SCIENCE FAIR
AND
SCIENCE INVESTIGATIVE
PROJECT GUIDELINES
2017 - 2018
Jefferson Parish Public Schools
JEFFERSON PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOLS
SCIENCE FAIR
AND SCIENCE INVESTIGATIVE PROJECT GUIDE
A science investigative project is a requirement for all students in honors level science courses. This project can also be used to compete in the Science Fair; thus, two of the requirements for honors credit will be satisfied. Non-honors students are completing a project to 1) do an investigative project and 2) enter the science fair competitions.
Riverdale Middle is an IB school focused on project based learning. A science fair project meets this objective.
This information packet contains guidelines and suggestions for doing an investigative project. Please sign and detach the verification form below and promptly return it to the student’s science teacher.
Please understand these dates are strictly enforced. There will be no projects accepted late. If a student is absent from school that day, someone must bring the project to school for the student to receive credit.
Date of the School Science Fair: Monday, November 27, 2017
*** BEFORE homeroom in the Library
Date and Location of Regional Science Fair: UNO_February 26-28, 2018
VERIFICATION OF PACKET RECEIPT
This portion of the Investigative Science Project information packet must be signed by both the student and the parent, and promptly returned to the student’s science teacher.
The signing of this form verifies that both the student and the parent have read the packet and are aware of its contents. Students are responsible for completing the project as specified by the guidelines listed in the packet.
Student’s Signature: ______
Parent’s Signature: ______
Date Signed: ______
Teacher’s Name: ______
Signed verification slip due Tuesday, October 17, 2017 / Wednesday, October 18, 2017
3 TYPED project titles due to your Science teacher
On Thursday, October 19 / Friday, October 20 for a homework grade
· No homework passes may be used on any part of science fair.
· Student receives an F for homework if not turned in by due date.
GENERAL GUIDELINES
General guidelines for Science Fair and Science Investigative Projects
1. This investigative project is an assignment for all students attending Riverdale Middle.
2. This project is a requirement for honors students. Students will NOT be able to be in an honor science class for the following school year if their science fair project is not completed and turned in.
3. PROJECTS ARE DUE THE DAY OF THE SCIENCE FAIR – NO EXCEPTIONS – IF THE STUDENT IS ABSENT SOMEONE MUST BRING THE SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT TO SCHOOL OR THE STUDENT WILL RECEIVE AN F on all parts.
4. In the 2nd 9 weeks period, each component on the project board will count as a test grade.
5. All students will receive grades on assigned parts following the scheduled timeline.
6th grade is not judged against 7th or 8th grade. 6th grade is judged only against other 6th grade projects and MAY attend under the junior division at regional fair if the project is exceptionally good.7th & 8th grade are in the junior division and compete against one another.
All components MUST be TYPED, INCLUDING PROJECT TITLE, LABELS, GRAPHS & DATA TABLES. Any handwritten parts will receive a letter grade F. You cannot test on humans or animals. Remember you MUST have 10 TRIALS. Be careful if you are doing plants because you will have to buy a lot. Make sure you follow the format for the project board. Make sure you put everything in the written report.
PROJECT CATEGORIES
Junior Division – Grades 7-8
6th graders
1. Biological Sciences
2. Chemistry
3. Earth and Environmental Sciences
4. Energy: Chemical
5. Energy: Physical
6. Engineering
7. Mathematics and Computers
8. Plant Sciences
.
STUDENTS MUST HAVE WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM ALL PARENTS INVOLOVED TO BE ABLE TO DO TEAM PROJECTS IN A CATEGORY.
IF PARENT PERMISSION IS NOT RECEIVED THE DAY THE SIGNED VERIFICATION SLIP IS DUE, YOU CANNOT DO A TEAM PROJECT.
TEAM PROJECTS COMPETE AS A TEAM IN ONE OF THE ABOVE 8 CATEGORIES.
6th GRADERS CANNOT DO A TEAM PROJECT.
