Science Fair Information

Science Fair Information

The Lakeland Science Fair will be held in January, with the top winners going on (if they choose) to the Memphis/Shelby County Science Fair. Kindergarten through Third Grade classes may have class projects only, and students in grades four and five are required to complete a science fair project for their classroom, participating in the Science Fair itself if they choose.

This year's theme has not been announced as of yet.

Projects must follow the scientific method (described below) and should be presented on a project board that is free standing, eye appealing, with a title and the steps of the scientific method included as outlined below. In addition to the project board, a project summary or project journal/log should be included. Participants in Grades K-3 should complete a project summary or journal/log. Participants in Grades 4-6 should complete a project paper or project journal/log (see below for what these are). No names or identifiable pictures should be visible on any part of the project.

Scientific Method:

Purpose/Problem

A question asking what it is that you hope to answer/find out (for example: Which gum holds its flavor the longest?)

Hypothesis

What you think the answer to your question is (for example: I believe that Bubblicious holds its flavor longer than other brands of bubble gum.)

Materials

A list of all the materials you use in your experiment (for example: 6 types of bubble gum --and you name them-- and stopwatch)

Procedures

List everything you do to conduct the project/experiment, from start to finish. (Make sure you include all the steps!)

Observations

What happened when you did the experiment, what data you observed. This can be in paragraph form, but should probably include some information presented in a table or graph. This is where you would compare times and list results.

Conclusions

This is where you answer the question that you presented in the purpose of the experiment. It is not important if you were correct or not. The procedure you follow is what is important. This is where you tell why you think that you got the results you got. This is also where you would include information that you researched about your topic. For example: According to the Bubblicious website (www.bubble.com) and Encyclopedia Brittanica, gum that contains more sugar has....

Project Summary

A project summary is a one page report of what was learned. The summary may be text, pictorial, or a combination of text and pictures. Class participation must be reflected.

Project Paper

A project paper is a report of no more than five pages. In addition to the five or fewer pages, the report should have a cover and list of at least two references. The report should contain research about topic, analysis of findings, and the conclusion.

Project Journal/Log

A project journal is maintained throughout the development of the project. Activities, notes, sources, data, observations, sources, and any other project related activities or information and analysis of findings should be recorded. Entries should be dated.

Check with your individual teacher to check on the exact requirements for your project. You should be testing something. It doesn't matter if your hypothesis is right or wrong, but how you did it is important. Remember -- how you present your findings is almost as important as what you did. You want to make sure your project board is neat, spelling is correct, and it is attractive and pleasant to look at. A poster board is NOT free standing. Don't do your project in pencil. Make sure that you are doing a PROJECT that has a question and hypothesis -- don't make a model (no volcano models, please!) Also, while others may HELP you, it is NOT a parent project. This should be your work.

Need some help finding ideas for your project? Here are some web sites to help you find ideas and complete your project:

http://isd77k12.mn.us/resources/cf

http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/

http://atlas.ksc.nasa.gov/education/general/scifair.html

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/fair.html

http://www.scifair.org/ (idea bank or idea board)

Another important part of your experience involves not waiting until the last minute. Go here to download a science project checklist that will help you keep on track and avoid that last minute "Oh no, what will I do tonight since my project's due tomorrow" panic! Also included are ways parents can help their child enjoy this yearly project.

Science Project Checklist

Ways Parents Can Help

Purpose/Problem	A question asking what it is that you hope to answer/find out (for example: Which gum holds its flavor the longest?)
Hypothesis	What you think the answer to your question is (for example: I believe that Bubblicious holds its flavor longer than other brands of bubble gum.)
Materials	A list of all the materials you use in your experiment (for example: 6 types of bubble gum --and you name them-- and stopwatch)
Procedures	List everything you do to conduct the project/experiment, from start to finish. (Make sure you include all the steps!)
Observations	What happened when you did the experiment, what data you observed. This can be in paragraph form, but should probably include some information presented in a table or graph. This is where you would compare times and list results.
Conclusions	This is where you answer the question that you presented in the purpose of the experiment. It is not important if you were correct or not. The procedure you follow is what is important. This is where you tell why you think that you got the results you got. This is also where you would include information that you researched about your topic. For example: According to the Bubblicious website (www.bubble.com) and Encyclopedia Brittanica, gum that contains more sugar has....
Project Summary	A project summary is a one page report of what was learned. The summary may be text, pictorial, or a combination of text and pictures. Class participation must be reflected.
Project Paper	A project paper is a report of no more than five pages. In addition to the five or fewer pages, the report should have a cover and list of at least two references. The report should contain research about topic, analysis of findings, and the conclusion.
Project Journal/Log	A project journal is maintained throughout the development of the project. Activities, notes, sources, data, observations, sources, and any other project related activities or information and analysis of findings should be recorded. Entries should be dated.