Lamarque Science Fair Booklet

Dear Lamarque Fifth Graders and Families,

Participation in the Science Fair is one of the best opportunities for students to explore and share their ideas about how the world works. Through active inquiry, students ask questions, make predictions, test their ideas, and communicate their findings. This active exploration helps students come to a deeper understanding of key science concepts. By communicating their ideas, they develop presentation skills and self-confidence. The Science Fair is truly a great educational and motivational activity.

In this packet, you will find all the information you need for a successful Science Fair project. Each fifth grader at Lamarque is required to do a project. There is a timeline with specific due dates for all the parts of your project to help you stay organized and on time. There is an official “Science Fair Evaluation Form” that will not only be used to judge your project, but will also be used by your teacher to grade your project. Your project MUST include each item on the rubric in order to be judged. There is a diagram of how to design your display board and an outline of all the information that needs to be included.

Also in the packet is a “Science Fair Proposal” form. This form is for you and your teacher to use each time a part of your project is due. Your hypothesis and experiment design MUST be approved by your teacher BEFORE you begin your experiment.

Finally, you have a separate Logbook for your experiment. Remember you must keep careful and descriptive notes of everything you do for your experiment in the Logbook. Every time you work on your project you need to write down what you did. Make sure each entry has a date and plenty of details.

Your teachers are here to help. We want to see you present the best project you can!

Sincerely,

The Lamarque Fifth Grade Team

My student and I have reviewed the information in this packet.

______

Parent/Guardian SignatureDate

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Student SignatureDate

Science Fair Timeline
Date Due / Date Completed / Things To Do
10/4/11 / Choose a topic. You must have your teacher’s approval to continue with your project.
10/11/11 / Once your project has been approved, you should begin the research phase of the project. Your research should include books, the Internet, and other resources that are available to you.
10/11/11 / Present your problem and hypothesis to your teacher.
10/14/11 / Design an experiment to test your hypothesis. You must test our hypothesis at least three times.
10/17/11 / Begin conducting the experiment and record your observations. You must test your hypothesis at least three times.
11/14/11 / Analyze the results of your experiment. What would you do differently?
11/14/11 / Make project display.
11/28/11 / SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS DUE
12/1/11 / Parents invited to visit the classroom to review the projects
Scoring Rubrics
Project Display Rubric / Student Response Rubric
0 / No evidence or incorrect. / Student has no understanding or is unable to respond.
1 / A weak attempt made/ many errors or major flaws. / Student has little knowledge or flawed understanding.
2 / Partial evidence/ some flaws or omissions. / Student has some knowledge but lacks complete understanding.
3 / Clear evidence/ minor flaws or omissions. / Student is able to articulate an adequate understanding.
4 / Clear evidence/ no flaws. / Student is able to articulate a clear understanding.

Selecting a Topic

1. To find a topic:

 Read science books, magazines, and newspapers.

 Talk to your teacher, family members, or friends.

 Visit professional people and museums.

2. Select a topic that interests you. Selecting something new may arouse your curiosity.

3. Select a topic that you know something about, but you want to investigate further.

4. Select a topic that would have results that can be measured.

Rules and Guidelines

Projects

1. An investigation should clearly demonstrate the components of a science experiment as outlined in this handbook.

2. Students should complete a scientific experiment, maintain a logbook on the progress of the experiment and construct a display. A research paper is not required. However, an abstract is required for all projects.

Display

1. The display must be self-standing of reinforced cardboard, plywood, or other materials. Science boards can be purchased at Lamarque for $2.00. The project cannot lean on the table, wall, or other projects. Nail, glue or tape cannot be placed onto tables.

2. Maximum area for display is 76 cm deep, 122 cm wide, and 274 cm high.

3. The display board and log book are the only items to be displayed at the fair. The display board must not display actual materials used in the project; i.e, foodstuffs, seeds, crystal, etc.

4. IMPORTANT: Only paper and pictures should be on the display board. There should not be any other items attached to the board, such as a Three-dimensional objects, vines, foam board backing, aluminum foil, fabric, lights, etc. Items other than paper and pictures will be removed. Corrugated border or paper border is acceptable. Please, no headers that attach to the top of the display board.

5. Student and school names should be placed in the center on the backside of the display board. Students should place their names on the inside back cover of their logbook.

6. The Science Fair Directors will not take responsibility for any loss of materials from the project displays.

7. The Elementary Science Fair Directors reserve the right to reject projects they deem inappropriate and remove items not in compliance.

IMPORTANT!

While it is expected that projects be neat and legible, a Science Fair project is not an art project. Rather than spending time on the appearance of the display, students should be encouraged to improve their project by conducting more research for their abstract, performing more trials, adding more details to their procedures, etc. The emphasis should be on understanding and applying the scientific process.

Science Fair Project Proposal

Project Title: ______

Question: (Can your question be answered through an experimentation process?)

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Hypothesis: (What will be the answer to my question?)

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Procedure: (How will I test my hypothesis?)

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Can you identify the

Variable? ______

Control? ______

Factors being held constant? ______

Step-By-Step Directions: (Could someone else set up and carry out your experiment from your step-by-step directions? Number your steps.)

______

This is the investigation I would like to do for my Science Fair Project.

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Student’s Signature Date

The investigation outlined in this proposal meets the preliminary requirements for a Science Fair Project.

______

Teacher’s Signature Date

I will support my child’s efforts in doing this Science Fair Project.

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Parent’s Signature Date

The Project

Title: Titles do not have to be in the form of a question, but can be two or three words. Titles may be given after the investigation. The title should be clearly stated on the display board.

