SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT UPDATE March 2018

PROJECT STAGES that we have completed:

1) What is a Science Fair Project?

Review Scientific method vocabulary, and several controlled experiments.

2) Choosing a Project Topic

3) Designing Your Experiment

Select one topic, create a procedure and identify controls, variables, materials, and safety concer30

Ongoing from now until the end of April:

  • 4) DOING THE EXPERIMENT

Aim to have some usable results by ______

(write your own target date here; the latest you should aim for is April 15)

Keep a record of your DATA/OBSERVATIONS from the experiment. If you are performing a multi-day experiment, you should have multiple sets of observations. The data you collect will depend on your specific experiment, but your observations can/should include as many of the following as possible:

Illustrations / photographs / diagrams

A narrative/description of what’s happening

Measurements (ex. time, quantity, changes)

Samples of your results

Organize this data in a meaningful way. You will be displaying it for others to see.

  • 5) Background research / What’s happening?

Already Started; first draft handed in on Feb. 2

Do some research using books & the Internet. Use this research to give general background information that will help your audience to understand the topic you are exploring. Later, once you have some results, use your research to explain WHY you obtained the results that you did.

In this phase:

  • paraphrase while taking notes (this helps to prevent plagiarism)
  • keep a list of books & websites you’ve looked at, and make a bibliography.

submit the rough notes of your research and any drafts you have completed.

The NEXT PROJECT STAGES that we will work on:

6) Putting It Together:ROUGH DRAFTS

Assemble a rough draft for your project. Put the information together into full sentences, and paragraph form. Write it the way you would on your good-copy. The final version will be displayed on a poster board, so please pay attention to the section organizers below.

The teacher will review your rough drafts and give you suggestions that should help to boost the quality of your project. It is a good idea to pay attention to the suggestions on your draft!

Ask for clarification if you need it.

PART 1: Rough draft of these sections Due by Mon. April 16

Purpose “To find out…” (include your question here)

Prediction “Before I started, I thought that …. would happen. This is why…”

Materials & Procedure

Data & observations of your experiment

Layout: Show a design for the layout of your results on a project display board.

PART 2: Rough draft of these sections Due by Mon. April 30

Background Explain the topic so others will understand your experiment.

The re-working and editing (completion of ) your research goes here.

This part is meant to be read before your procedure, to explain what the experiment will be about.

Results & Discussion.

-What did you learn from your experiment? How can you explain these findings?

Conclusion

-Re-state your question, and the answer you found.

This is a brief summary of your project’s purpose & results.

Bibliography (on the back)

Due Mon. March 12: A rough draft of your project layout

Figure out how you will display all of your information on YOUR display board, and perhaps on the surrounding table as well. Make a rough draft plan of what your final product will look like.

Look through the attached display board samples, and perhaps search some more ideas online for “Science Fair Display Board”. If you want, print out one of the images provided on the attached handout, or that you find in your internet search.

Hand in an 8 ½ by 11 size piece of paper (larger is fine as well), where you will show a sketch of what you intend your display to look like.

Consider the 9 required parts of the project (as listed above in the check-marked bullets) and show, on the paper that you are handing in, how you will arrange these sections on your display board.

An important requirement of this assignment is to label on this paper detaileddescriptors, describing exactly how you intend to set up each section of your project board and any other display you will have for your project.

This will help you identify the sections you need to start working on and gathering information and materials for.

RUBRIC for DRAFT LAYOUT ASSIGNMENT DUE MARCH 12:

Science 8Science Fair

NAME: ______

NYM / AE / ME / EE
Draft Layout Plan Handed in on Due Date
Shows a visual plan (drawing or image from the internet) of the intended layout of the Science Fair Project display board.
Clearly shows WHERE all of the sections of the Sci Fair Project will appear on the display board.
Draft layout shows all 9 required sections of the Project.
Includes descriptors that give detailed information about what text, pictures, diagrams, graphs, etc. you will be including in each section.
Includes information about the intended objects, or extra items that you might include in the display in addition to your project board.