Lake Roosevelt Elementary 2017 Science Fair

Entry Form and Student Handbook

Participation is purely voluntary and open to all students grades K-8. Our goal is to provide an opportunity for kids to apply the scientific method to an area of personal interest. All participants will receive a certificate noting their achievement, and a couple motivated few will receive prizes.

The science fair is conducted for many reasons:

To focus attention on scientific experiences in school.
To stimulate interest in scientific investigation beyond routine class work.
To recognize and commend youthful scientific talent and hobby pursuits.
To offer an opportunity for display of scientific talent through exhibit and demonstration.
To stimulate public interest in the scientific abilities of students.

There are many important things to remember when planning and conducting a project. This handbook will assist you with questions you may have and give you the information you need for completing the project correctly. Remember to allow yourself plenty of time to carry out the project and have fun in the process. Please read the handbook carefully as you decide upon your topic and prepare your science fair project.

The Science Fair will be held on March 23, 2017 from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm. Further information about poster set up and science fair judging will sent to participants after science fair projects are approved.

Questions? Please call Rebecca Hunt at 509-633-3571 or email at ; or email Cathy LaPlace at .

Visit the Coulee PTA facebook page (Grand Coulee PTA) to see examples of last year's science fair projects.
Remember: demonstrations for judges are allowed, and highly encouraged.

Table of Contents

Science Fair Guidelines, Safety, Expectations, and Procedures

Guidelines

Science Fair Project Safety

Grade Level Project Expectations

Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grades

3rd, 4th, and 5th Grades

6th - 8th Grade and High School Grades

Procedures… Step by Step

Science Fair Required Elements

Typically each display provides the following information:

Science Project Notebook

Science Project Report

Helpful Information

Overview of the Scientific Method

All About Variables

Student Project Checklist

Hints

Advice For A Winning Project

Helping Your Children With Their Science Fair Projects

Rules For Judging

Science Fair Websites

Science Fair Guidelines,Safety, Expectations, and Procedures

Guidelines

Each project must submit a completed and signed entry form to the Lake Roosevelt Elementary Office on or before Friday, January 20, 2017.
A student may enter a project as an individual or a group (such as a group of 3 or a class project).
Small group projects will compete with individual projects and will not be judged separately.
Teachers and technically trained professionals may give information and advice to all students entering science fair projects, but may not do the research or work for students.
Science Fair entries are required to include at least these 3 parts: An eye catching display, a research report, and a science notebook.
The display for each project is limited to a tabletop area approximately 3’x3’. This includes any poster board display plus any objects or manipulative that are part of the display.
Two separate folders/composition books are required with the project. One contains a short (age appropriate) report on research related to the project. The second is a science notebook.
Displays should not require access to an electrical outlet.
We recommend the typical 3-segment “poster board” display for presenting the project. (These can be found at craft stores, as well as many grocery stores and drugstores.)
The student’s face may not appear in pictures on the display board, in the research report or in the notebook.
A student’s name should not appear on the front of the project. Student information (name, address, phone number, parent’s name, grade, school, and teacher) should be placed in an envelope attached to the back of the display board.
Participants will have the opportunity to stand by their project during the open viewing time to describe their experiences to those who walk through the exhibits and the science panel volunteers. In the absence of the participant, the documentation on the display should be self-contained and provide a complete overview of the project and its results.
Parents and families are more than welcome to become involved with the student’s project.
The Science Fair Committee is not responsible for items lost or damaged at the fair. Please make copies of all research done and your notebook. Since the exhibit areas cannot be completely secured, please copy anything that could not be replaced. Students could display photographs in place of actual objects.
The decisions of the science fair judges and officials are final and are not subject to review. Protests will not be accepted.

Science Fair Project Safety

For safety reasons the Lake Roosevelt Science Fair DOES NOT ALLOW experimentation using dangerous equipment or substances that may be harmful to students or others. If you are uncertain about any safety rules, contact the Science Fair Committee (see contact information above). Determinations of safety are made by the Science Fair Committee.

Students MUST:

Obtain approval of the Science Fair Committee BEFORE beginning any project involving vertebrate animals, human subjects, or any potentially dangerous substance, material or equipment (excluding surveys).
Have adult supervision when using equipment, sharp objects or chemicals (including household chemicals).
Observe proper safety protocol at all times.

Students MAY NOT conduct experiments that:

Involve poisons, hazardous substances, controlled substances or devices or the ingestion or application of any over-the-counter medications to animals or humans.
Involve human parts, blood or other body fluids. (Exception: Experiments may include sterilized teeth that were naturally extracted by a dentist, primary teeth that were naturally removed, or hair clippings.)
Cause or may cause harm or injury to animals or human subjects.
Involve explosives including guns, ammunition and rocket propellants.
Involve highly caustic or toxic substances. Experiments involving mildly caustic or toxic substances, including household chemicals, must be approved by Science Fair Committee.