2
TIMELINE OF STUDENT PROJECT
Name: ______
STUDENT RECORD OFSCIENCE PROJECT PROCRESS
ACTIVITY / DATE DUE / VALUE / Page / GRADE
Signed Verification Slip
Submit 3 Project Titles
(MUST BE TYPED) / Oct. 17 & 18
Oct. 19 & 20 / Homework grade / cover
Experimental Design Diagram
(MUST BE TYPED) / Oct. 24 & 25 / Homework grade / See pg 4
Materials and Procedure
(MUST BE TYPED) / Oct. 27 & 30 / Homework grade / See pg. 5
Collect data and results. Turn in data table(s), graph(s), and conclusion. *
(MUST BE TYPED) / Nov. 13 & 14 / 3 Homework grades / See pgs. 6-8
Science Fair Project Due!!!!!
(Project Board) / MONDAY,
Nov 27
Due Before Homeroom / Each component counts for a test grade. (6 test grades total) / See pgs. 15-16
EVALUATION IB RUBRIC
(worth 6 test grades) / See pgs 17 - 19
No oral presentations will be given.
* Titles MUST be approved by teacher before proceeding on student project.
* Title format:
Does the independent variable affect the dependent variable?
* You must complete your experiment at home by the weekend of November 11 to complete the data table, graph, and conclusion which are due on November 13 and 14.
SCHOOL FAIR / Monday, November 27, 2017 / RIBBINS FOR 1ST, 2ND, 3RD ANDHONORABLE MENTION
GREATER N.O. SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR at UNO / February 26 – 28, 2017 / RIBBONS, CASH PRIZES, SPECIAL AWARDS, TRIP TO INTERNATIONAL FAIR FOR TWO GRAND PRIZE WINNERS
PROBLEM (Project Title) /HYPOTHESIS
The problem (Project Title format) is generally stated in the form of a question.
For example: What is the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable?
Problem: What is the effect of soaking seeds in solutions on the germination rate?
The purpose of the hypothesis is to specifically state what you expect the outcome of the experiment to be. It is extremely important because it forces the writer to state exactly what the experiment is testing. The hypothesis guides the experimental procedure. You will design your experiment to test the hypothesis.
For example:
Hypothesis: If the amount of time the seeds are soaked increases, then the germination time will decrease.
This hypothesis is not just a guess. It is an educated guess based on the knowledge we gained from our background research. We know that the seed coat must be broken or altered in some way to allow water to enter.
Since we are testing four solutions and a dry seed, we could make the hypothesis more specific.
For example: the following hypotheses are more specific
· If the pH increases, then the seeds germination will increase.
· If the pH decreases, then the seeds germination will increase.
Remember, it is just as correct to get data that reject the hypothesis, as it is to get date that supports the hypothesis. If you get data that does not support the hypothesis, you may get sufficient data to indicate a restated hypothesis to test in cycle two.
Frequently, a hypothesis is stated in an if…., then .. format. A hypothesis that describes the effect of adding more calcium chloride to water would be stated.
If the Independent Variable increases or decreases, then the Dependent Variable will increase or decrease.
If the number of scoops of calcium chloride that are added to water increases, then the temperature of the water will increase.
Notice that if is followed by the independent (manipulated) variable and then is followed by
the dependent (responding) variable.
EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN DIAGRAM
(blank diagram on school wiki ready to fill out and print)
Title:Hypothesis:
IV:
DV:
Constants:
HOW TO COMPLETE THE DIAGRAM
There MUST be 3 to 5 levels of the independent variable. Less than 3 will not be accepted.
Title: Does the IV affect the DV?Hypothesis: If the INDEPENDENT VARIABLE increases or decreases, then the DEPENDENT VARIABLE will increase or decrease.
IV: independent variable or manipulating variable
levels / Of / the / independent / variable
------/ Repeated / ------/ trials / ------
DV: dependent variable or responding variable
Constants: all other variables in the experiment that are kept the same. You should have a no less than 3 constants.
Title: Does the length of a paper airplane affect the distance traveled?
Hypothesis: If the length of a paper airplane increases, then the distance traveled will decrease.
