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Saturday, January 16, 2016

Top Science Fair Websites and Science Engenering Projects and Ideas

Top Science Websites for science fair ideas, classroom science projects, engenering fair projects, science experiments, science fair experiments, science reserch papers, science fair guides and firsts place science fair ideas

Science Buddies
Science BuddiesFree Topic Selection Wizard, science fair project ideas, step by step how to do ascience fair project, Ask an Expert discussion board, and science fair tips for .

Discovery Education Science Fair Central offers ideas for ...
ideas for science projects, science fair projects, science experiments, science fair experiments, science fair ideas.

SCIENCE FAIR STUDENT PROJECT GUIDES 

[PDF]Science Fair Student Guide
My child and I have read the Science Fair Student Guide in its entirety. ... section is due and that the project display board, science journal, and research paper ...

[PDF]Student Guide: How to Do a Science Fair Project
State University of New York at FredoniaA science fair project is simply your independent research of a science topic .... AStudent Checklist (1A), Research Plan, Form 1, Form 1B and Continuation ...

[PDF]STUDENT'S PACKET FOR THE SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT
SCIENCE PROJECT STEPS. 1. Choose a topic. Be sure it interests you. Don't pick one because you think it will be easy. Talk it over with your parents and when ...

[PDF]Holt Science Fair Guide - Paterson Public Schools
Paterson Public SchoolsExplore Your World The whole point of a science fair is to give you a chance to ...Students and adults should wear ultraviolet safety goggles dur- ing operation of ...

[PDF]Elementary Science Fair Planning Guide (pdf)
University of Texas ElementaryJan 9, 2013 - Types of Science Projects (The Good, the Bad and the Scientific Method)… ...... Title Page: This contains the title, the name of the student, grade ...

[PDF]Science Fair Project Guide for First-Timers - Home Science ...
well on your way to having a display at your local fair. Though the information is most applicable for middle school students, it can be adapted for use with ...

[PDF]Science Fair Fun: Designing Environmental Science Projects
United States Environmental Protection AgencySCIENCE ProJECtS for StuDENtS. GraDES 6-8. United State ... developing environmental science fair projects about reducing, reusing, and recycling waste materials. ..... EPA530-K-10-002 http://epa.gov/wastes/education/pdfs/sciencefair.pdf.

[PDF]Science Fair Student Guide
My child and I have read the Science Fair Student Guide in its entirety. ... section is due and that the project display board, science journal, and research paper ...

[PDF]STUDENT'S PACKET FOR THE SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT
Cyber Fair: See sample fair projects, look through other student's examples, ... SuperScience Fair Projects: Guide to projects, topics, experiments, and tips for ...

[PDF]Student Guide: How to Do a Science Fair Project
State University of New York at FredoniaMassachusetts State Science & Engineering Fair. Student Guide: How to Do aScience Fair Project. Authors: Karen Martin-Myers ~ Upper Cape Regional ...

[PDF]Elementary Science Fair Planning Guide (pdf)
University of Texas ElementaryJan 9, 2013 - Elementary. Science Fair. Planning. Guide. Okay, now get to work ... Types of Science Projects (The Good, the Bad and the Scientific Method) ...... Title Page: This contains the title, the name of the student, grade level and date ...

[PDF]Science Fair Project Guide for First-Timers - Home Science ...
A Science Fair Guide to Get You Started ... middle school students, it can be adapted for use with elementary students and can be a great resource for first-time ...

Science Fair Guide for Students - Go HRW - Classroom
A description for this result is not available because of this site's robots.txtlearn more.

[PDF]The SMARTS Guide to Science Fairs From Starting a Project ...
University of VictoriaYOUTH SCIENCE FOUNDATION CANADA THE SMARTS GUIDE TO SCIENCE FAIRS. 3. INTRODUCTION ... some students who still do these types of science fair projects....... 

Science Fair Parent Letter and Packet

Dear Students and Parents:

It’s time to start working on Rio Vista’s Science Fair! Enclosed is a schedule outlining due dates and important information regarding your child’s project. Ample time has been scheduled and work has been spread out, so students can complete the work at a comfortable pace.

