5 th Annual Applegate Science Fair April 7, 2016 6:30 p.m.

5 th Annual Applegate Science Fair April 7, 2016 6:30 p.m.

Alexander Graham Bell Did You Know? - He was also interested in other fields of science: watercrafts (boats), metal detectors & medical research - Played the piano and studied music - Worked for years with his assistant, Thomas Watson - In 1876, he filed a patent for what we know as the telephone - He worked 10+ years after that making it better The day will come when the man at the telephone will be able to see the distant person to whom he is speaking. He even predicted Facetime! (well, sort of)

Alexander Graham Bell

Let s Get Started! Two types of projects: - Models - Experiments Models are cool, but we want to TEST things Experiments give lots of information and ask WHY and HOW and WHY NOT Model build a telephone Experiment what material carries sound waves the best? Use the Scientific Method to find out!

What is the Scientific Method? A way to ask and answer scientific questions by making observations & doing experiments. Ask a QUESTION RESEARCH: What Do We Already Know? Make a Prediction HYPOTHESIS Think about your EXPERIMENT What MATERIALS will you need? What will your PROCEDURE be? Conduct your experiment & make OBSERVATIONS! Gather data what did it feel, sound, taste, smell like? Take pictures! Analyze & Organize Your Information So, what happened? Were you right? Include pictures, charts, graphs, etc. This is your CONCLUSION TELL THE WORLD!

How Do I Get Started? All great projects start with great questions, but first pick a subject/topic you like. Physical Science electricity, magnets, light, sound, weight/structure, and more! Earth & Space Science weather, geology (rocks, fossils, etc.), sun, stars or planets Life Science animal, plant, human body questions Taste tests, eye color, human behavior, growing plants, food Just look around you ll find inspiration everywhere!

Alexander Graham Bell His curiosities about voice and sound started when he was very young WHY? His mother and wife were both deaf.

Inspiration is Everywhere! What are some of the things you love? Sports: Does the amount of air in a ball affect how far it goes? Is there such thing as a sweet spot on a baseball bat? Cooking/Sweets/Food: Do different colored M&Ms melt faster in the microwave? What type of liquid dissolves candy fastest? What type of popcorn pops the best? Animals/Plants: Do birds prefer one color food over another? What works better praise or food? Do bees really like bright colors? Does caffeine really make plants grow faster? Other Ideas: Does salt water freeze the same as regular water? How much salt? Do family members have similar fingerprints? Which liquid conducts electricity the best? (batteries) www.education.com great website for ideas and suggestions!

Let s Get Down to Business Hypothesis - Research - Books Internet Resources People! Experiment - 1)Gather your materials 2)Write down your procedure 3)Identify your variable (harder than it sounds!) 4)Test, test, test THIS IS THE FUN PART! 5)Collect your data! Pictures, samples, measurements, etc. 6)Write a conclusion tell us what you learned.

We Can t Wait to Hear! Create a Display Board DO: - Name It! - Be creative - Include Pictures & Graphs/Tables - Use the Scientific Method - Write Neatly - HAVE FUN! DON T: - Skip Sections - Squeeze too much on the board - Count on using props - STRESS! Helpful Hints: Use a computer to type or write neatly (hand-written is great!) Use spray glue or glue stick Mounting white paper on top of colored paper helps it stand out

Those Pesky Judges Judges are just fellow scientists who want to hear what you ve learned! Students should be able to answer the following questions: 1) What was the question that you studied? 2) How did you do your experiment? 3) What did you use to do your experiment? 4) What did you learn? 5) What did you like best about doing the Science Fair? YES! There are PRIZES!

A Few Rules Adult Supervision You must have an adult signature on your project proposal saying they are willing to supervise you every step of the way! Safety First! Things you can t use: Alcohol Tobacco products Mold or Bacteria Science Chemicals Bleach Dry Ice Liquid Nitrogen Medicines (of any kind, including OTC)

Funny (Kind Of!)

SOME HELPFUL HINTS Project Step Helping at the Right Level: Going too Far: Ask a question Background research Construct a hypothesis Test the hypothesis/ experiment Analyze data and draw a conclusion Communicate your results Discussing with your child if a topic seems practical Taking your child to the library Helping your child think of keywords for internet searches Asking how the hypothesis relates to an experiment the child can do Assisting in finding materials Monitoring safety Asking how your child will record the data in a data table Reminding your child to tie the data back to the hypothesis and draw a conclusion Act as an audience when presenting the project Helping bring the display board to school Picking an idea and a project for your child: a topic that is not of interest for your child will be boring. Doing an internet search and printing it out for your child. Writing the hypothesis yourself Writing the experimental procedure Doing the experiment, except for potential unsafe steps Telling you child step-by-step what to do. Creating a spreadsheet and making the graphs yourself, even if your child helps type in values Announcing the conclusion yourself Writing any of the text on the display board Determining the color scheme and other graphic elements Information collected from the website www.sciencebuddies.com

Good to Know February 24 th Project Proposals Due You will receive your approval by Feb. 29 th Week of March 14 th Mid Point Mentoring Sessions Having trouble getting started? Hit a road block? Mentoring sessions will be held during and after school hours to help keep you on track. (Don t worry we re always here to help along the way!) April 6 th Poster Drop Off 4:00pm - 7:00pm Stage Area April 7 th Science Fair! 6:30pm - Project Presentations Begin (Cafeteria) 7:30 pm - ** Presentations by the Eco Initiative Co-Leaders ** 8:00pm - Award Ceremony (Gym) All material (and then some) is available on the CRAS Website Science Fair. Questions? Concerns? Want to Help? Jennifer Fenstermaker jenn.fenstermaker@gmail.com or 610.329.0863