Grade Level Project Expectations

Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grades

Individual /small group projects are the student(s) responsibility to complete independently outside of class
All projects that will be judged must present the project on a display board
Must use project display board for any project that will be judged in the science fair
Project categories: (types of descriptive investigation):
Collection with Classification: Describe properties of objects using labeled categories o
Exhibit: Describes how something works or describes a “system” or its parts

Assessed on the rubric:

Title
Research Report
Classification Scheme
Conclusions
References and Acknowledgements

Examples:

Fabric types by textures
Objects that sink or float
Rocks by shape Buttons

3rd, 4th, and 5th Grades

Individual /small group projects are the student(s) responsibility to complete independently outside of class
All projects that will be judged in the campus fair must present the project on a display board
Project category: (type of descriptive investigation):
Exhibit: Describes how something works or describes a “system” or its parts
Comparative Investigation
Experiment
Project must have a testable (investigable) question
Use data to support a hypothesis

Assessed on the rubric:

Title
Research Report
Exhibit Explanation
Conclusions
References
Acknowledgements

Examples:

The Brain
The Life of Bees
Hurricanes
What are Gluten Free Foods?
Orcas
How Do Magnetic Trains Work?
It’s a long Way to the Top! (food chains / webs)
What is a Solar Eclipse?

6th - 8th Grade and High School Grades

Individual /small group projects are the student(s) responsibility to complete independently outside of class
All projects that will be judged in the science fair must present the project on a display board
Project categories:
Comparative Investigation
Experiment
Project must have a testable (investigable) question
Use data to support a hypothesis

Assessed on the rubric:

Title of Experiment
Problem / Question
Definitions
Hypothesis
Background Information
Experimental Materials
Experimental Procedure
Results (Data)
Conclusion

References and Acknowledgements

Examples:

Testable Questions: How does temperature affect the strength of magnets? How does freezing popcorn kernels affect the number of kernels that pop?
WEAK Testable Question: Do frozen popcorn kernels pop? (does not indicate what is being tested)
NOT a Testable Question: How do magnets work? (this gives information – so it is an exhibit)
Comparative Questions: Which diaper brand holds the most liquid? Detergent War! (Which detergent gets the stains out best?)

Procedures… Step by Step

Remember to make notes in your Science Project Notebook each time you work on the project.

Start as soon as possible to prevent a last minute project and give yourself plenty of time to investigate your question. A 4 to 8 week plan is best.
Decide on a topic. Narrow down interest to a certain field of study.
Decide on a question to investigate. Be sure the question is appropriate to the child’s ability level.
Research information about what is already known about the topic and question. Remember to keep notes on resources used.
Develop a hypothesis. (What outcome do you expect?)
Identify the variables (see page 12 for information and examples of variable)
Gather and list the project materials needed.
Develop an investigation. Be sure to take notes on the steps taken. (procedure)
Conduct the investigation. Make notes about observations, problems that arise, changes needed when repeated, and additional information discovered.
Record the results. Consider using a table, graph, pictures or chart to display the results.
Interpret the data and other observations.
Draw appropriate conclusions.
Write the report. (see page 10)
Create a display board/exhibit. (see page 9)

Science Fair Required Elements

Displays

The Lake Roosevelt Science Fair DOES NOT ALLOW the display of organic or potentially dangerous materials and the display of non-essential objects is discouraged. Anything that could be considered hazardous to the public is prohibited. Final determinations of allowable components on displays are made by the Science Fair Committee.

Display Requirements:

The display board must be self-supporting, single-sided and must NOT exceed the size requirements: 30 inches deep, 32 inches wide, and 108 inches high. (from floor to top of exhibit)
Personal information including names, addresses, or phone numbers (student, teacher, parents, test or survey subjects), information identifying the student/school/district), and acknowledgements may NOT be included on the display or in reports/journals.
When possible photographs/drawings should be used instead of actual objects or apparatus.
Electronic exhibits are prohibited. The site does not accommodate the use of electricity for project displays.

Project displays may NOT include the following items:

Live animals (vertebrate or invertebrate) or animal tissues including eggs or egg shells
Preserved animals or their parts including teeth and hair
Soil (sand, clay, rock, etc.) or waste products
Laboratory / household chemicals (including detergents)
Dry ice or other sublimating solids
Syringes, needles, pipettes or similar devices
Flames, open or concealed, or flammable display materials (including candles)
Lasers
Photographs showing the face of the student or subjects
Photographs showing dissections, animal parts, trauma or injuries

Typically each display provides the following information:

Left Panel:

Problem: background information that gives context to the project.
Hypothesis: statement of the specific issue or question that is being tested.
Methods and materials: description of the experiment design and data analysis to be performed.

