SCIENCE FAIR HANDBOOK FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS

It is our goal to have each Magnet Science student complete a science fair project.. When the library research for the topic is finished, the student should have at least three resources

SCIENCE FAIR HANDBOOK FOR PARENTS AND

STUDENTS

MURRAY MIDDLE SCHOOL UPDATED OCT 18, 22

SCIENCE FAIR HANDBOOK

FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

How to Choose the Topic 1

Library Research 2

Purpose and Hypothesis 2

Procedure and Materials 2

Data and Conclusion 3

Guideline/Timeline 3

Parts of the Project: 3

Minimum Requirements: 4

Schedule: 4

Appendix 5

Sample Middle schoolLevel Project Topics 5

Scientific Experimental Question Analyzer 7

Speed Reading 8

Library Research 8

Taking Notes 10

It’s In the Cards 11

Bibliography……… 12

SCIENCE FAIR HANDBOOK

FOR PARENTS AND STUDENTS

Many parents have asked for a guideline as to what they should and should not be doing to help their sons or daughters in their projects It is our goal to have each Magnet Science student complete a science fair project It is our firm conviction that the science fair project, with its write

up and oral presentation, is the best test of the principles of the scientific method

Two of the most desirable characteristics of a science fair are:

 It is an experiment in which some variable is tested It is not a demonstration.

 It produces useful information and can be repeated

We will be spending time in the classroom with your son or daughter to help organize their project and check their plans for procedure and safety

How to Choose the Topic

This is the most difficult portion of the entire project The project should meet three basic criteria The student should:

1 Be genuinely interested in it

2 Have a support group to help with the technical aspects (i.e., parent, brother, sister,

college student, neighbor, etc.)

3 The project should be affordable and completed within the time frame allowed.

In order to help with the selection of topics, many different techniques may be used It may be that the student already knows what he or she wishes to do However, usually when students are asked, “What are you interested in?” they respond, “Nothing.” Therefore, discussing their ideas with their support group is necessary Basic research in science magazines, textbooks and newspaper articles will also aid in developing an idea

The students should:

1 Make a list of all the topics they are interested in

2 Review the list and rang the projects from the most desirable to the least desirable

3 Rank them according to the ability of the support group to help

4 Rank topics in order of expense and time needed to do the project

5 Now add all three rankings and choose the top three projects

These three become the topics for library research At the library, the student should look for reference materials from the card catalog and the Readers Guide to periodical Literature

[Caution: Look for recent copyrights and avoid the extensive use of encyclopedias.]

Survey the information about the topics to determine which topic will work out best When the library research for the topic is finished, the student should have at least three resources for the topic and be able to state a research problem that can be tested

See checklist next page

 Research periodicals, textbooks, newspaper for topics

 “Brainstorm” a list of topics

 Rank the ideas by a) interest, b) support and c) money and time

 Total rankings and select the top three

 Research the libraries for available resources

 Select the topic and present it to the instructor for approval

Library / Internet

Once the student has finally selected a topic, he or she should spend time doing research on the topic The research should provide adequate background to understand what can be tested, how to test it, and what observations to look for or ignore Students may use the internet and are encouraged to contact Librarians as resources

The information from the research will be summarized in the literature review section of the project paper The reviews of literature should describe the science concepts involved in the project If possible, it should include the results of experiments that have been done by other scientists

During this phase of work, the most difficult aspect for students is that they do not know what information is important They also have difficulty taking notes and keeping a bibliography See the Appendix for “Speed Reading” and “Taking Notes.” If notes are placed on note cards (one item per card), the organization of the review of the literature becomes much easier

When the research has been completed, the review of literature portion of the paper should be written

[Caution: If notes are exactly copied from a source, the author MUST be cited.]

Purpose and Hypothesis

From the research the student should now be able to state a problem in the form of a question This may also become the title for the project This problem must be able to be tested by an experiment A statement of purpose should incorporate the “WHY” and “HOW” of the experiment

The hypothesis is a statement predicting the results of the experiment It is often stated as an

“If , then “ sentence

Example: “If the elastic in socks is stretched out too much, it loses its stretchiness.”

