SCIENCE FAIR SIGN UP! The NLMS Science Fair will be March 16, 2016. Students in grades 6-8 can participate. We will choose 3 winners from each grade, who will receive medals for their projects. Though you can ask your science teacher for advice and ideas, this project is meant to be done at home. Tear this sheet off, fill it out, and give it to your science teacher no later than February 1, 2016. Use this (optional) journal to help guide your project. Projects are due to Mr. Stewart by March 15, 2016. Contact rstewart@norleb.k12.pa.us with questions. Student s Name: Grade: Student s Science Teacher: If you are working in a group, what are the names of your group member(s)? The question I plan to be investigating is:
Science Fair Project Journal This science project notebook belongs to: (Name / Grade) Question I m investigating: Please note that this journal is meant to help you in preparing, conducting, and presenting your science fair project. The activities in here will guide you. However, using the journal is not required. The journal does not need to be part of your science fair project presentation, but you may consider using parts of the journal in your presentation.
The Scientific Method 1. Pick a question (or problem). 2. Make observations about the question. 3. Make a guess (or hypothesis). 4. Perform the experiment (test the hypothesis). 5. Record data and analyze results. 6. Make a conclusion.
I. Problem or Question Development List some things that interest you: Do you like nature? Do you like chemistry and mixing things? What science would you like to learn more about? Use the chart below to think of some ideas
Write down three possible science fair project ideas: As you develop your project idea, consider the following questions with your family: Do we have time for this project or should we choose something that is shorter? Do we have the space (inside or outside) for this project? Can we purchase all of the items for this projects or are some too expensive or too hard to find? Will we need to build anything and, if so, can we do it? The next two pages have lots of ideas for your science fair project. As you narrow down your interests, consider some of the project ideas listed on the next page. Read through and get inspired! But remember, the list on the next few pages is just a drop in the bucket of what s available. Search the internet, talk to family and friends, and use your own creativity and imagination to come up with a project of your own! Remember to avoid plagiarism! Also, check online for some good science fair project ideas. A good source is sciencebuddies.org just take a short survey, and they will generate tons of great ideas for you! Also, feel free to take an idea and tweak it to be your own! Have fun and be creative!
Physical Science: What variables affect the swing of a pendulum (length of string, or mass of pendulum)? Is there a relationship between the size and strength of a magnet? What types of surfaces produce the greatest or least amount of friction? What variables determine the strengths of an electromagnetic (number of wire wraps, wire gauge diameter of nail)? What variables affect the flight of an airplane? (materials, weight, shape, angle of launch) How is bounce height of a ball related to drop height? What variables (size, shape, materials, etc.) affect the efficiency of parachutes? Which shape of windmill blade is most efficient? How does the length of a rotor affect helicopter flight? Does the length of a ramp and inclined plane affect the amount of force needed to pull a load up the ramp? Does the temperature of the air affect air pressure? What effect does air pressure have on a ball s bounce? Which type of oil lubricates best, or reduces friction? Does mass effect how fast objects of equal volume will fall through a liquid? Does the shape or mass of an anchor affect its efficiency its holding power? Which boat shape can support the most weight? Does the temperature of a hockey puck affect how far it will travel? How does the size of a wheel affect the rate at which it lifts a load? What is the effect of mass on rocket trajectory? How does temperature affect a ball s bounce height? Does the angle of launching affect how far a paper airplane flies? What variables (amount of air, nozzle, shape, angle of assent, different pathways, etc.) affect the distance a balloon rocket will travel? Which type of material conducts sound the best? Do different types of string or string length affect the efficiency of a paper cup or can telephone? Do different watt light bulbs produce different amounts of heat? What effect does temperature have on buoyancy? Does color affect the rate in which an ice cube melts? What material makes the best heat insulator? SAMPLE PROJECT IDEAS Which type of container keeps liquids hotter longer? What effect does temperature have on the elasticity of a rubber band? What effect does color have on temperature? Which colors are best seen at night reflect light best? Do suction cups stick equally well to various surfaces? Does the amount of stretch of a rubber band affect the distance of rubber band will travel? What design shape supports a bridge the best? Does salt water or lemon juice have any effect on the rate of dehydration of different types of apples? How is the strength of a magnet affected by glass, cardboard, and plastic? What is the relationship between temperature and amount of carbonation in soft drinks? Does the density of a liquid affect its droplet shape? Do basketballs that are fully inflated bounce better than flatter ones? Does viscosity (thickness) of a liquid have an effect on the rate of evaporation or the boiling/freezing point? What coating inhibits rust formation the best? Which will food coloring mix into faster? Hot, medium, or cold water? Which chemicals slow the browning of apples? What effect does temperature/packaging have on the ripening of bananas? Does temperature have an effect on solubility? Does the color of water have an effect on evaporation rate? Does temperature affect the growth of sugar crystals? What materials melt an ice cube most efficiently? Does temperature affect Alka Seltzer s reaction rate? Do heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones? Does the density of wood affect how much weight different pieces of wood will hold in water? How well do different types of wood absorb water? What type of metals will rust faster than others? What liquid works best in making invisible ink? Do watches keep the same time? Computer Science: Does the font style of the letters (or characters) in a file change the size of the file? How does the file size change as more letters (or characters) are added to a file? What search terms give the best results? Which search engine gives the best results?