This is a major project and will represent a significant portion of your child’s grade for the next grading period(s). The primary objective of this project is to have students approach a problem scientifically. This includes:
Asking questions and forming hypotheses
Creating experiments to test those hypotheses
Organizing data and drawing conclusions
Writing about scientific research
The project must be experimental in nature as opposed to research oriented. In other words, students must do a test, survey, or experiment to determine the answer to their question instead of just looking it up in a book. We encourage students to pick topics that they are genuinely interested in, since they will be working on these projects for the next several weeks. Topics must be chosen from Science Buddies and must be a level 4 or higher. Topics must also be “original” - something students do not already know.

Project guidelines state that all work must be done by the students; however, assistance may be provided by teachers, parents, etc. It is very difficult to work alone without the exchange of ideas, so we encourage you to brainstorm with your child on different ideas and possible topics your child may want to pursue. Please take a moment to review all the attachments with your child in order to generate topic ideas.

I am looking forward to working with you to make this a valuable learning experience for your child. I appreciate your support on this important project. As acknowledgement and part of your child’s homework, please sign, date, and return the bottom portion of this letter by Friday, January 15.

Sincerely,

Mr. Taylor

Science Fair Project Timeline and Due Dates
Due Date
Assignment
January 15 Signed packet and topic selection
January 22 Question and research
January 29 Hypothesis and Proposal
February 5 Materials and Procedure
February 12 Data and Observations
February 19 Data and Observations
February 22 Revised Procedures, Data and Observations
March 4 Results and Conclusion
March 7 Final Report Paper
March 25 Project Display Board

Science Project Topics
Directions: Please check the topic that your project will be focused on.
  • Topic 1: The learner will conduct investigations to build an understanding of the interdependence of plants and animals.
  • Topic 2: The learner will make observations and conduct investigations to build an understanding of earth processes.
  • Topic 3: The learner will conduct investigations and use appropriate technology to build an understanding of weather and climate.
  • Topic 4: The learner will conduct investigations and use appropriate technologies to build an understanding of forces and motion in technological designs.
  • Topic 5: The learner will conduct investigations and use appropriate technologies to build an understanding magnetism and electricity.

Homework Assignment DUE Friday, January 15, 2016
I have reviewed the Science Fair information and calendar with my child, ____________________, (Printed Name of Child) and we understand the requirements for a successful Science Fair Project.

_____________________________________ _________________________________
Parent Signature Student Signature


JUDGES' SCORE SHEET
Student's Name _______________________________________________________________
Grade __________________ School _____________________________________________
Category _________________________________________
Title of Project _______________________________________________________________
(circle score next to each category - 10 is highest)
  1. Knowledge Gained (Has the student acquired knowledge doing this project?)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  1. Information (Is the information collected through research valid and appropriate to the grade level?)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  1. Scientific Approach (Was a scientific approach and controlled variable used in conducting the experiment?)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  1. Collection of Data (Were measurements accurately taken and given in metric units?)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  1. Conclusions (Were stated conclusions logical and valid?)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  1. Written Work (Was the abstract present and the research paper organized and complete?)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  1. Oral Presentation (Was it well planned and interesting?)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  1. Exhibit (Was it visually appealing, neat, and attractive?)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  1. Effort (Was the degree of individual effort demonstrated?)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  1. Creativity and Originality (Does the project show creative approach or thought in design or presentation?)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Question- DUE January 15th
Your science fair question needs to be a testable question. This means that in order to answer your question you will have to conduct an experiment. Think about your question idea. Will you be conducting an experiment or just doing a demonstration? For example, growing a plant is just a demonstration, but determining how the amount of fertilizer in the soil affects the height of a plant is an experiment.
Most testable questions will fit into one of these question frames. Can you put your idea into one of these frames?
  • What is the effect of ________________ on _________________?
  • How does _______________ affect ____________________?
  • Which/What ______________(verb) ___________________?

