Science Fair Help

This booklet contains information regarding each of the following steps. Use the table of contents to help you locate the information for each step.

Select a Question - Remember a Science Fair Project shows a process you used to find an answer to a question. You’re not just showing what you know about something, you’re showing how you found an answer to a question. (See page 5 for more help.) Make sure your project is a good one! (See pages 15-19 for rules and forms.)

Gather Background Information - Gather information about your topic from books, magazines, the Internet, people and companies. Keep notes about where you got your info. (See page 11.)

Scientific Method - State your question as a “What happens if...” question. State your Hypothesis: That’s your guess about what the answer will be. Most “What happens if...” questions lead you to compare the difference between two varied situations. Select a variable (something you will change/vary) that will help you find your answer. (See page 12.)

Run Controlled Experiment and Record Data - Do the experiment as described above. Keep a careful journal. Write down everything you can think of, you might need it later. (See page 13.)

Graphs and Charts - What happened? Answer that question, then put the results in graphs and charts. (See page 13)

Construct an Exhibit or Display - It has to be neat, but it does NOT have to be typed. Make it fun, but be sure people can understand what you did. Show that you used the Scientific Method. (Page 13.)

Write a Report - Tell the story of your project - tell what you did and exactly how you did it. Include your background information and detailed descriptions of your work and results. (Page 14.)

Practice Presentation to Judges - Practice explaining your project to someone (parent, friend, grandparent, etc.) This will help you be calm on judgment day! (Page 14.)

"What happens if...?" Selecting a topic is sometimes the most difficult part of completing a project. The purpose of the science fair is to give you a chance to study something that you choose yourself. Try to find a question that interests you. Remember that your project should include experimental evidence as well as information you gather from other sources. Your project should answer a “What happens if...?” question.

Use your experiences - Remember a time you noticed something and thought "I wonder how that works?" or "I wonder what would happen if...?" Those questions make perfect projects. Check the school library for more information. Search library catalogs, browse book titles and search the Internet for things you are interested in. Your project should answer a question you have genuine interest in. The main purpose of the project is to give you a chance to practice the methods of learning that you can use all of your life.

Think about current events. Look at the newspaper or check out the Internet. Do you find yourself asking questions about world hunger, holes in the ozone layer, pollution, medicine, psychology, sports, or music. Can you think of any “What happens if...?” questions?

Watch commercials on TV. Test their claims. Does that anti-perspirant really stop wetness better than other ones? What happens if I use brand X mouthwash instead of brand Z? What happens if cereal A and B sit in milk for 10 minutes? What happens if I change the cooking times for brand B frozen biscuits?

Look at lists of science topics and questions. There are lists available in this booklet and on the Internet. Pick one that you are interested in then invent a project to learn more about it. For example: you are interested in psychology, narrow your interest in psychology down to the differences between boys and girls, then to a topic like "Do boys prefer girl bands, mixed bands, or boy bands?"

The following list is provided to stimulate your thinking and is not meant to serve as a list of finished projects. Read through the list. There are more lists like this on the Internet. When you think you have a good question, begin filling out the proposal form on page 18.

Gather information about your topic from books, magazines, the Internet, people and companies. Use a sheet of paper or a notebook to keep notes about where you got your info. You'll use this information for your final report.

State the Purpose of your experiment - What are you trying to find out? Write it as a question in your notebook.

Think of an experiment you can do to help answer your question. Select a variable (something you will change/vary) that will help you find your answer. On a sheet in your notebook, briefly describe your experiment and variable.

Describe how you will change the variable you selected and how you think doing so will help you answer your question. Write your description in your notebook.

How will you measure and analyze your results? Write a description of how you plan to accomplish your data collection and analysis

Run a Controlled Experiment and Record Data Do the experiment as you described it in the previous section. Keep notes in your notebook. Write down everything you can think of, you will need it later and you will be asked to show your notebook as part of your project.

What happened in your experiment? Answer that question, then put the results in graphs and charts. Ask for help from your teacher before you make your graphs and charts. If you use the incorrect type of graph or chart for the data you collect you will be docked points by the judges!

Tell the story of your project - tell what you did and exactly how you did it. Make sure your report includes at least the following things:

Practice explaining your project to someone (parent, friend, grandparent, etc.) This will help you be calm on judgment day! The score or grade you receive on the project will depend, in part, on how well you can explain what you did and what you learned from it. Be prepared! The last page of this booklet contains a sample judges sheet. This one may not be exactly like the ones that will be used to grade your project but it is similar in all of the way that matter.

Animals are defined as any living thing that is not a plant, fungus or single-celled organism. Animal parts such as shells, teeth, and skeletons, study skins or taxidermy mounts that are legally purchased, prepared, or possessed may be exhibited without following the Rules for Animal Experimentation.

Observational projects that do not confine or attempt to alter the physiology or behavior of free wild animals are also exempt from the rules for animal experimentation.

All projects involving animals or animal parts must abide by the Rules and Guidelines for Animal Experimentation as set forth in this Handbook. International Science Fair rules are strict and our Fair must abide by the following rules:

This form is given as a suggestion but your teacher may require that you use it or something similar. Be sure to check with your teacher.

State your project as a question. ________________________________________________

Note: This form is required by some teachers and not by others. Check with your teacher. Failure to turn this form in on time may have drastic results for your grade in your science class.

Use of the Scientific Method
1	3	5
Missing many of the required components: ü Question/Problem ü Hypothesis ü Experiment: o Materials o Procedure o Constants and variable ü Analysis of results in the form of a table, graph, journal sheet, and/or pictures ü Conclusion ü Lab report or abstract	Missing some of the required components: ü Question/Problem ü Hypothesis ü Experiment: o Materials o Procedure o Constants and variable ü Analysis of results in the form of a table, graph, journal sheet, and/or pictures ü Conclusion ü Lab report or abstract	Contains all of the required components: ü Question/Problem ü Hypothesis ü Experiment: o Materials o Procedure o Constants and variable ü Analysis of results in the form of a table, graph, journal sheet, and/or pictures ü Conclusion ü Lab report or abstract
Data
Data is neither clear nor neatly displayed in visuals. Visuals don’t relate to the topic, aren’t large enough, lacking captions.	Data is not either clear or neatly displayed in visuals. Visuals don’t relate to the topic, aren’t large enough or are lacking captions.	Data is clearly and neatly displayed in visuals. Visuals relate to the topic, are large enough and have appropriate captions.
Topic or Idea
The topic or idea is below grade level, does not require experimentation or is apparently poorly understood by the student.	The topic is near grade level, does not require thorough experimentation or there is evidence that the student doesn’t understand the topic.	The topic is at or above grade level, requires thorough research and experimentation and there is evidence that the student understands the topic.
Project Appearance
Project is messy and appears to have been carelessly done. Little or no attention is paid to detail, too much whiteout, cross-outs, crooked writing, done in pencil	Project is somewhat neatly done. Some attention is paid to detail, some whiteout, cross-outs, crooked writing, done in pencil	Project is neatly done, creative and organized, a great deal of attention is paid to detail, writing or word processing is neatly done, pen, markers and rulers are used where appropriate.
Writing
Project is poorly written an difficult to understand: ü Writing is unfocused and off topic ü Grammar is poor; many punctuation, grammar and spelling errors ü Little or no evidence of proofreading and editing	Parts of the project are difficult to understand: ü Writing is not completely focused on the topic ü Difficult to follow because of sentence and/or paragraph structure ü Some evidence of proofreading and editing	Project is well-written; ü Focused and on-topic ü Good grammar, spelling and punctuation ü Good sentence structure ü Evidence of proofreading and editing