLAY ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ON YOUR DISPLAY BOARD:
· No living or dead organisms, including plants and animals.
· No animal parts including hair, teeth, nails, bones, blood, histological dry mount sections and/or sealed wet mount tissue slides.
· No chemical substances, batteries, or light bulbs.
· No liquids, including water.
· Any containers of commercial products must be empty and clean.
· No flames.
· No cultures of mold or bacteria.
· No food, gum, candy, dried beans, or seeds.
· No glass of any kind.
· No dirt, rocks, gravel, clay, play dough, or sand. (No soils at all.)
· No fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides.
You are encouraged to take photos of your materials and experiment rather than placing the actual items on your display board.
IMPORTANT!
THINGS TO KNOW IF YOU DECIDE TO DO AN EXPERIMENT WITH ANIMALS ( NOT recommended and probably will not be approved):
· Animals may not be deprived of food, water, or shelter at any time.
· Animals cannot be exposed to harmful conditions.
· No animals can be harmed in any way.
· Quality care must be given to animals at all times, including provisions for care after the experiment.