Excellent questions are creative and meaningful. If you found your question on the Internet, ask yourself if there is a way to make the question your own. When you develop your question, you also want to make sure your idea is meaningful. What is the purpose of your project? Who might it help?
Write your question in the space below
For my science fair project I am asking this question: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Research - Due January 5th
Before you plan your experiment it is very important that you understand the science behind your topic and your question. The more you know, the better your experiment will be. One way to do this is to think of 3 questions that relate to your science fair topic and question. For example, if your experiment is about plants, you will need to know what plants need to survive and why they need those things.
In the spaces below record the questions you want to answer through research. Then research the answers to the questions. Be sure to record your source (website, book, etc.) in the works cited section. You will include these sources on your final poster.
Question 1:

Answer:



Works Cited:
Question 2:

Answer:



Works Cited:
Question 3:

Answer:



Works Cited:
You must turn in your bibliography note cards and keyword outlines for at least 3 sources.
*Your keyword outlines will be in your Science Project spiral notebook.






Background Research Paragraph
Synthesize the information that you learned while researching your topic to write a background research paragraph. The paragraph should explain the science concepts that are related to your topic and question. You will use the information in this paragraph to help you form a hypothesis and design your experiment.

In the space below, write your background information paragraph:
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________






HYPOTHESIS- DUE January 29th
Here is what I am predicting the answer will be to my proposal question:
If: ________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Then: _____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Because: __________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

How to Write a Good Hypothesis
Use the “If…, then…, because…” format.
  • If…(describe a change in the independent variable), then…(tell how the dependent variable will react to the change), because…(explain your reasoning or tell why something will happen)”
  • Independent Variable: This is the variable that you, the scientist, change or manipulate. This is the “cause” in the experiment.
  • Dependent variable: This is the variable that “responds” to changes in the independent variable. This is the “effect” in an experiment.
  • Controlled variables: These are variables that are kept the same in all experiments to minimize scientific error, and to isolate the manipulated variable.
Example:
  • Experimental/Problem Question: How does fertilizer affect plant growth?
  • Hypothesis: If I increase the amount of fertilizer on grass plants, then the grass plants will grow taller, because plants will have more nutrients to grow taller provided by the fertilizer increase.
  • Amount of fertilizer = independent variable
  • Plant growth = dependent variable
  • Controlled variables in this experiment would be the amount of water and light the plants would receive, and the overall growing environment.






Proposal - Due January 29th
What is the purpose of your experiment (what problem are you trying to solve)?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why did you select this topic?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Give a brief description of your experiment:
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What are your variables?
  • Independent variable: _________________________________________________________________
  • Dependent variable: ___________________________________________________________________
  • Controlled variables: ___________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How will your learning from this experiment improve the quality of life for you, your family, and others?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




Materials and Procedures - DUE February 5th
Design an experiment that will allow you to answer your question. Before you start, think about what you are changing in the experiment (your independent variable), what you will measure in the experiment (your dependent variable), and what factors you will keep the same in order to design a “fair” experiment (controlled variables).
For this section you need to list your materials and write procedures. Your materials should include quantities. Your procedures can be written as a paragraph or in step-by-step form. Be specific, after reading your material list and procedures someone else should be able to reproduce your experiment.
Materials
Please list all materials you’re using for your project:



Procedures
Step 1: ____________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 2: ____________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 3: ____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 4: ____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 5: ____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 6: ____________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 7: ____________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 8: ____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________


Data and Observations- DUE February 12th and February 19th
As you conduct your experiment you need to record your observations and data in your Science Project spiral notebook. You must show this to your teacher on the two due dates as proof that you have conducted your experiment.

Collecting Data
Before you begin your experiment, it is a good idea to make a plan for how you will organize the data that you collect. Think about what you will be changing and what you will be measuring. Think about how much data you will collect. How often will you collect data and for how long? The more data you collect, the better your results will be. Consider doing more than one trial. This means you might end up conducting your experiment 3 or 4 times.

Sample data table for the fertilizer experiment:
In this data table the
independent variable (what is being changed by the scientist) is written across the top. The dependent variable is the recorded data throughout the table.

