HMS Science Fair – Fall 2015
Student Guide
Dear Parents/ Guardian,
Your child is about to begin his/her Science Fair Project! It should be a fun learning opportunity for your child. This booklet will serve as a useful guide for the next few weeks. Please remember the following:
-As a parent, your job is only to assist. This is an opportunity for your child to think and behave like a real scientist.
-For safety reasons, please be available to assist your child with any portions of the project that may pose a safety risk.
-It is recommended that you purchase the display board as soon as possible. Most craft stores, superstores and office supply stores carry display board suitable for science fair projects.
-This is a multipart project. You child MUST complete all required parts in order to receive full credit.
-Remember its ok when mistakes happen. Your child may even need to start the experiment again. Remember in the real world, Scientists constantly refine their studies and start the process again.
Thank you for your continued support.
HMS Science Department.
------PLEASE SIGN--------
My child and I have read the Science Fair Student Guide in its entirety. We know when each section is due and that the project display board, science journal, and research paper must be completed and brought to school by ______.
My child understands that he/she is responsible for presenting his/her project to the class and if selected during the school wide Science Fair on December 17th, 2015.
______
Student SignatureParent Signature
Parent/ Guardian phone number:______
Parent/ Guardian email address: ______
Student Name: ______Class #: ______
Science Experiment/Project Due Dates
Date / Item Due / Turned in / Not turned inOctober 23rd, 2015 / Topic (What is it all about?)
November 6th, 2015 / Purpose & Hypothesis (What do you want to find out?/ What do you think will happen?)
November 20th, 2015 / Conference with teacher about your project. You must be able to tell me your procedure, materials, etc.
Week of December 14th, 2015 / Grade level judging will take place with Science Teacher.
The top performing projects will be selected to represent their grade at the HMS Science Fair.
For the teacher’s use. / Elements that must be present on your display: / Included / Not Included
Title
Purpose
Hypothesis
Procedure (Sequence what you did in order.)
Materials (List of what you used in the experiment.)
Visuals - Pictures/drawings/graphs/tables
Results (What happened?)
Conclusion (What did you learn?)
Rationale – How your project applies in the real world.
Acknowledgements (Who helped you?)
Resources (Where did you get your information?)
December 17th, 2015 / HMS Science Fair Judging
The top performing projects will be selected to represent HMS at the Austin Science Fair
Jan 28th, 2016 / For selected projects only- deadline to register for Austin science fair
Feb 17-18th, 2016 / Selected projects only- Austin Science Fair
Final Grade: ______
REQUIRED ELEMENTS:PART ONE
The Research Paper- Using the Scientific Method
The research paper may be typed or written neatly. Each step must be explained thoroughly and clearly. Rough draft worksheet templates will be provided to students at the end of the packet.
Bring each page of the rough draft pages to school for your teacher to review with you on the due date. Upon approval you may write the final copy of your research paper to be turned in with your project.
Step 1: State the research question.
What question are you trying to answer? Ask a question that you can answer through observation or experimentation.
Step 2: State the purpose.
What is your reason for asking this question? What are you trying to discover?
Step 3: Background Research.
This section is designed to assist you when developing your hypothesis. It is highly recommended you check with your teacher throughout the research process.
Step 4: Write a bibliography.
Make a list of the sources you used to collect your background research.
Step 5: Make a hypothesis.
A hypothesis is a statement that predicts the outcome of your experiment, based on what you already know. It is crucial that your hypothesis is testable. Remember, hypothesis don not need to be correct – they just need to be an informed guess. A disproven hypothesis is just as valid as a proven hypothesis!
Step 6: List the Materials.
Every item that you have used for your project needs to be listed in the materials section. A common format is to list the items in the order you have used them.
Step 7: Describe the Procedure.
The procedure describes the experiment in a step by step sequence. It may help to think of the procedure as a recipe, in which every step is clearly explained. How will your materials be used, and how and when will they be measured? Another person should be able to follow the procedure of your experiment and get the same or similar results.
Step 8: Perform the experiment.
Following the procedures from step 7, conduct your experiment. If you realize that new steps or materials are needed, you may go back and revise those sections. Do not revise your original hypothesis.
Step 9: Record the results.
Record detailed records of the results of your tests and observations. Results should always be explained in a written format first, followed by graphs, charts and/ or tables.
Step 10: Make a conclusion.
After getting your results it is time to make a conclusion! According to your data, was your hypothesis proven or disproven? Was there anything in the experiment that you would change/ improve if the hypothesis were retested? How could you change or expand the experiment if you were to do it again? How could the information obtained from your experiment be used in the real world?
Step 11: Real world application.
How does your project connect to the real world? A new expectation this year is that students will be able to demonstrate how their experimental has real world applications.
PART TWO – The display board
Standard display boards are 36” tall and 48” wide. To ensure impartial judging we would ask that you do not display your name anywhere on the project board.
Project boards should be easy to read and appealing to look at. They should have enough ‘flash’ to make people interested, but not so much that it distracts them from understanding what you did for your project. Information on your display board should be neat with each section clearly indicated. Ideally each section heading should be large enough to be easily identified.
There are no specific rules on how to organize your project board. However your board should include all the aspects of the scientific method. Please also provide your journal for inspection with your display board.
- Please note that this image serves only as an example and may not contain all aspects of the scientific method.
Display board Examples
PART THREE – The Oral Presentation
Your teacher may assign you a date on which to present your science fair to your class. The top 20 Science Fair projects from each grade will be displayed in the school gym on December 17th, 2015.
Tips for a great oral presentation:
- Make sure that your science journal, research paper, and display boards are complete, neat and have been proofread.
- Be prepared! Practice your presentation as many times as possible. Use index cards to write down your main points. They can be used as a reminder during your final presentation if needed.
- Point to your board when explaining graphs or pictures, but do not read directly from your board.
- Make sure you can clearly explain how your results were measured. For example if you used a scale to measure weight, know what type of scale you used. Be able to show how to balance the scale and what weights you used.
- Be enthusiastic and smile during your presentation. Stand straight, speak clearlyand be proud of your work!
- Be prepared to answer questions.
You may be expected to present your entire study, including your research question, purpose, background research, hypothesis, materials, procedure, results, conclusion and rationale.
HMS Science Fair – Rules
Projects involving the following are not allowed:
-Firearms, explosives or discharge air pressure canister devices (i.e. potato guns)
-Growing bacteria or mold of any type.
-Causing pain, suffering, sickness or death of an animal.
-Any activity or substance that presents a danger to the student or the environment, including hazardous chemicals or radioactive materials.
-No pictures of students are allowed on the display board.
Display and safety guidelines:
All student projects must follow the guidelines listed below:
ITEMS NOT ALLOWED:
-No animal organisms, living, dead or preserved
-No human/ animals parts or body fluids (for example, blood, urine)
-No human or animal food (Pictures/Videos are ok)
-No dangerous chemicals.
-No poisons, drugs, controlled or hazardous substances
-No pressurized tanks or containers.
-No batteries with open top cells (so that battery acid can be seen)
-No project, device, activity or substance that may be deemed hazardous to student health or safety.
-No photographs or pictures of animals or people in surgical techniques, dissections or necropsies.
- If you are unsure about any item, please ask your teacher for approval.