Alvin ISD
High School
Pre-AP Science Project Guidelines
2012-2013
Together We Make
The Difference
UIL Science Team Information
The UIL Science Team will require teacher recommendations and scoring well on a test for participation, and will be limited to only 20 students. A $15 fee will be required if you make the team which will be used to pay for a T-shirt and the competitions. Students will be removed from the UIL science team if their first 9-weeks grade drops below an 85, or if a student misses 3 or more weekly meetings.
Grading Rubric:
Grading is based on attendance at both weekly meetings and the competitions.
· Requirements are attendance at weekly meetings and attendance at two (2) competitions. Regular competitions are held on Saturdays and they last all day long (approximately 5 am through 9 pm).
· Meetings begin the first week of October and continue through the end of February. The official district team meets through the middle of March (until the actual district meet).
· Due to limited space at competitions, occasional mock competitions will be given during weekly practice times. THERE ARE NO MAKE UPS for these. Mock competitions will be used to determine who attends district competitions. Mock competitions are worth ONLY 15 pts.
· Those students who are NOT CHOSEN to attend regular/district competitions can earn additional points through perfect attendance at weekly meetings. (4 pts. per meeting)
Competition Timeline Approximation
1st Competition should be in the beginning of November.
Next competition should be towards the end of January.
There is another one in February.
Final competition before district should be the first Saturday in March (for official district team only!).
District competition is around the middle of March.
ACC/AISD Science Fair
Grading Rubric:
** Grade-level appropriate investigations refer to the investigations based on concepts that are taught in high school. The investigations may be descriptive (based on statistical data), comparative, or experimental. The conclusion of your investigation must refer to the concepts and explanations that are at a high school level.
Students wanting to attend the Houston Science and Engineering Fair must also attend the ACC/AISD Science Fair. Students attending the Houston Science Fair will be responsible for the entry fees, turning in all required paperwork to UH- Downtown, and the transportation to and from the George R. Brown Convention Center for all events pertaining to the Houston Science and Engineering Fair. The deadline for turning in the entry form and fee for the Houston Science and Engineering Fair is February 1, 2013. Your paperwork must be signed by Alvin ISD’s SRC Committee member, Lisa Brady. You may contact Lisa Brady at 281-245-2458 or at .
Categories:
You must select a topic that is within only one of the categories listed below. You may not participate in both an individual and a team. A team consists of 2 to 3 members.
Individual Categories / Team CategoriesBotany/Environment
Chemistry
Earth and Space
Health and Medicine
Physics / Life Science
Physical Science
Composition Notebook Requirements:
1. The notebook should be bound; not a loose-leaf notebook or spiral ring composition book.
2. The front cover of the notebook should contain a title that describes the research, and the time period covered for the data recorded in the book.
3. The first two pages of the book should be reserved for a table of contents.
4. All remaining pages should be numbered on the top outside corner of the page.
5. The table of content entries should be added as the project progresses.
6. Formal entries should include the following in order:
· PURPOSE (OR QUESTION) - clear statement of what you are trying to find out. The purpose must be stated in the form of a question.
· HYPOTHESIS - your prediction of what the outcome of your experiment will be. Your hypothesis must be made before you actually do you experiment(s). Your hypothesis must be based upon your own previous experience, observations, or thoughts of others, and the research you did in choosing the topic, variables, and controls.
· PROCEDURE - the step by step, numbered list of the plan you used in your experiment. Enough information should be given so that someone else could follow these directions and do the same experiment.
o Identify your: independent variable, dependent variable, constants, and control (if you have one).
· MATERIALS – list the materials that you used in the experiment.
· RESULTS - your description of what happened. You must have a written description. You may also use diagrams, charts, graphs, or photographs to present your results.
· CONCLUSION - Explain your results in your own words. Restate your purpose/hypothesis and state if it was correct. Explain why it was or why it was not. Try to say what you would do next and what you think would happen then.
· BIBLIOGRAPHY – List the sources where you obtained information. This should be done in bibliography format and in alphabetical order.
7. All written entries in the notebook should be done in blue or black ink. If others do not easily read the researcher's handwriting, then entries should be printed.
8. The right-hand pages should be used for making formal entries. The left-hand pages should be used for calculations, drawings, scratch paper, etc. All right-hand pages should be dated when information is recorded on them.
9. No pages should be removed from the notebook. If information on a particular page becomes invalid for whatever reason, a single diagonal line should be drawn through the information. If an error is made in recording something, draw one line through the incorrect entry and write the correct entry as near to it as possible. Never write a number or word over another number or word.
10. Photographs, computer printouts, recorded printouts, etc. should be properly labeled and taped or glued onto one of the right-hand pages.
11. All numbers should be recorded in the notebook using the correct number of digits and labeled with the proper units. Students are strongly encouraged to use the International System of Units (SI).
12. Always enter data directly in the notebook, in ink, at the time it is obtained (unless the data is being recorded automatically by an instrument).
13. If you are using a procedure from a resource, summarize the procedure in your own words. Also, reference that source in your bibliography.
14. Formulas used in the project should be recorded on the right hand pages. Each term should be defined in the formula; including one sample calculation. The proper physical units should always be recorded next to the respective numerical values.
15. When chemicals are used, the name, formula, purity, and manufacturer of the chemical should be recorded.
16. When instruments are used, the name and the purpose of what it was used for should be stated.
17. A project notebook is not supposed to be an attractive document; it is a working document. The entries should be legible, complete, reasonably neat, and logically presented.