Height of Grass with no fertilizer (cm)
Height of grass with 1 Cup fertilizer (cm)
Height of grass with 3 Cups Fertilizer (cm)
Day 1
0 cm
0 cm
0 cm
Day 2
0 cm
0 cm
0 cm
Day 3
0 cm
0 cm
0.2 cm
Day 4
0 cm
0 cm
0.3 cm
Day 5
0 cm
0.1 cm
0.3 cm
Day 6
0.3 cm
1 cm
1.5 cm
Day 7
0.4 cm
1.2 cm
1.6 cm
Day 8
0.7 cm
1.4 cm
1.9 cm
Day 9
1 cm
1.5 cm
2.3 cm
Day 10
1 cm
1.6 cm
2.5 cm
Day 11
1.1 cm
1.7 cm
2.6 cm
Day 12
1.3 cm
1.9 cm
2.8 cm



Observations
While you are conducting your experiment you will also want to record observations. Observations can be photographs, drawings or written descriptions. Be sure to record the date for each observation that you make. Below is a sample observation.

Date: 11/21/14 All of the plants have sprouted. The plants that have no fertilizer have 2 green leaves each. The plants that have 5 mL of fertilizer have 2 green leaves each. Two of the plants with 10 mL of fertilizer have 2 green leaves each. One of the plants with 10 mL of fertilizer has one green leaf and one white leaf.



Revised Procedures- DUE February 22nd (along with any more data and observations you have collected)
While conducting your experiment, you may have found that some of your procedures needed to be altered.

Please write your final experimental procedures below.
Step 1: ____________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 2: ____________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 3: ____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 4: ____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 5: ____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 6: ____________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 7: ____________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________
Step 8: ____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________




Results-DUE March 4th
Graphs
The purpose of a graph is to create a visual display of your data. Graphs are helpful because they show patterns. The type of graph that you make will depend on the data that you want to display. Bar graphs are best for discrete data, e.g. comparing objects or events. Line graphs are best for continuous data, e.g. changes over time. Below is a sample of a bar graph and a line graph.
When you make a graph be sure that it has a title and that both the x- and y-axis are labeled. On the next page create your graph or make one on-line and paste it in your notebook. NCES Kids’ Create a Graph can be used to create amazing graphs: https://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/graphing/classic/bar.asp

Data Charts & Graphs cont’d
RESULTS (continued)- Due March 4th
Please write the results of your experiment (what does your graph show): ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Conclusion- DUE March 4th
The conclusion is a place for you to share what you learned from conducting your experiment and analyzing your data. Your conclusion should be one to three paragraphs long. In your conclusion you should:
  • Evaluate your hypothesis. Was your hypothesis correct?
  • Explain what you found out.
  • Use data to support your findings.
  • Infer why your experiment turned out as it did.
  • Explain why your findings are important. Who might benefit from what you learned?
Please write the rough draft of your conclusion below: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




Final Report Paper-DUE March 7th
Your final report should be structured as follows:
  • 1st Paragraph: Background information about your project. What is the problem that you are trying to solve? (from your research and project proposal)
  • 2nd Paragraph: A brief explanation of your experiment and your hypothesis.
  • 3rd Paragraph: Explain what happened when you actually performed your experiment (this should include your observations)
  • 4th Paragraph: Results
  • 5th Paragraph: Analysis and conclusion

Project Display Board-DUE March 25th
Your display board should demonstrate all of the hard work that you have put into your science fair project. Don’t wait until the last minute! Use the information that you have recorded in this science fair notebook to help you decide what to write on each section of your board. The pictures show some examples of how to set up your board. Your board may look a little different, depending on the experiment that you conducted.


SECTIONS FOR THE DISPLAY BOARD

Question/Purpose: An excellent question is interesting, creative, and worded scientifically.
Research: This section should include why you chose this project or what makes it interesting. Also include the information you learned about your topic by doing background research.
Hypothesis: An excellent hypothesis provides a possible answer to your question. The hypothesis is based on your background research.
Materials and Procedures: In this section you explain what you did to test your hypothesis. Include your materials and procedures. Be specific so that others understand what you controlled to make a fair experiment. If you did multiple trials be sure to include that in your procedures. Pictures are very appropriate in this section, but your pictures should not show people’s faces.
Data and Observations: Include a chart or graph to represent the data that you collected. Results: Explain what your data shows. Describe patterns, trends, and any data that is unexpected.
Conclusions: A good conclusion will be 1 – 3 paragraphs long. Your conclusion should share what you learned through your investigation and why your findings are important.
Science Fair Notebook: Your science notebook should include the research you did for the project, a list of sources that you used for research, and all of the data and observations you recorded while conducting the experiment.  

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