Procedure and Materials

Now it is time to carefully plan the steps of the procedure No details should be taken for granted The materials, quantities and procedures should be written in enough detail that someone else could repeat the experiment It is also easy to locate errors when the procedures are carefully written

A procedure step may look like this:

“Take 50 ml of distilled water and add it to test tube #1.”

The materials list and procedure should be submitted to the instructor so they can be checked for thoroughness and safety When the instructor gives approval, the actual experiment should begin

Data and Conclusion

The experiment should have as large a sample size as possible and use as many repetitions are possible This allows one to average the data and to discard data that are out of line

During the experiment, a journal should be kept noting all qualitative and quantitative observations.

Once data have been collected, it is time to analyze the data and draw conclusions All numerical data should be charted and graphed, if possible It is important to base your conclusions on the results, as well as any abnormalities Use the science concepts that you discussed in your literature review

If the conclusions do not agree with your original hypothesis, then say so This will be a good point to accept or reject the original hypothesis and propose a new hypothesis for a new set of experiments for further study

The final step is to complete the information into a research paper format, proofread it, and then rewrite the final version

Guideline/Timeline

The Science Fair Project has two main parts: a project and a paper.

 The project portion will be a test of a hypothesis by the use of an experiment This is

summarized on a Project Board

 The paper portion will explain the background information and the experimental

procedure Sections of this are is placed on the Project Board Some may be on the table in front of the Project Board

Parts of the Project:

1 Write a summary of the literature about the topic (Literature Review)

2 Perform the EXPERIMENT

3 Write the procedure, results and the conclusions

4 Prepare a public display for the science fair and present it All projects will be displayed and judged at the Science Fair in January

Minimum Requirements:

Both research papers and the written portion of the project must meet the following minimum requirements:

Handwritten: 6-8 pages (full pages written on each line) Typed: 4-5 pages (full pages, double spaced, font size 12, 1 inch margins)

Both research papers and the written portion of the project must use at least three sources (books, magazines, periodicals, journals, Websites, etc.) and they must be listed in a bibliography

Schedule:

10/06/16 Topic Selection

10/06/16 Statement of Purpose

10/24/16 Literature Review and Bibliography (typed or neatly written)

11/07/16 Hypothesis, Procedure, and Certificate 1A and 1B

12/01/16 First Draft of Project Paper

12/16/16 Final Draft of Project Paper

12/21/16 Last Day School in Session

01/10/17 Science Fair Judging (Everyone is required to attend)

01/11/17 Science Fair Open House

The top projects in each category and papers will be entered in the Regional Science Fair (held in February), with possibility of presentation at the State Science Fair.

Science Fair Categories at Murray:

Animal Sciences Computer Science/Math Microbiology

Behavioral/Social Sciences Earth Science Physics/Astronomy

Cellular/Molecular Biology Environmental Science Product Comparison Chemistry Medicine/Health Transportation/Energy

Sample Middle School Level Project Topics

* - Denotes more difficult project Physical Science

* Calculating liquid density using light refraction

* Chlorine levels in our drinking water

* Comparison of vitamin A content in frozen, canned and fresh peas

* Density of various liquids

* Do magnetic fields affect the sound quality on a recording tape?

* How does the tail affect the flight of a kite?

* How fire affects roofing materials

* How heat affects recording tape

* How strong is a spider web thread?

* How temperature affects the amount of electricity given off by a solar cell

* Measuring the calories in a peanut

* Strength of different woods

* Testing sugar in soft drinks

* Testing various orange drinks for vitamin C

* The amount of dissolved salt in drinking water

* The efficiency of airspace as an insulator

* The strength of a magnet vs distance

* What shutter speed is needed to photograph a moving fan?

* Which fabrics are most fire-resistant?

* Which foods have starch (or sugar, fat, protein, etc.)?

* Which toothpaste is most abrasive?

* Who has greater body density, boys or girls?

Can saltwater be desalted by freezing?

Conductivity of various liquids

Do black bottom pools keep the water warmer?

How accurate is the temperature knob on my oven?

How constant is the temperature in my refrigerator?

How increasing the number of batteries affects the speed of a motor

How temperature affects the height at which different balls bounce

How well do various fabrics absorb dye?

