Date What Should be Completed
Wednesday February 17
(notebook handed in) / You should have selected your topic. Be sure to consult your teacher early if you are unsure about the appropriateness of a particular topic. You have developed and clearly outlined a plan for how you will complete your experiment. You will have done this with a partner if you want to. You are keeping ALL aspects of your project, including printouts of information, in a duotang. Do not use a large binder. Your teacher MUST approve your topic before you go any further. (10 marks)
Wednesday March 2
(notebook handed in)
Wednesday April 6
(notebook handed in) / You have developed your Purpose and Hypothesis. You have determined and clearly stated your dependent, independent, and controlled variables. An outline of your procedure should be completed, and you should be continuing to make any necessary modifications to your procedure based on preliminary testing. (10 marks)
Your first set of data should already be obtained. You are continuing to add to your notebook. (10 marks)
Wednesday April 27
(notebook handed in) / You have conducted your experiment. You have collected and recorded your observations and data in your notebook. (10 marks)
Wednesday May 11
(notebook handed in) / You have written your report, at least in rough, and have shown it to your teacher. You are planning and assembling your display board. (10 marks)
This is the final formal teacher feedback before the Science Fair itself.
Week of May 30-June 2 / You have brought your project to school and set it up in the classroom. Your project has been judged. (100 marks)
Overview Refer to pages 532-535 of the textbook.
Students may choose to work by themselves or in pairs. Choose partners carefully if you decide to work as a pair.
This project will be done mostly outside of class time.
This project is worth a total of 150 marks, which will be calculated as 10% of your final mark. The 50 marks for the steps prior to the actual Science Fair will be counted in the Lab Skills section of the course evaluation. Marks for the various stages outlined above will be given as the evidence of completion is shown to the teacher. Late penalties apply.
This project must involve experimentation. It is not strictly a literature or research project.
You will need aduotang for this project.
Students will purchase or make display boards not to exceed 80 cm from front to back, 120 cm from side to side and 350 cm in height from the floor. Display boards are available at office supply stores, but recycling a board is preferred.
Your teacher will give the date for your Science Fair.
Finding a Topic
Try to think of a unique topic, in an area of your personal interest. The school library, internet, or local library may also be used to find a good topic and provide some background information. Your topic may be generated from school work, a hobby, club, or activity. Your teacher will check that you have a topic and a plan for your project by Wednesday February 17. Some ideas may be found at . There are other websites, but DO NOT simply steal one of these projects!
Using a Notebook to Record Your Ideas and Observations
Your notebook is a record of all the work you do. This is your rough work although it should be neatly recorded. It should be at your side throughout your project work. Your notebook should include the purpose, hypothesis, dependent variable, independent variable, and controlled variables. Your teacher will check that you have this started by February 17 and completed by April 27. All pages must be attached in the notebook. Loose pages will not be accepted. Each time it is handed in, the previously evaluated sections must be included.
Your procedure should also be outlined and followed in your notebook. All observations and raw data should also be recorded in your notebook. This should be completed by April 27.
Include in your notebook your analysis and conclusions. Your notebook should be available to the judges on Judging day, and it must be the original copy. A “good” copy of the notebook is not expected.
Conducting the Experiment
State your purpose or question. It needs to be testable . Develop a hypothesis. Using background information that you have collected, make a prediction about the outcome of the experiment. If your hypothesis is not supported, it can be changed, and another experiment conducted, but this is not always necessary. Specifically state the variables: dependent, independent, and controlled. Outline your procedure with materials and equipment. Record all data, observations, and results. Use tables or charts, if possible. Write your analysis of the data, observations, and results. Some statistical analysis, such as calculation of a numerical mean, is expected. State your conclusions. Evaluate your procedure and outline improvements that could be made.
Writing the Report
Your report should summarize your project. Your style should be clear and simple. Pay attention to grammar and spelling. Refer also to the outline for formal lab reports. A rough, or perhaps a good copy, is to be handed in to the teacher by
May 13. This report may be the same as or similar to the one displayed on the board; however, it needs to be printed large enough on the display board to be easily read by the Science Fair judges.
A good report and display should include the following sections:
Title: Also displayed prominently on the display board. A Science Fair title should be short and attention-grabbing.
Background: Describes information that explains why the project was selected and researched.
Purposeor Question: The question or statement you have researched.
Hypothesis: An educated guess at the outcome to the research, usually accompanied by background information.
Variables: Dependent, independent and controlled variables are stated clearly.
Materials: A complete list is expected. Diagrams may be used. Part of the display may include some parts of the actual
experiment.
Procedure: Outline the steps taken to complete the experiment. This section should be organized and easy to follow, but it should not take up a large amount of the display space.
Observations: Neatly displayed, titled appropriately. Tables are preferable.
Analysis: Graphs, sample calculations, tables. Describe results briefly.
Conclusion: Summarizes what you found out and how this addresses the original purpose and hypothesis.
Evaluation: A discussion of experimental error and its effect on the conclusions.
Extensions: A brief discussion of future extensions of the research.
Bibliography: At least one source must be included, properly formatted.
Acknowledgements: Recognition to those that provided significant assistance to you and your project.
Displaying Your Report on Your Display Board
Your display should be visually attractive and exciting enough to attract the attention of visitors and judges. Use visual effects such as charts, graphs, drawings, photographs and models—these add greatly to a display. Read the rules provided regarding considerations including the size of the display. Use the same headings as in your report (see above).
During the Science Fair judging, you will have two main items with you at your display: your original notebook and your display board/equipment.
Your project will be evaluated by a number of people, including your teacher. Be sure you are ready on the day of the Science Fair. Please feel free to consult your teacher at any time with questions you may have regarding this project.