IV: length of a paper airplane
10 cm / 20 cm / 30 cm / 40 cm / 50 cm
10 / 10 / 10 / 10 / 10
DV: distance traveled
Constants: type of paper, force applied when launching, design of the paper airplane
MATERIALS
(Make a list of ALL the items used in the experiment.)
1 – liter of water 40 – bean seeds
1 – bottle of vinegar 1 – roll of plastic wrap
1 – metric measuring cup 4 – plastic plates
1 – metric ruler 4 – square paper napkins
1 – permanent marker 4 – recycled drink bottles
PROCEDURE
(Write the steps for the experiment. Explain what you did and exactly how you did it. Number the steps!! Your procedure should be written so that anyone
else could repeat the experiment!!!)
1. Soak the bean seeds in water for 24 hours.
2. Label the recycled bottles A, B, C, & D. Fill each one with 200 mL of water. Bottle “A” will be pure water. This will be the controlled variable solution.
3. In bottle “B”, add 2 cc of vinegar. In bottle “C”, add 4 cc of vinegar and in bottle “D”, add 8 cc of vinegar. These three solutions will be the manipulated or independent variable solutions.
4. Label each napkin A, B, C, & D, also label each one with numbers 1-10, spacing each evenly apart.
5. Line each plate with one of the labeled napkins. Place ten seeds in each napkin, arranging one by each number.
6. Shake the vinegar solutions every time the seeds are watered. Water them now and at five day intervals for fifteen days, with 50 mL of the appropriate solution. (Example: Plate “A” receives 50 mL of solution “A”. “B” receives 50 mL of solution “B”, etc.)
7. Cover the plates with plastic wrap.
8. Keep them covered and place them in a warm location.
9. Measure the bean seed sprouts in centimeters. Keep growth records every five days when the seeds are watered. Also take pictures at the five day intervals and note any differences.
10. Fill in a data table using growth information.
DATA TABLES
When you have data that are quantitative or measured, you can figure out the most typical value by determining the mean. But when the data are qualitative or described data, like word labels, you need a different procedure for determining the most typical value. This is very easy. It’s the one that appears most often. The most typical value for described data is called the mode.
Mean (Average)
Averaging the data is one method to find the most typical value or central value. You can summarize the measurements and counts by finding the average. The average is also known as the mean.
To take the average add all the values up and divided by 10. (Ten is the number of repeated trials.)
Range
The range tells us how much variation there is in the data. You find the range by subtracting the smallest value from the largest value of the dependent variable.
The range is important because sometimes experimental groups can have the same mean yet be very different.
Title: What is the effect of the type of oil on time for drops of water to fall through the oil?
Type of Oil / Time for Oil Drops to Fall (Sec)Trials / MEAN
Time (sec) / RANGE
(sec)
A
B
C
D / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
10 / 15 / 12 / 11 / 10 / 15 / 12 / 14 / 10 / 13
45 / 38 / 48 / 40 / 42 / 46 / 44 / 41 / 40 / 48
15 / 19 / 22 / 18 / 15 / 16 / 21 / 20 / 19 / 17
65 / 78 / 64 / 75 / 64 / 70 / 71 / 76 / 66 / 78
/ 13
43
18
71 / 5
10
7
14
Column for the Independent Variable / Column for the Dependent Variable / Column
Derived / for a
Variable
Mode
How did your hand feel after the drops of alcohol evaporated? Suppose you described how your hand felt after each different number of drops of alcohol evaporated. You could make a scale to describe how cool your hand felt:
Title: What is the effect of the amount of alcohol on Coolness feeling?
Amount of Alcohol(drops) / Coolness Feeling
Trials / Mode
1
2
3
4 / 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
NC / SC / SC / NC / MC / SC / SC / NC / MC / SC
MC / MC / MC / MC / VC / MC / SC / MC / MC / MC
MC / VC / MC / VC / VC / MC / SC / MC / MC / MC
VC / VC / VC / VC / VC / MC / SC / MC / MC / MC
/ SC
MC
MC
VC
Column for the Independent Variable / Column for the Dependent Variable / Column for a Derived Variable
VC = very cool MC = moderately cool SC=slightly cool NC=no change