Ink evaluation with paper chromatography

Materials that absorb sound

Popcorn: A graphical analysis of pops per second

Splat – a study in droplet patterns

String telephones: what materials work best in conducting sound?

The effect of light on dyed materials

The effects of swimming pool water (chlorine) on hair

The effects of temperatures on the strength of dry cells

The effects of washing on dyed materials

The velocity of different liquids through the same size tube

The velocity of water through different tubes (same material, different sizes)

The velocity of water through different tubes (same size, different material)

What is the voltage range of the GE-14 bulb?

Which color container cools of the quickest?

Which color of liquid absorbs the most heat?

Which material makes the best heat insulator?

Which metals conduct heat best?

* A frictionless magnetic bearing

* Battle of the bridges

* Computer projects

* Do oil additives reduce friction on engine parts?

* How many rotor blades give maximum lift for a helicopter?

* Power from rising air

* Power from the waves

* Robots

* Storing the sun’s energy

* Testing a car headlight as a satellite dish antenna

* Testing different water turbine blades

* Using electromagnets to power a car

Paper airplane performance

Earth Science

* Charting the apparent motion of Polaris

* The effects of water on different types of wood

Composition of Hawaiian sand

How acid is our rain?

How clean is our air?

How much dust falls on your lawn in a month?

Speed of clouds using photography

Terracing and how it affects erosion

The effect of wave action on different rocks (using a rock tumbler)

Using a computer for mineral identification

Using feathers to clean up oil spills

Water retention of different soils

Wave barriers

Consumer

* Which light bulb is most efficient?

* Which solar panel is most efficient?

A comparative study of various packing materials

Are TV commercials louder than regular programming?

Can a roof overhang cut summer cooling costs?

How much does it really cost to run a refrigerator?

How much money can a pool cover save?

The frequency and length of TV commercials during a one-hour program Which battery is the best buy?

Which candle is the best buy?

Which detergent cuts grease the best?

Which detergent has the longest lasting suds?

Which detergent removes grass stains best?

Which firewood gives the most heat per dollar?

Which stain remove works best?

Insights Visual Productions

P.O Box 644, Encinitas, CA 92024 (619) 949-0528

Scientific Experimental Question Analyzer

Choose a question



Can you find the answer to the question by doing an

experiment in the classroom?  No!  Rethink

 Yes!

Can you change a variable and see the effect of the

change?  No!  Rethink

 Yes!

Can you measure the effect of the change to the

variable?  No!  Rethink

 Yes!

Is the experiment feasible?

(cost, time, skills, safety)  No!  Rethink

 Yes!

Teacher approval  No!  Rethink



Write Experimental Question

Speed Reading

You won’t have time to read everything when you are searching for useful information, so here are some tips for helping you to decide which books are best for your purposes

1 Look at the title page Is the author an authority on this subject?

2 Look at the copyright page Is the book new enough to give the latest information?

3 Skim the introduction Does the author say anything that indicates that his/her book will

be useful?

4 Skim the table of contents Is any useful information listed?

5 Examine the bibliography Are there any books or articles listed that you might use?

6 Skim the appendix Is there any useful information?

7 Search the index Is there material related to your topic?

When you have found useful material, stop and read Use your index cards to take notes and record bibliographic information

Library Research

No matter what the topic or purpose of your project, the next step should be library research What we mean is this: find books, encyclopedias, magazines and any other source that contains information pertaining to your chosen topic

At first you should look for general information If the project deals with plants, for instance, then you must know something about plants: their structure, nutrients needed for growth, scientific names, photosynthesis, and other general characteristics of plan life Your teacher may be able to suggest what you need to know about your topic

Encyclopedias offer general information about many topics Try looking up your topic in an encyclopedia If there is an entry about your topic area, read through it to get an idea of how much there is to learn about the subject Look for cross-references and listings of related articles

Some widely used encyclopedias that give good information in the sciences are:

1 Encyclopedia Britannica This is a scholarly reference with long articles signed by

specialists

2 Collier’s Encyclopedia Collier’s is a general reference for the layman It is

strong in contemporary science

3 Encyclopedia Americana This encyclopedia is especially strong in science and

technology

4 World Book Encyclopedia World Book is a general reference with easy-to-read

articles in the sciences Some science project ideas are included with some of the science articles