Science Fair Project Guidelines and Resources Packet
- Important Dates:
Dec. 2Questions, Hypothesis, Independent,Dependent and Controlled variables are due to grade level science teacher. By Dec. 8, grade level science teacher will conference with students and turn in approved question to science lab teacher.
Jan. 9Detailed procedures and materials list are due to the grade level science teacher. By Jan. 14, grade level science teachers will provide feedback to student.
Jan. 30 Copy of data from experiment is due to the grade level science teacher.
Feb. 13Final project is due.
Feb 16-19 Projects will be judged and students will begin classroom presentation.
Feb. 20 Winners will be announced.
Feb. 24Winners have the opportunity to present science fair projects at Science Night.
- Project Requirements
• The experiment cannot be observational. This means that there must be a measurable component being tested and you must be able to collect numerical data from you experiment.
• Scientific Method Experiment (on Poster Board or Tri-fold, see examples at end of packet), fully labeled with all sections of the Scientific Method.
• Your final project should have all the major headings in the Scientific Method.
A. Problem/Purpose/Question
B. Hypothesis
C. Materials
D Procedure
E. Data (include a table and a graph to display data)
F. Analysis (explains your results and show relationships between data)
G. Conclusions (include what you’d try next)
• Science Project Form should be used to plan and display project. This will be the page you turn in to your grade level teacher at the various checkpoints for approval.
• You must include pictures on your project board as documentation throughout the different stages of the experiment.
• Everything you turn in for your final project should be attached to you project board in some way.
• NO NAMES!!! For judging purposes, please do not put your name anywhere on the final project board. Each project will be identified with a number assigned by the science lab teacher when the project is turned in.
- General Notes:
• Plan completely BEFORE you try to do your experiment.
• Come up with a snazzy title, and have fun with it!
• Design your experiment around your hypothesis and do not change your hypothesis based on your experiment. It’s okay if your hypothesis was found to be incorrect.
• REPEAT, REPLICATE, REPEAT, REPLICATE....all experiments must have 3 trials for each testing scenario and they must berepeated exactly as you did the first time
• Show all of your results in your data even if they contradict your hypothesis.
• Make sure your experiment as only 1 independent variable.
• Don’t delete negative results from your report.You often learn more whenthings don’t work as planned.
• Make it interesting!If you don’t find it interesting, someone else won’t likelyeither.
• Research why things happened the way they did when you get results. It’smore interesting when you are able to use fun facts to explain why you got the results you did.
• Don’t assume, find out!
• Be clear and precise in your method or procedure. Each step should only require one thing to be done. Put down all the steps, even the little itty bittyones. The purpose of your procedure is so that anyone can repeat yourexperiment exactly as you did, and hopefully get the same results.
• Give yourself plenty of time to design and re-design your experiment,sometimes you just need to mess with it! Just remember, once you arehappy with your design, then you start actually collecting your final data.
• Record all your data and observations in one place (a notebook is good). This can be used to create your data tables and formulate part of your analysis but you will not have to turn in the note book.
Take Chances, Make Mistakes, And Get Messy!
Science Project Form - Scientific Method
Name:______
Teacher and Grade:______
Title of Experiment: ______
Problem/Purpose/Question: What do I want to find out?
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Hypothesis: What do I think I will find out? Be specific.
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Variables:
______
Materials: List ALL of your materials, including brands. A numbered list works best.
______
______
______
______
______
______
______
Method/Procedure: How will I find out? (List ALL your steps, including how many times you repeat theexperiment).
______
______
______
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Data: What actually happened? (Create an appropriate table to display you data)
Results/Analysis: Summarize and explain your data.
______
Conclusion: Did I prove my Hypothesis? What would I try next?
______
Science Fair Judging Sheet
Student Number:______