Center Panel:

Title
Research
Experiments
Variables: charts, graphs, diagrams, photos, etc.

Right Panel:

Results: description of what the data show. Refer to charts, etc
Conclusion: does the data prove the hypothesis?
Summary: evaluate overall project or experiment. Make suggestions for future analysis.

Science Project Notebook

All the data gathered during your investigation should be carefully recorded in a science project notebook. This includes the data gathered as a result of the investigation itself, but it can also includes much more. BE SURE TO DATE EACH ENTRY IN YOUR NOTEBOOK.

Your Notebook should include:

Project title
A list of all the materials used
Notes on all the preparations you made prior to starting your experiment, including brainstorming sessions.
Information about the resources you use (books, people, libraries, museums, etc.).
Detailed day-by-day notes on the progress of the project from your first brainstorming session through to your last work session:

* What you are actually doing *Problems you encounter with the investigation * Things you would change if you were doing this investigation again.

Any drawings that might help explain your work.
Data that was gathered during the course of the investigation (notes, charts, tables, graphs).
Any required forms.

Science Project Report

Your report should include:

Project title
Your question
Your hypothesis, along with your reasoning for why you arrived at that hypothesis
Your research
List of variables
Materials
Procedure
A summary of your observations and results from the investigation
Statement of support or non-support of the original hypothesis based on the data gathered in your investigation
Description of any problems or unusual events that occurred during the investigation that might have affected your results
Changes you would recommend for next time, and what further investigations might need to be done to fully answer the question
Anything you learned in addition to what you expected to discover
Acknowledgments. You should always credit those who assisted you including individuals, businesses, and institutions.
References

Helpful Information

Overview of the Scientific Method

The steps involved in a science fair project are referred to as the Scientific Method. For elementary level students, the scientific method can be summed up in 4 easy steps. These steps, along with some examples of their application, are given below.

Step 1: Asking Questions

Pick a topic of interest
Do some preliminary research
Begin to ask some questions
Pick one interesting question and turn it into a hypothesis.

Example: I like plants and gardening. I read in a book that some plants grow better when music is played around them. I wonder if this is true?

Hypothesis: Plants grow better when music is played around them.

Step 2: Gathering Data

Thing about what data or information would be required to test the hypothesis; decide ahead of time how you will analyze the data.
Design an experiment and/or define a set of observations that could be used to generate or collect relevant data. Try to design the experiment to control for other factors that could impact the hypothesis being tested.
Conduct the experiment.
Record the data in a log book.

Example: I will take 20 bean sprouts and separate them in 2 groups of 10. I will put 10 in 1 room in my home and put 10 in another room. They will be put on a table near a window. The room will be on the same side of the house so that both groups will receive the same amount of sunlight. I will water both groups the same amount each day. In 1 room I will keep a radio on during the day. Each day I will measure the length of each plant to the nearest cm and count the number of leaves and record these observations in my log book. At the end of 2 weeks, I will calculate the average growth rate for each group of plants. If my hypothesis was correct, I would expect the group that has the music to show more growth.

Step 3: Making Sense of the Data

Perform the analysis of the data
Determine whether or not the data support the hypothesis
Perform additional research to put the conclusion within some scientific context.

Example: I will add up the total growth for all 10 plants in each group and divide that number by the total number of plants to get the average growth estimate. I will do the same thing for the leaves. I will compare the number from both sets to see if the data support my hypothesis. In either case, I will perform additional research to try to find out why or why not. Also, if the data does not support my hypothesis, I might want to review my experiment and suggest variations of it that could be used for future study.

Step 4: Communicating the Results

Provide context for the project
State the hypothesis
Summarize the experiment design and methods used to collect and analyze the data.
Show the data and results of the analysis
Summarize the results
State if the results support the hypothesis
Discuss the conclusion in light of what you’ve learned in your research of the subject

Example: I will prepare a display that will describe my activity. I will follow suggestions provided in procedures in setting up my display board.

All About Variables

DEFINITIONS of Variables and Control(s)

Manipulated Variable - What you change on purpose in the course of your procedure.
Responding Variable - What you do not change directly, but rather changes by itself in response to changes in the manipulated variable during the course of your procedure.
Controls - The factors you keep constant or hold fixed. A control is held fixed so that it doesn’t affect the outcome of the experiment.

Students must only change one variable at a time, conduct repeated trials, and note their results. If they change more than one variable at a time, they will not know what affects their results.