Purpose: The purpose should be one sentence explaining why you are doing the experiment. If your purpose is well worded, you will have little difficulty writing a title for your project.

Examples

“I wonder what would happen if ______.”

“What is the effect on ______?”

Hypothesis: The hypothesis states what you think might happen based on the general understanding of your topic.

Examples

Purpose: I wonder what would happen to plants when exposed to different intensities of light?

Hypothesis: I hypothesize that bright light will affect the way a plant grows.

Procedure: This should list the variable, factors that are held constant, materials list, and step-by-step directions. Include what, how much, and what kind of materials you used. Keep in mind quantities are very important. Remember to use metric units.

Good listing

 250 ml graduate breaker

 750 ml water 20 degrees C

 1-20 x 20 cm sq cake pan

 Celsius thermometer

 Clock with second hand

Poor listing:

 measuring cup

 water

 container

 thermometer

 clock

Variable, Constants and the Control:

Variable is the one thing you change on purpose in an experiment.

Constants are the factors that are held constant throughout the experiment.

Control is the trial done without changing the original factors. If the experiment does not have a control, it should be noted in the procedure. The student should have an understanding of what a control is and why it was or was not appropriate for his/her project.

Step-By-Step Directions

Directions should be sequenced and clear so that anyone could set up the experiment (like a recipe). Remember to use metric units for measurements.

Examples of Good Directions

Add 3 ml magnesium sulfate solution into a test tube.
Observe the contents for 5 minutes.
Wear safety goggles.

Example of Poor Directions

Put magnesium sulfate solution into one test tube.
Observe the contents.
Use safety equipment.

Data/Log

Data refers to information gathered during your experiment. Writing in a notebook is the most convenient way to keep a log. Remember this is a rough draft so do not go back and change any of your previous thoughts. Turn in your original “sloppy copy” for your log.

Your log should include:

A list of all materials you use.
Notes on all the preparations you made prior to starting your experiment.
Day-by-day notes on the progress of your project.
Data that you gather from your experiment.
Be sure that you date each entry in your log.

Quantification of Data

The data collected during the course of your experiment needs to be measurable. Scientists use metrics when making their measurements. They do not use standard measurements and then convert them to metrics.

Metric Measurements Are Required.

Volume: milliliter (ml)1000ml = 1 L

Length:millimeter (mm)10mm = 1cm

centimeter (cm)100cm=1m

meter (m)1000m = 1 km

kilometer(km)1km=1000m

Mass:milligram (mg)10mg = 1 cg

centigram(cg)100cg = 1 g

gram (g)1000 g = 1kg

kilogram (kg)1kg=1000g

Graphing the Data

A graph is a display of data to make information easier to read and understand. Graphs are also used to make predictions. A graph should be neat and easy to read.

Title: The title is a short description of the data being displayed on the graph.

Bar Graph: A bar graph is used to display data that does not occur in a continuous manner.

Line Graph: A line graph is used to display data that occurs in a continuous manner.

Remember: All graphs must have titles.

Conclusion

Your conclusion should include:

Statement of support or non-support of the original hypothesis (not “prove” or “disprove”).
Descriptions of any problems or unusual events that occurred during your investigation.
What you would do differently next time.
Additional experiments that can continue from present experiment.
Who (or what industry) could benefit from your investigation?

Idea Search: Brainstorming

List at least three ideas then check off each area that applies. Use the checklist to help you decide on the best topic to pursue.

Topic Idea A:

____ This is a project I have the means to actually carry out.

____ I have an idea of how to test my hypothesis.

____ I have an idea of where to find all the supplies I will need to complete this project.

____ I have checked at least three places to be sure there is sufficient research data available on my topic.

____ This is a topic in which I have an interest.

____ This project will answer a question.

____ I have considered the cost of doing this experiment, and I feel it should be affordable.

____ I have enough time to complete this project. (All experimental projects must be done at least three times.)

Topic Idea B:

____ This is a project I have the means to actually carry out.

____ I have an idea of how to test my hypothesis.

____ I have an idea of where to find all the supplies I will need to complete this project.

____ I have checked at least three places to be sure there is sufficient research data available on my topic.

____ This is a topic in which I have an interest.

____ This project will answer a question.

____ I have considered the cost of doing this experiment, and I feel it should be affordable.

____ I have enough time to complete this project. (All experimental projects must be done at least three times.)

Topic Idea C:

____ This is a project I have the means to actually carry out.

____ I have an idea of how to test my hypothesis.

____ I have an idea of where to find all the supplies I will need to complete this project.

____ I have checked at least three places to be sure there is sufficient research data available on my topic.

____ This is a topic in which I have an interest.

____ This project will answer a question.

____ I have considered the cost of doing this experiment, and I feel it should be affordable.

____ I have enough time to complete this project. (All experimental projects must be done at least three times.)

Circle the topic idea you have decided to pursue.

Follow Up Checklist:

____1. Can your investigation be measured in specific metric units?

____2. Are you keeping an investigation logbook?

____3. Have you collected data and displayed it on a graph?

____4. Is your conclusion a reflection of the data?

____5. Is your abstract in the bottom left hand corner?

____6. Did you include a bibliography on your abstract?

____7. Is your project sturdy and free-standing?

____8. This is not a model, a demonstration, or a product comparison.

Research

Instructions to Students:

A good science experiment requires research. Find three to five sources for information on your topic. DO NOT just copy information!

Summarize what you read. If you do copy brief phrases using exact words, the phrase must be in quotation marks. Be sure to cite each source. At least two sources should be a text source such as a magazine, an encyclopedia or a book. Other sources may include an internet site, a personal interview, a film, or video.

Research 1:

Write your source here. Use a separate entry for each source.