Science Fair Timeline 2013

Transcription

1 Science Fair Timeline 2013 Friday, February 1 Friday, February 8 Friday, March 1 Wednesday, March 27 Information on website Registration Form completed and returned to front office Project Topic Form due to classroom teacher Science Fair Set-up (7:40am) & Judging (all day) SFE Science Fair Winners: Friday, April 19 Saturday, April 20 Setup for the Elementary District Fair District Fair Below is a time management guideline for the completion of a Science Fair project. You will want to plan out your own time frame for each part of the scientific process. Investigate possible problems or questions 1 week Research your question and write a hypothesis 2 weeks Purchase materials, Conduct Experiment*, Record your data * Experiment should be tested with multiple variables and with each variable 3-4 times 3 weeks Write your conclusion Create your display 1 week 1 week

2 Science Fair Guidelines General Rules: The Shadow Forest Elementary Science-Engineering Fair will follow the rules used by the District-Wide Science-Engineering Fairs. Display Guidelines: All exhibits must have a backdrop. Tables are provided, but exhibits may also be free-standing on the floor. The total height of the presentation should not exceed 8 feet (including the height of the table). The recommended side-to-side width is 36 inches (maximum width is 48 inches) and the maximum front-to-back depth is 18 inches. Projects must be able to stand on their own. Your name and your teacher s name should be written on the back, in small print, and be covered with a piece of paper, taped at the top. No food, plants, or animals are permitted to be displayed with your project. Liquids are permitted only if they will not spill when dropped from 5 feet. (A display diagram is available on the SFE website) The Judging: Parents, teachers, sponsors, and other students will not be allowed near the projects during the judging process. Judges decisions are final. The top three projects in grades K-5 will be eligible for the District Science Fair. Below is a summary of the general judging criteria. Judging Criteria: Project Objectives: creativity, originality and clear statement of objectives. (20%) Project Design: creativity, originality and thoroughness of the approach used. (30%) Project Execution: thoroughness of experiment and quality of record keeping, level of skill used and amount of work done by the student compared to others. (20%) Project Conclusions: stated clearly and consistent with the results of experiment. (10%) Project Presentations: clarity of display and quality of oral explanation. (20%)

3 Lab Notebooks As part of the judging process, students are expected to maintain a Lab Notebook. Either a spiral notebook or a composition notebook will work for this purpose. Lab notebooks should be completed in ink, and pages should not be torn out if mistakes are made, students may make a single line through the page and start over (remember that many things can be learned from mistakes or unexpected results). Each page should be dated. The notebook should be used to document the entire process. It should include journaling, notes, reminders, data (organized appropriately in tables, etc. Include multiple trials!) Additional information is available on Humble ISD s website under Departments Science & Engineering Fairs. If you have any questions or problems, please contact Rebecca Easterby at rebecca.easterby@humble.k12.tx.us

4 Science Fair Display Layout 18 Problem/ Purpose 36 Project Title Conclusion/ Analysis Hypothesis Procedure Results 48 Materials References

5 Shadow Forest Elementary Science Fair Registration Form 2013 Due to front office by Friday, February 8 Student Information: Name: Grade: Teacher: My child is participating in the Shadow Forest Science Fair. We have read through the SFE Science Fair Information Packet. Parent Signature Student Signature

6 Shadow Forest Science Fair Project Topic Form 2013 Due to classroom teacher by Friday, March 1 Student Information: Name: Grade: Teacher: Project Information: Circle one: Individual Project Team Project (Partner Name: ) *Students are permitted to work with one partner. Project Topic: Choose a category for the project: Mathematics Engineering Chemistry Earth/Space Science Plant Sciences (Botany) Medicine & Health Behavioral/Social Sciences Physics Computer Science Energy & Transportation Animal Sciences (Zoology) Environmental Sciences Biochemistry/Microbiology

7 Helpful Hints Students are expected to conduct an experiment to participate in our science fair. How do I know the difference between a demonstration and an experiment? A DEMONSTRATION is a quick little science show that explains a science concept like building a model volcano and watching it erupt. It shows how something works, but it is NOT a true experiment. AN EXPERIMENT is usually more involved, and in most real experiments you compare results. An example would be What fertilizer works best on plants? or What is the strongest brand of paper towel? In these examples you ask a question and then perform experiments to get the answer. More Information on Judging Objective Creativity - something you have never seen before Objective Statement - clearly stated Design Creativity a new and different way of doing the project Scientific Principles - project designed in a way that makes sense scientifically Engineering Approach - used the Scientific Method, and followed steps well (see attached Review of the Scientific Method )

8 Thoroughness did repetitions (repeated trials) for each case, used controlled variables, used a lab book Student Effort - How much work did the student do vs. others? Conclusions Was the Hypothesis correct or incorrect? Compare your results to your hypothesis. Oral Presentation Be sure you understand what you did and can explain that to the judges. Do not read the display. You will not be asked to demonstrate what you did, only to describe it. Display well organized, neat and well laid out. Displays do not need to be typed. Students will not be graded down for names or other information that has been covered with paper of tape. Other Helpful Hints Make sure name is on back of Lab Notebook Use ink in journals Label pictures and graphs on display board Display board should read left to right Test experiment at least five times Materials need to be stated before Procedure Site references that helped with the project Document Clip Art in References Section References Section should be displayed before Future Work Section, if applicable.

9 A Review of the Scientific Method The following review provides some key questions/directions to help you design and conduct an experiment that will be used for a science or engineering fair project. Problem/Purpose - What is your goal? - What idea are you trying to test? - What is the scientific question you are trying to answer? Hypothesis - Make a prediction regarding the outcome of your experiment. - Tell how you think your project can demonstrate your purpose. - State the results you are predicting in measurable terms. Materials - List all materials and equipment you used. Procedure - Give a detailed explanation of how the experiment will be performed to test your hypothesis. - Be clear about the variables (elements of the experiment that change to test your hypothesis) versus the controls (elements of the experiment that do not change). - Be very specific about how you will measure results to prove or disprove your hypothesis. You may want to develop a regular timetable for measuring results or recording observations (i.e. every hour, every day, every week). - Your procedure should be like a recipe another person should be able to perform your experiment following your procedure. Test this with a friend or parent to be sure you have not forgotten anything. This is an important part of doing good science! Results/Data/Observations - Keep a detailed journal (laboratory notebook) of your results observations and data. They can be measurements and written notes about what you are sensing (hearing, seeing, touching) about your experiment. Utilize International System of Units (generally, metric measurements) where appropriate. - Have both Control and Experimental groups, where appropriate. - Collect enough data for a statistical analysis, when possible. - Photograph the phases and results of your project if appropriate to help your analysis and possibly to outline the experiment on your display board. (Note the section pertaining to photographs and other visual depictions in the Display Rules and Safety Regulations. ) - Use charts, graphs, and tables to summarize your data. You may use a portable electronic device to illustrate some portions of your project. Conclusion/Analysis - Explain your results. Summarize what the data has shown you. - List the main points of what you learned. - Why did the results occur? What did your experiment prove? - Was your hypothesis correct? Explain thoroughly whether your experiment proved or disproved your hypothesis. - Answer Problem/Purpose statement. - What is the value of your experiment? - What further study do you recommend given the results of your experiment? What questions do you have now? - What would you do differently if you did your project again?