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PUSD/NCR Science Fair Booklet |
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| Choosing A Topic Ideas for Science Fair Projects
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Introduction We will be having a science fair here at school and you have been invited to participate. This guide will outline the activities necessary for you to prepare a good science fair project. Read it carefully with your parents and choose an interesting topic for your project in the science fair. As you complete your project, you must design your experiment, find the materials, specify the procedures, safely do the experiment record, and measure your observations. You may have heard that science projects will teach you the scientific method. Despite what you've heard, no fixed method is followed in science. Each question must be explored in a unique manner. However some principles are common to all modes of scientific inquiry. these include reference to previous research, use of the senses, trail and error, experimental controls, repetition, and experimental errors. You're probably wondering what judges look for. At all levels, judges agree that the steps and method used in the experiment are usually more important than our results or whether you prove our theory.
A science fair gives you the opportunity to investigate and explore general topics included in the various scientific disciplines;earth, life, physical sciences, and new this year, computer sciences. The best project idea for you is one that you're interested in because you will be involved with your science project for almost nine weeks. If you find a topic that's interesting, you'll probably have fun, too. And if you are having a good time, the odds are that you'll finish successfully. Whatever topic you choose, it must be one that you can experiment with on our own. You don't want something too simple, but neither do you want something that requires the talents of a rocket scientist. You don't want to rehash a topic that's been entered in every science fair since your teacher went to school, but don't pick something so obscure that you can't find any information. Some of the places you might look for project ideas are: the Internet; your family; advertisements, news of the day, newspapers or magazines; and class topics. The best way to find a topic is to be aware and receptive to your environment.
Ideas for Science Fair Projects
It's time to get organized. Good thorough planning and organization are important to your success. One of the hardest things about doing a large assignment is the tendency to leave things until the last minute. It's hard to feel pressure to work on something when the deadline is about 9 weeks away. If this project is required, your teacher might have set intermediate deadlines. This will help you by forcing you to break the project into "bite-sized" pieces. You will want to maintain a project calendar and a project journal showing what you did and when you did it. This project journal is an informal record of the entire project, which will help you to keep organized and "on track." The project journal should include:
Here is a list of factors that you can use to evaluate your project. Use the list throughout your investigations and also upon completion of the project. Put a checkmark beside each factor to assess the completed project.
As you start a project, keep a notebook or journal. A spiral notebook that includes graph paper will allow you to make graphs of your data or scale drawing of experimental equipment or designs. Record what you do, the data you collect, and the tentative conclusion you make. Be as thorough as possible. Begin you investigation by writing a statement of the problem you are investigating. This is usually written in the form of a question.
Then write a plan that you intend to follow to answer the question. Your plan might include equipment, drawings, and a time schedule. Recognize that your plan may change. All scientists expect problems.There will be breakage, leaks, or seeds that fail to germinate; there will be mistakes, data that make no sense, and failure to control some unexpected variable. It's the process that is important and based on the data collected, that you can prepare an interesting display for a science fair that reports your ongoing, unfinished research and the questions left to be pursued
A research paper is normally a required element a science project. The size and extent of the research paper will depend on your teacher's requirement. In order to contact any worthwhile experimentation, you must first get as much information as possible to help you to understand the past and current theories, research, and discoveries. Your research will help you to develop your question and hypothesis. Finding the facts: The first step is finding information. A natural place to start is with those sources that are closest to you. These include textbooks, encyclopedias and other publications in the library as well as the Internet. Taking Notes: To take notes efficiently focus on the most important and relevant facts, analyzing every piece of information to determine whether or not it truly relates to your topic. Since every fact you use will be from one of your sources, it is important that you keep a working bibliography. Include all of the vital information about your source. Writing the Paper: The first few paragraphs should introduce your paper, stating the topic you're writing about and the experiment you think you will do. The final few paragraphs should introduce your paper, stating the topic you're writing about and the experiment you think you will do. The final draft must be word processed using the following guidelines.
Here is where you thank all the individuals who assisted in the research and development of the project (including Mom and Dad). Include everyone you interviewed, including teachers, scientists, and other experts in the field. This is the only place in your report that first person may be used. Example: "I would like to thank my mom for driving me to the school library so often.? Introduction The introduction has a 4 paragraph minimum.
Using a word-processing program on a computer will allow you to start with a rough outline and add to your report as you get more data. Don't forget, your final report should include an acknowledgment of those who helped you, the problem you investigated and your motivation for pursuing it, a discussion of what you did and why, the results you obtained, experimental errors, conclusions you have drawn based on the data collected and how you arrived at them, and a bibliography consisting of any books, magazines, interviews, or Internet resources you used in your research.
Title Write the name of your investigation. Research Question Communicate what relationship between variables will be investigated. Hypothesis: Communicate your predictions about how the manipulated variable will affect the responding variable. Plan nor Procedure: Communicate a step-by-step process for completing the experiment. Include materials, timetable, and other information that is unimportant to the investigation. The plan should be detailed. Controlled variables Identify all factors that must be controlled to limit sources of errors. Results: observations, data tables, graphs: Include qualitative observations. Conclusions: Write factual summaries about what happened. Inference(s) about Conclusions(s): Interpret, explain, and discuss the relationship between the variables. What knowledge was gained and what does it mean.
A hypothesis is a special kind of prediction that forecasts how one factor will affect a second or controlled condition. These variables are the manipulated variable, which is changed intentionally by the investigator, and the responding variable, which is observed or measured to determine if or how much it is affected. Hypotheses express a logical explanation that can be tested.
Make a list of the things and equipment you need to do the experiment. When listing materials, make sure you include quantities, i.e., "250 ml of water" instead of just "water". Do this in an orderly way, just like the ingredients in a recipe
This is the first step in designing your project. It is a detailed list of the exact experimental procedures you will use. It should be a step-by-step, sequential list that anyone could follow in order to duplicate the experiment. Some of these steps will be done only once. Others might be repetitive, such as testing your subjects and recording our data.
After the experiment has been conducted and the data collected it is time to analyze that information. What facts, or numbers were produced as a result of the experiment? The data gathered may not confirm the original hypothesis. That's OK. Your original hypothesis was simply an educated guess based upon information at your disposal at the start of the experiment. It is possible that the results will not confirm that hypothesis but rather refute it. This happens to scientists all the time and is a natural and normal part of the scientific method. In an experiment, success is neither a positive or negative finding, but a repeatable result.
Here's where you get to interpret your results. Using the trends in our experimental data and observations, the conclusion should provide some answer to the original question. Is our hypothesis correct? It is an opportunity to suggest needed improvements in the experimental design or changes that could be made in attempting the experiment in the future. Most important, it is an opportunity for you to draw relationships between the experiment and the world in which you live by including a statement on the importance of the experiment. Other things you could mention:
"You never get a second chance to make a first impression," is a famous expression. Now that you have done the research, completed your experiment, analyzed and graphed the results, and made your conclusions, you're ready to present your project. Your project display will advertise and call attention to your research and experiment. The purpose of the display is to summarize your project simply and professionally. The boards should be about 3 feet high and occupy about a 3 foot space. If you feel your display might not meet these specifications be sure to get permission from your local fair officials before designing it. District & NCR Brochure Helpful Science Homepages Project Ideas
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