The Goal of This Project Is to Help Your Child Learn to Become a True Scientist by Going

Science Fair

Dear Parents,

This year Crown Point will be conducting another school wide science fair. No doubt it will be very exciting and informative. The science fair will be held on Thursday, March 21st at 5:00pm.

The goal of this project is to help your child learn to become a true scientist by going through the steps of the Scientific Process. Children want to find answers to things that make them “wonder.” Going through this process helps them to search systematically for their answers. They also discover that science does not always turn out the way they expected.

All 3rd-5th grade students are encouragedto develop individual or group science fair projects, however it is not mandatory. These projects must be Experiments that involve the entire scientific process. Experiments or Investigations have a “testable” question and involve the scientific process.

If your child is interested in creating a science fair project, please complete the Project Plan on the back of this sheet and have them turn it in to their teacher. Students who choose to participate in the science fair will receive an information packet after they hand in their project idea. Please use this packet as a standard. Guidelines, explanations, schedules, helpful hints and other important information are included. Encouragement in guiding your child through this process can help them develop the attitudes and skills they need to make this a valuable experience. Your help and support are welcome, but please remember that their entry should reflect the problem solving and work of an elementary school child. The final project must demonstrate your child’s individual effort and design.

Remember that a successful project requires time and planning. Stress can be relieved by spacing the work over a period of time, instead of rushing through it. Let’s make this an enjoyable experience! HAVE FUN! I look forward to seeing your child’s project at our Science Fair.

Helpful sites:

Sincerely,

Mr. Eggleston (4th grade science)

Crown Point Elementary Science Fair

2012-2013 Timeline and Parent Information

Dates / Activities / Events
Jan. 22 / All “Project Plan” sheets reviewed by teacher and student approval given to begin.
Jan. 22 -Feb.28 / (Model all parts of the scientific process.)
Students conduct experiments, record data, and write 1st draft of information.
Feb. 28-Mar. 14 / Students make display board with charts and all other required information.
Mar. 15 / Science Projects are due to the classroom.
Mar. 19-20 / Judging
March 21 / Science Fair open to viewing.

Please discuss the Project Plan with your students.

The only displays allowed are the

Science Fair Display Boards.

Grades 3-5: No models such as volcanoes,

circuit boards, etc. Photographs of students’ models for display on their boards will be allowed.

This timeline is a suggested pacing guide to help you keep on track.

Judging Criteria

When evaluating the exhibits and selecting winners, judges will consider the following:

Creativity and Originality - Does this project show originality of thinking and illustrate a scientific principle?
Scientific Thought - Does this project indicate well organized work, the use of controlled experimentation, and contain careful analysis of data?
Thoroughness -Is this a complete presentation of the problem given? Was sufficient data obtained?
Effective Presentation -Does this project display the nature of the scientific investigation well? Is it appropriate for what is being demonstrated? Does this project show appropriate skills for what is being demonstrated?
Organization -Is it displayed in the correct order on the board?
Clarity and Understanding -Can the average person understand this exhibit? Are the different aspects described and organized neatly using photographs, drawings, graphs, etc.?
Project Report -How has the student (class) expressed himself or herself in writing the experiment/problem?
Dramatic Impact -Is the exhibit attractive? (uses good visuals; “eye-catching” quality)
Teamwork (for team or class projects only) (Is there evidence of teamwork found within the project documentation? Has each team member had a role in the overall project?

The Scientific Method

Children do not have to know these terms to complete their projects. This is just a quick review. Information is written in child friendly terms for those interested.

Your main concern is that your investigation must be testing onlyonething. You want to control the experiment so that differences will not interfere with your results.

A variable is anything that could change the way an experiment turns out. Keeping all the variables the same, except for the one you are testing, is the key to a good experiment. Only the one variable you are testing should alter the way the investigation turns out. This is called controlling the variable.

An independent variable (the cause) is the variable you plan to test or change. This is the part of your experiment that you are changing on purpose to get the results. (i.e.- If you are testing the effect of colored light on plant growth, the independent variable will be the different colored lights.)

Constant variables are the variables that you plan on keeping the same for the experiment. (Remember that the word variable is just a way of saying – something that can be changed.)

Constant variables are things that are not changed. You want to be careful to make sure as many parts of your experiment are the same as possible. (i.e. – same brands, same amount of water, same amount of time, etc.) Anything you can control or make the same allows your results to be more reliable.

A dependent variable is the effect or what happened when you used you independent variable (the cause). Because of what you did in the experiment, the dependent variable changes. An example of a dependent variable would be “how much the plant grew.” You would measure plant growth (dependent variable) as they respond to the (independent variable) colored lights.

Make sure you do 3 trials to PROVE your answer.

Keep as many things as possible in the experiment the same.

