It's Science Fair Time!!

Here are some helpful tips to get you going in the right direction!

1. Select a topic you are interested in and do some research. Check out books in the library or search the Internet for ideas on projects you can do. Remember your project should be an EXPERIMENT, not a demonstration. This means that you will need to test variables. Don't just show how something works. (No volcanoes!)

2. Give yourself plenty of time. For most projects, 6 weeks should be enough. Waiting until the week before the Science Fair will seriously stress you out!

3. Be sure to follow the scientific method (see below) and keep notes of everything you do in a journal or notebook. Pictures are required for Science Fair contestants, so take some snapshots as you go.

4. Turn in your paperwork and assignments ON TIME. This is the only way your teacher can help you. Practice your presentation in front of family and friends to get the butterflies out of your stomach. Remember not to read off your backboard. Just talk about what you did to complete your project and have fun!

5. Be sure your backboard is neat and colorful. Typed information is required of students entering the Science Fair.

 

The Scientific Method Checklist

__Title- should be short and grab attention- can be in the form of a question

__Purpose- What are you trying to find out?

__Hypothesis- In conducting your experiment, what do you think your results will be? This statement should be based on some research and observation. Write in the form of "If..., then...".

__ Materials- List all equipment needed.

__ Procedure- step-by-step explanation of how to do the experiment.

__ Results- paragraph stating the results of the experiment.

__ Data/ charts/ graphs- show the results of your experiment in an organized way. If you can't make a chart or graph, you should have a log showing any changes during your experiment.

__ Conclusion- paragraph stating the following:

Was your hypothesis correct?
What did your experiment prove?
What did you learn from this project?
How is this information useful in my everyday life?
If I did this experiment again, how could I make it better?

__ Bibliography/ References- list of books, articles, internet sites, and people I gained information from.

__ Research Paper- Does my paper relate to my experiment? Did I remember to put the references?