How to Complete a Science Fair Project
The RBG Science Fair will be held in the RBG cafeteria on December 2, 2010. 4th graders are included in the RBG Science Fair because there will be one 4th grader chosen to represent RBG at the Kern County Science Fair. A first, second, and third place medal will be awarded in each 4th and 5th grade class.
Each 4th grader is required to complete a science fair project. The teachers will have sample projects set up in their classrooms and will spend class time reviewing the procedures. However, this is a project which will need to be completed at home. Each student will need to do research on their project and write a short summary (1 - 2 pages) of the research. This can be included in the log book or on the board. Students will also need to complete a log book and a display board. The log book (with research) and the display board make up your science project. This will be an important part of the science grade for the second quarter. Each student will need to bring their project to class on November 30 or December 1 and do a short presentation before the class. The projects will be graded at that time. It also will give students a chance to practice their presentations before talking with the judges on December 2nd. The following is a copy of the informational packet which will be sent home with the students:
Every science fair project should have a log book. All projects that are selected to go to the county competition must have a log book. A log book contains your plans for your experiment. It also contains possible questions that you would like to find answers to, and any data you record. The log book should be hand-written. It is okay to have items crossed out because this is your work in progress. You can later type up a final copy of your log book, if you want, but also include your original work to show that it was done by you. Your log book can be divided into the following sections:
The Scientific Method
Question: Develop a question about your topic that has a measurable answer. Good science questions start with 'What,' 'Which,' or 'How.' Stay away from questions that can be answered with a yes or no.
Hypothesis: This is a sentence that answers the above question. It is usually written as an If...., then.... statement. It is based on prior knowledge and experience and is supported by one or more logical reasons.
Materials: List the equipment and supplies that you will use in this experiment.
Procedure: The procedure is a set of step-by-step directions. These must be written clearly enough for someone else to follow to complete the experiment. It is easier to write this procedure after you have done the experiment because you have a better idea on what to write.
Data: In this section you will record any necessary information that you collect while you conduct your experiment. Will you be making observations? If so, then maybe journal entries would go here. If you are measuring changes, then maybe a chart with your collection of measurements is needed. A graph of your data would go in this area too. 4th grade students completed a chapter on statistics in their math books. This would be a great opportunity to apply what you learned in that chapter. Your experiment will have variables. Be able to identify your variables. What variable are you testing and manipulating? What variables do you want to control and remain the same so as not to influence the results? Let's say that you wanted to see how sunlight affects plant growth. You decide to use three plants and expose each to different amounts of sunlight. A fourth plant is placed in an area where it receives the normal amount of daily sunlight. This is the "control" plant and you will use this plant to compare its looks and growth rate with the other plants. The other plants are your "test" plants. The independent variable that you will change is the amount of sunlight you will give each plant. Everything else in the experiment must stay the same for all of the plants - all plants must be the same kind, the same type of soil, the same amount of water you give each, etc. Your dependent variable that you will measure and compare is the amount of growth and/or the looks of the plant. If possible, do your experiment 3 times. This way you will be able to tell the judges that you wanted to verify your results. Your 3 tests can be run concurrently.
Results: In this section you are to summarize the data you collected. Write about what happened as you conducted your experiment. What problems did you encounter? What was surprising to you? What were your average results for your tests?
Conclusion: Relate your results to your hypothesis. Do the results support it, not support or are they inconclusive? What did you find out from your project? What might you do differently next time? What would you like to further investigate in order to learn more about this project? What new ideas did you learn?
Display board: The display board is the "advertisement" for your experiment. It should be very neat and use colors that work well together. Many students will have pictures of the experiment on their board. Include a brief summary of your research (this can be in your log book, on your board, or both) and the steps of the scientific method (Question, Hypothesis, Materials, Procedure, Data, Results, Conclusion) and arrange them neatly on your board. You can buy a display board at GW School Supplies, Office Depot, Wal Mart, and other stores. RBG has sold boards in the past for $3.00. If you are having difficulty obtaining a display board, contact your teacher.
Presentation: The last thing to do is to prepare a short speech about your project. At the science fair, the judges will listen to you as you explain your project, and they will ask you questions about it. Think about how you will answer those possible questions.
Useful Resources: **The sites listed below may have some project ideas that are demonstrations rather than experiments. You want to do an experiment, not a demonstration. If you are not sure about your project idea, see your teacher.
www.freesciencefairproject.com/
www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/fair/ideasframe.htm
scienceprojects.fetching.us/science%20project%20ideas.htm
www.all-science-fair-projects.com
www.usc.edu/CSSF/Resources/Good_Project.html