Dear Students and Parents, Hebron-Harman Elementary School Science Fair Packet We are glad that you are participating in our Science Fair! More information about the exact times for the fair held at school on Thursday April 4 th will follow. Your student should follow the parts of a science project as described in the organizer. These parts must be evident on a display board. If the student chooses not to use a display board, the information should be written on the attached form and placed with the report on the display table. Anything not directly attached to the display board will not be allowed in the presentation, so it may be helpful to take pictures or draw pictures of each step of the experiment or any items that the student wants people to see. Pictures should be of the project, not the student. A list of topics is included in this packet. You may want to visit the library to check out a book or magazine about science experiments, or talk to your classroom teacher for suggestions. Please remember that we expect the work to reflect the age and maturity level of the student. First, and foremost, we want this to be an enjoyable experience. Every child will receive a certificate for participating in the fair and winners from the 3 rd -5 th grades will represent our school in the County Science Fair on May 22 nd and 23 rd at Severna Park Middle School. Good Luck! Any questions or concerns, please contact your child s teacher!
Science Fair Topics Below is a list of topics that your child is learning this year in science. 3 rd Grade Forces; Heat; Properties of Matter; Changes in Matter; Magnification; Cells; Recycling Materials; Nutrition & Physical Fitness; Earth s Natural Features; Features of the Ocean Floor; Properties of Sound. 4 th Grade Microscopes and Cells; Genetics; Diversity of Life; Energy; Food; Astronomy. 5 th Grade Matter; Motion, Distance, & Speed; Forces & Energy; Heat; Electricity; Magnetism; Light; Changes to Earth s Surface; Minerals; Fossils; Water Cycle; Natural Resources; Environmental Issues. Here are a few examples of science fair topics. You can find many more examples on the Internet or at the library. Please remember that the topic chosen needs to be an investigation, NOT a model (ex. Solar system, volcano, etc.) How does music affect the growth of plants? Which vegetables serve as the best conductors of electricity? What brand of matchbox car rolls more freely? Does artificial colored light make plants grow better then natural sunlight? Does the location of a planted seed affect its growth? Which product waterproofs shoes the best? Which battery is the best which lasts longer? Which type of liquid do plants grow best in? Do beans grow better in clay, sand, or potting soil? Which brand of paper towels is the strongest? Does sound affect plant growth? Which materials filters water the best? What liquid works best when making invisible ink? What material carries the most static electricity? What type of salt melts ice faster? Does the material of a parachute affect how fast it drops? What soil do plants grow best in?
Parents Guide to Science Projects Information on the Scientific Method Science projects should follow the Scientific Method. Each step needs to be outlined on the project board. Please see the attached handout or brochure on the scientific method for more information. Time Management See the timeline on the 2 nd page of the packet for all the key due dates. Help your child meet these dates by getting out your family calendar and marking the due dates. You can also create a timeline for completing each part of the project. Block out times for trips to the library and other work times. Look for any scheduling conflicts, such as vacations, and discuss issues with your teacher. How to Help As your child works on his or her project, he or she will likely face stumbling blocks. To help, ask questions to help your child figure things out; just don t provide the answers. Open-ended questions, such as, What else could you do to try to solve this? or What is stopping you from going on to the next step? are examples of open-ended questions. Sometimes just talking it out will help children get unstuck. If not, ask the teacher for help. Respect your child s independence in learning by helping at the right level. Helping at the Right Level at Every Step Project Step Helping at the Right Level: Going to Far: Ask a question Discussing with your child if a topic Picking an idea and a project seems practical for your child: a topic that is not of interest for your child will Do Background research Construct a hypothesis Test the hypothesis by doing an experiment Analyze data and draw a conclusion Communicate your results 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 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
Final Project Checklist Name Date Does your display board include the following MANDATORY parts? Title (separate from the problem/question Problem in the form of a question Hypothesis what you think will happen and why Resources List books and internet sites used to research your topic Materials List all materials used in the experiment Procedure Numbered steps explaining how to do the experiment Data Collection handwritten notes taken while observing experiment Analysis data inputted into a chart and into graphs Conclusion was your hypothesis correct or incorrect and why, data was included in your conclusion, and what you would do differently if you did the project again Name, teacher, and grade on the BACK of the project Does your display board include the following OPTIONAL parts? Pictures of each step (student s face is not in the pictures) Everything is attached to the display board Have you: Checked for proper capitalization and punctuation? Checked for grammar and spelling mistakes? Neatly displayed all information on your display board?
Science Project Planner Due to Classroom Teacher on February 12 th 1. Choose a topic. I want to learn more about 2. Category (Circle one) Behavior and Social Sciences Botany Chemistry Earth and Space Sciences Environmental Sciences Medicine and Health Physics and Engineering Zoology Mathematics Computer Sciences Team Projects 3. State your question. does 4. Form your hypothesis. I think 5. Plan the steps of your experiment. A. B. C. D. E. 6. Gather your materials and references. I will need 7. Repeat your experiment to validate your results. I will repeat my experiment times. 8. After conducting the experiment, record your results. I will record the information by 9. On the back of this page, draw a picture of what you think your project will look like.
Name Date Scientific Method Steps for Completing a Science Fair Project Topic: Problem: State in the form of a question Research: Books/Websites used to do research Hypothesis: What do you believe will happen? State what will happen and why. Materials: What materials are needed for the experiment?
Procedures: What steps will you follow for the experiment? Results: What results were found? Show charts, graphs, tables, diagrams, etc. Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average Take the above date and make a graph on grid paper. Analysis: Was your hypothesis true? Why or why not? Conclusion: Explain your results. What did you learn?