Tri-fold Board
A good project deserves a good display. Your display should be neat, well organized, pleasing to look at, and tell the entire story of your research: the project title, questions asked, objectives, experimental procedures, results, and conclusions. A judge should be able to read everything on your project board from a distance of 3 feet or 1 meter. Try to minimize the narrative portion and maximize the use of attractive and meaningful charts, graphs, mathematical expressions, models, photographs and tables. Your display should “sell” your project to the judges even if you were not present.
Your backboard should contain:
A. TITLE***
B. PURPOSE (OR QUESTION) ***
C. HYPOTHESIS***
D. PROCEDURE ***
E. RESULTS***
F. CONCLUSION ***
G. PHOTOS - All photos/images must be documents (i.e. Photo taken by, who the picture is of, or where the image is taken from). No offensive or inappropriate images.
H. Optional items – There are several items that you can place on your backboard if room is available
· Bibliography – place on the lower right corner
· Abstract – place on the lower left corner
***Definition on items A through F can be found in the “Composition Notebook Requirements” section.
Oral Presentation Guidelines:
Should be decided by teacher, but should reflect all aspects of the project including problem/question, hypothesis, procedure, data, and conclusion. Students should be prepared to answer questions orally.
Paperwork:
All science fair approval and entry forms are located immediately following this section. All appropriate forms must be completed before student can participate in the science fair competition. Read the description of each form as all may not apply to your particular project.
All forms are due to your science teacher by November 9, 2012.
· Science Fair Permission Slip- must be completed by all participants.
· Checklist for Adult Sponsor (1)-must be completed by all participants.
· Student Checklist (1A)- must be completed by all participants.
· Research Plan- must be completed by all participants.
· Approval Form (1B)- must be completed by all participants; complete section 1 only.
· Regulated Research Institutional/Industrial Form (1C)-must be completed by adult supervisor if project is done at research institution, industrial setting, and any work site other than home or school.
· Qualified Scientist Form (2)-must be completed prior to experiment if using human subjects, vertebrate animals, potentially hazardous biological agents, and DEA-controlled substances. You must have qualified scientist signature.
· Risk Assessment Form (3)-must be completed prior to experimentation if using hazardous chemicals, activities or devices or regulated substances, and potentially hazardous biological agents.
· Human Subjects Form (4)-must be completed and requires approval prior to experiment if involving human subjects.
· Vertebrate Animal Form (5)-must be completed and requires approval prior to experiment if involving a vertebrate animal that is conducted at Non-Regulated Research site.
· Vertebrate Animal Form (5B)- must be completed and requires approval prior to experiment if involving vertebrate animals that is conducted at Regulated Research site. This form requires a qualified scientist’s signature.
· Potentially Hazardous Biological Agent Form (6A)-must be completed prior to experimentation and requires approval if involving microorganisms, rDNA and fresh tissue, blood and body fluids. This form requires a qualified scientist’s signature.
· Human and Vertebrate Animal Tissue Form (6B)- must be completed prior to experimentation and requires approval if involving fresh tissue, primary cell cultures, blood, blood products and body fluids. This form requires a qualified scientist’s signature.
· Continuation Projects Form (7)-must be completed if the project is a continuation of a previous year’s project.
Forms can be found at http://www.sefh.uh.edu/sefh.html
Science Fair Permission Slip
Dear Parents,
Your child has chosen to participate in the Alvin ISD Science Fair which will be held on ______at Alvin Community College. The judging of science fair will be during the school day and the awards ceremony will be that evening at 6:00 pm in the ACC gym. Parents are not allowed to be present during the judging; however, we encourage parents to bring their students to the awards ceremony that evening. Projects may be picked up after the awards ceremony. If your project is not retrieved it will be disposed of. In order for your child to participate please detach the permission form below, sign, and return. If there are any questions, please contact your child’s science teacher.
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PERMISSION TO LEAVE CAMPUS
______has my permission to leave the school campus of ______on ______for the purpose of participating in the Alvin ISD Science Fair. I understand that my child’s school and the Alvin Independent School District will not be responsible for any accidents that may occur to the above mentioned student.
Parent Signature ______
PARENT CONSENT
(I) (We), the undersigned parent(s) of ______, a minor, do hereby authorize Alvin Independent School District personnel as agents for the undersigned to consent to any emergency medical treatment and hospital care which is deemed advisable and is to be rendered under the supervision of any licensed physician whether treatment is rendered at the office of the physician or at a hospital.
______
Date Parent Signature
Job Shadowing Project
Overview:
For this project, you will need to choose a professional to job shadow in a field of your interest. After your experience, you will be required to turn in a portfolio based upon your job shadowing experience.
Purpose:
The purpose of this project is to provide documentation of research and work experience in a field of your interest. This experience will help affirm a career direction and help motivate you towards that career goal.
Requirements:
1. Choose a professional in math or science. They must complete a background check before you can job shadow your professional. This step may take several weeks to a month to complete. This form needs to be turned in before the end of the first nine weeks.
2. Permission slips must be signed by a parent or legal guardian, and turned into your teacher along with the background check form.
3. Research into the career must be completed before you start your interview process. Complete the attached research form and turn in along with background check. Background check paperwork is due to your teacher by October 5, 2012.
4. You will need to personally interview the professional that you have chosen before you spend time in job shadowing.
5. Observation forms must be completed during each job shadowing event. You must job shadow one individual for 20 hours. You may not combine time spent with other individuals to achieve this goal.
6. Take pictures of your experience. Remember that if an individual’s picture is going to be turned in, that person must sign a permission slip to be in your work.
7. You must type a 2 – 3 page report about your experiences while job shadowing.
8. You must write a thank you card to the professional and to the business owner/management that you job shadowed and send it to them. Your teacher must approve the card prior to your sending it.
9. You will do a 3-5 minutes presentation on your experience to the class.