Science Fair Information

Timbers Parents and Students,

Thank you, in advance, for all of your hard work on this project. Everyone at Timbers knows you are going to have GREAT projects this year!

If at any time during the project you have questions, please contact your child’s teacher.

“It is important that you do not become discouraged if your experiments or projects do not work out exactly as planned. Scientists learn as much from the many ‘failed’ experiments as from the few which prove successful. Often, with a little thought, you can develop a new way to state your conclusions that will be more satisfying than reporting a negative result. Remember: no project is a failure; you learn from it no matter what its results are. Don’t give up too soon!” (Milken, p. 16)

Materials needed immediately:

  • Spiral notebook
  • Pocket folder
  • Tri-fold Display board ( a limited number of boards are on sale for $4 in the front office after Winter Holidays)
  • Index cards
  • Disposable camera
  • Construction paper

What is a Science Project?

  1. Choose a problem to solve.
  2. State your problem as a specific question.
  3. Research your problem.
  4. Form a hypothesis.
  5. Plan a project.
  6. Set up a time schedule following the due dates provided.
  7. Make a list of all the materials you need.
  8. Collect your materials.
  9. Conduct your experiments, several times.
  10. Record the data each time you conduct your experiment.
  11. Organize the data each time you conduct your experiment.
  12. Draw conclusions from the data.
  13. Prepare your report, graphs, drawings and diagrams.
  14. Construct your science fair display.

General Rules:

  1. All projects must follow these rules and guidelines.
  2. All exhibits must have the student’s name, teacher’s name, and grade on the BACK of the project board. This name is for identification purposes only and should not be visible to the judges. Each exhibitor will be given a number. This will be stapled over the student’s name on the back of the project.
  3. All projects should be done under adult supervision. The work should be done by the student. An adult may help with the preparation of the experiment, when it would be unsafe for the student to do his or her work. (For example, using power tools).
  4. The display of anything that could be hazardous to the public or the facility is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:
  5. Live animals may not be displayed.
  6. No animal or animal parts may be displayed with the exception of hair, teeth, nail, or feathers.
  7. No hazardous chemicals may be displayed.
  8. Liquid, including water, must be contained and clearly labeled.
  9. Containers or commercial products that are displayed must be empty. (For example: food products, cleaning products, etc.)
  10. No open flames are permitted.
  11. No extension cords will be provided.
  12. No food may be displayed.
  13. Glass containers and glass equipment should be avoided.
  1. Special precautions apply when working with animals and some chemicals:
  2. No animal may be deprived of food or water at any time for any reason.
  3. Animals may not be sacrificed for the purpose of experimentation.
  4. Animals may not be exposed to any conditions that may be harmful.
  5. Animals must be provided quality care after the experiment is concluded.
  6. No dissection of surgical procedures may be used.
  7. When surveys are used with human subjects:
  8. No individuals may be identified.
  9. Questions should not be personal or controversial.
  10. Substances contaminated with fungi, bacteria, or other microorganisms should be disposed of in a sanitary method at the conclusion of the experiment. This contaminated substance may not be displayed at the Science Fair.
  11. Hazardous substances may not be used.
  12. Controlled substances, such as prescription drugs, tobacco and alcohol may not be used.

Due Dates:

A timeline with all of the due dates is attached to this packet. Students will turn in this timeline periodically to their teacher according to the due dates listed.

The Science Fair:

Timbers Elementary will hold its science fair on Thursday, January 26, 2012. Students will be judged on this date. Awards will be given for first, second and third place. Students placing First, Second, and Third will participate in the district science fair to be held on March 24, 2012.

Additional Resources:

Ideas-

Resource guide-

TEKS-

Name______

Teacher ______

Science Fair Project

Timeline/Schedule Report

******Students must follow the timeline below. Bring this timeline and your spiral each Friday to class for your teacher to check your progress. A grade will be given for this assignment determined by your teacher.

You should have a new spiral notebook dedicated only to this experiment. You should keep details of everything you did concerning your experiments. This includes any thoughts and predictions. Make sure and date each entry.

******Parents should sign (not initial) and date each box, noting that the student is completing each part of the timeline as stated.

Due: December 9, 2014
Please write your Question/Hypothesis and give your project a title/ purpose. Your spiral should have this information as the first entry.
Due: December 11, 2014
Please write a short description explaining what you will do in the experiment and list your materials.
Do NOT bring your materials.
Bring our spiral with more detailed information.
Due: December 13, 2014
Procedures/ Design your Experiment
Write the first 3 steps here. Your spiral should have detailed steps.
Due: January 21, 2014
Data/Graphs
Data should be your detailed records kept in your spiral.
Please follow the directions for any Graphics you will use and give a brief description in the space provided.
This includes photographs.
Due: January 31, 2014
Results/ Conclusion
Please write 1 or 2 sentences about your experiment’s results. What did your experiment show? Did the experiment confirm your hypothesis? Details should be noted in your spiral.
Due: February 4, 2014
Research Report Due.
How does the information you found relate to everyday life? That question should be included in your Research Report. / Please bring in your Research Report- complete, neat, and finished; Ready to turn in.
Your display board is due on February 6.
* Due: February 6, 2014
PROJECTS DUE! / Please bring in your Complete Project with Research Report, Display Board, Note cards, Spiral and all other Materials necessary to be graded and shown in the Science Fair.

Independent InvestigationName______

Question
What do you want to find out? / Hypothesis
What do you think will happen?
Procedure
Design your experiment! Write the steps for your experiment in the space below.
Safety Rules
What safety rules do you need to follow during your experiment?
Data
Create a table, chart, or graph to record your data.
Conclusion/Analysis
What did you find out? Did your results support your hypothesis? Are your results reliable?

Science Project Checklist

_ 1. Choose a topic that is interesting to you.

__2. Write a Question that you can investigate by yourself.

__3. Research your topic using books, encyclopedias, magazines, the Internet, or interview someone who has knowledge on your topic.

__4. Form a Hypothesis, or good guess about what the outcome of the experiment will be.

__5. Write a step- by- step procedure to test your hypothesis.

__6. Make a list of materials that will be needed for your investigation.

__7. Make a chart that will help you when collecting and organizing data.

__8. Carefully conduct your experiment, being sure to follow the science safety rules. Keep careful, written records of the results in a notebook.

__9. Draw a conclusion and organize the results of your experiment on easy- to- read charts and graphs.

__10. Write a report that includes your Question, hypothesis, step- by step explanation of your experiment, results and conclusion.

__11. Construct a display, using charts, graphs, photos, illustrations, signs, models and/or demonstrations of your experiment.

__12. Prepare an oral presentation to explain your project to others.

Displaying Your ProjectName______

Your display is a way of showing what you learned. A neat, attractive, colorful display with a “catchy” title will grab people’s attention.

A three-sided display is used to display the completed science project.

What Should Be Displayed?

The center board of your display contains your title, materials list, and procedures. The left side of the display contains your question and hypothesis. Additionally, fifth grade students will place their variables (controlled, manipulated and responding) on the left side. The right side of the display should contain your results (data) and conclusion.

Materials

Tri-fold boards are available from Timbers for $4.00

Color and Lettering

If your backboard needs painting, use attractive colors with contrasting letters. The lettering for the titles should be large and bold. Using stencils instead of drawing freehand will make your display neat and attractive.

Remember: You put a lot of time and energy into your project. Take the time to do a good job on your display!