A Student’s Guide to the Parts of a Science Project

Getting started

You can keep a log or journal - This is like a diary where you record and list your ideas, notes, procedures, materials, predictions, observations, and conclusions. Anyone should be able to do your experiment exactly like yours from reading your log.
Brainstorm – This can be fun if you do it with your class, your family or your friends. Jot down everything you think of. Have everyone toss out ideas and think of problems or questions that you could solve.

Think about things you like to do.
Experiment with something you have done in class and investigate further.
Think of things that are fun to play with. How could you make them better?
Do you have a personal problem that you might be able to solve? (such as: keeping shoelaces tied longer, keeping your lunch cold)
How could you experiment with recycling? Biodegradable products?

Experiment

Record your procedures in your log. List all materials required and exactly what you do in each step of your experiment. Include exact measurements. Observe and record data at appropriate times. Write details in your log so that another person could do your experiment exactly like you did it.

Experiment example:

Problem:

Will a large bottle of soda go flat before I can drink it all?

Information:

I found in my research that soft drinks are bottled under pressure.

Prediction:

The pressure will last longer if I keep the bottle of soda in the refrigerator than if I leave it out on the counter.

Variables:

Date soda is purchased

Type of soda

Size of the bottle

Material bottle is made of

Number of times the bottle is opened

Temperature bottle is stored at

How bottle is handled

Materials:

Three 2-liter bottles of Pepsi

Procedure:

Purchase 6 identical bottles of Pepsi on the same day from the same store.
Place 3 bottles in the refrigerator and 3 on the countertop.
Six hours later measure out 200ml of liquid from each bottle in the refrigerator and on the countertop.
Recap each bottle. Handle each bottle the same amount of time and in the same way. Return each bottle to its original location.
Observe and record data.
Repeat steps 3-5 every six hours a day.
Record all observations and record differences.

3. Data Collection and Analysis

You will be observing and collecting information (data) to answer a question. You will not be doing anything to change the situation in the experiment. After the data is collected, you must do something with it for this to be a scientific project.

Collection Example:

Problem:

Will a smaller apple have fewer seeds than a larger apple?

Prediction:

The smaller apple will have fewer seeds.

There will be variables to control so you will be gathering data related to the size of the apples, not the age, color, type, etc. You must collect data on at least 3 large apples and 3 small apples. Is there a ratio between the number of seeds in an apple and the circumference of the apple? Math is very important in a scientific investigation.

4. Results

Results must be recorded on a chart and in written form. Graphs make data easier to understand, compare and analyze. You can use line graphs, bar graphs, pie graphs or picture graphs.

5. Conclusions

Write at least a paragraph about what you discovered

What did your project show?
How did it turn out?
Was your prediction supported?
How does it apply to a real world problem?
Were there any flaws? How would you do your experiment differently?

6. Display

Your display must include everything required. It must be organized in the correct order on the board. It must be neat, attractive, and easy to understand. Pictures and drawings make it more interesting. A chart or graph is highly recommended.

Your display board must be sturdy enough to stand up by itself. It must fit on a table.
There must be no identifying information on the front of the display. Your name, your teacher’s name, your school’s name, and pictures that show faces cannot be on the front of your display. Write on the bottom back of your display or attach a card at the bottom back with the following information: Teacher name, Student name, Grade level, Title

The board must be organized like the following drawing.

Reminder of what to include in each category

Prediction-This is your PREDICTION of what your result we be. This is your best guess about what you want to find out. Write out your prediction first before doing any experimentation. (I think ….. because….)

Materials-This is a list of things you used to do you experiment

Procedure- This is where you tell what you did and how you did it. If you have a picture of your experiment, place the picture below the Question.

Results-This is the information that you collected while you did the experiment. It should include a chart with data from your experiment and a graph using your data.

Conclusion-This is where you tell if your PREDICTION was correct or incorrect, based on the data that you collected.

Project PlanDue Friday, January 18

Your teacher must approve this plan before you begin your experiment.

Student’s Name ______Grade ______

Teacher’s Name ______

Topic of Experiment ______

What “Testable” question do you want to answer?

Does your question have… / Yes / No
Something to measure?
Only one thing to measure?
A specific answer to be determined?

Prediction: (Explain what you think the answer is going to be and WHY! Base your reason on your knowledge.)

I think ______

______

because ______

______

I am ready to begin my investigation. I have reviewed this project with my teacher and my parent and have their permission. In addition I have arranged a way to get the necessary materials. No animals, no humans, nor the environment will be hurt or endangered by my experiment. Finally, I agree to dispose of my experiment in a responsible manner.

Student’s Signature: ______Date: ______

Parent’s Signature: ______Date: ______

Teacher’s Signature: ______Date: ______