SAMPLE PROJECT IDEAS Earth Science: Are there differences in shadow length during the day? inside vs outside or within different rooms in a building? non-shaded areas during the day and at night? radio stations? n wind speed or direction over a period of time? oil spills? at different wind speeds? How quickly does a creek change water temperature in comparison with air temperature? charcoal filter water? or rock? What percentage of an orange is water? Do magnets affect plant growth? shaking notion of an earthquake the best? What affect do Epsom salts have on plant growth? How does mint extract affect bean growth? Can recycled newspaper be used to fertilize plants? Engineering: What factors affect the top speed of an RC car? What brand of matchbox car rolls more freely? Does the material of a parachute affect its drop speed? What levee construction will hold the most water? Which folded paper structure will support the most stress or weight? Which truss design will withstand the most weight? Will the amount of material eroded change as the slope angle increases? Does the area of a parachute affect how fast it falls? Which file card bridge hold the most pennies? Which paper hoop plane will fly the longest distance? Which building design best withstands an earthquake? Life Science: What effect do different colors of light have on the growth of plants? What type of seeds will germinate fastest? Does the direction a seed is planted affect the growth of the seed? Do vitamins or fertilizers affect the growth of plants? Do mirrors have an effect on plant growth? Does acid rain have an effect on the germination of seeds crush? Does electricity affect the growth of seeds or plants? Which direction will a vine grow around a support? What medium works best for growing seeds? Does temperature affect the growth of seeds? Is there a relationship between seed size & fruit size? Which fruit or orange drinks have the most vitamin C? How much of a fruit or vegetable is made up of water? Do potato cubes gain mass in saltwater solutions? What factors affect the growth of mold temperature light moisture? What packaging materials inhibit the growth of mold? What food substances will cause yeast to produce the greatest amount of carbon dioxide? What effect does fertilizer oil or detergent have on the microscope microscopic life found in pond water? Do stream conditions (temperature, ph, oxygen level) affect the organisms living there? What conditions (temperature, food, light or moisture) do earthworms, mealworms, crickets or other invertebrates perfect prefer? What effect does caffeine have on fruit flies? Mathematics: What are the most common sums of two rolled dice? What is the probability of reaching into a bin and selecting a particular color of M&M candy? Can statistics be used to predict the contents of products such as fruit snacks, jelly beans, or M&Ms? Which juice box manufacturer has the largest volume of juice and the least amount of packaging material? How do the dimensions of a rectangular prism change with respect to each other? Does the probability of drawing a particular card from a deck depend upon the number of that type of card in the deck?
Develop a Question: What would happen if I did? What would happen if I changed? Your question is the specific problem, topic or question you plan to investigate. The results or answer for your question can only be found by a hands-on investigation. Good Example: Does weight affect how fast a pendulum swings? This is a good example because you begin your question with a very basic wondering. Poor Example: How does weight affect how fast a pendulum swings? This is a poor example because when you use the word how you already assume you can change the pendulum s speed.
II. Observations / Research Think about the question: What do I already know about the question? What have I learned before about the question? Basic facts I know before I begin: III. My Guess or Hypothesis A scientific or thoughtful guess is called a hypothesis. After learning about my science question, I know enough to make a guess. What might I see in my experiment? I think if I change this, then this will happen.
IV. The Experiment: What do I need to do to test my hypothesis? What will I change in my experiment (independent variable)? What will change because of what I changed (dependent variable)? What will stay the same in my experiment (controlled variables, or constants)? A. Materials What do I need to conduct my experiment? What needs to be measured?
B. Procedures How will I conduct my experiment? What steps do I need to do conduct my experiment? Be specific.
V. My Results Observations and Measurements of the Results of the Experiment Data Tables Charts & Graphs (Depending on your project, you will probably need more space than what is provided below.) Analysis What does it mean? Does it answer my questions?
VI. Conclusion What happened? Why do I think it happened? Was my hypothesis correct? (It is okay if my hypothesis wasn t correct!) If I did the experiment again, what would I change? What information did I learn that could help others?
Display After you have made conclusions about your question, you will want to present your science fair project for the whole school to see. Typically, your display starts as a tri-fold board, but can also be a poster board or something similar. When designing your display, consider the following: How will you let everybody know what your project question was? How will you share your observations and your hypothesis? Will you use photographs to help explain your experiments? Will you have actual artifacts as part of your display? What will fit on the board? What types of graphs will you use to display your results? Will you use line graphs, bar graphs, pie charts, or another kind of graph? Where will you put your written conclusion? How can you make your display neat and presentable? Is your display going to make people want to read about and learn more about the project you did? Remember to take time to plan it out, and take time to create your display as neatly and attractively as possible. You might want to use the back of this paper to design how your display will look.
Use this page to take notes, jot down questions or ideas, or plan how you want your display to be designed. Remember to turn your science fair project and display in to Mr. Stewart by the due date!