Science Fair

Information taken from The Science Fair Comic Book by John and Patty Carratello

A science project is an INVESTIGATION you do to find the answer to a QUESTION you

have.

Steps in a Scientific Investigation

• Asking a question

• Making a hypothesis

• Planning the investigation

• Collecting and recording data

• Organizing data

• Explaining results

• Thinking of new questions

• Sharing results

Project Ideas Remember, your science fair project

should start with a question.

*What topic interests you most?

* What have you always wondered about that topic? Once you've decided the question you want to answer, everything from the hypothesis to the procedure will flow from there.

Asking QuestionsNot all questions are scientific questions.

• Is the puddle big or small?

• How deep is the puddle?

Questioning

• There are many things to ask and many ways to ask questions.– Questions answered with YES or NO

• Does sunlight help plants grow?

– Questions answered by making a choice• Which brand of popcorn pops more, Popper or Pops?

– Questions that can’t be answered Yes or No or by making a choice.

• Over what type of surface does a ball roll farther?

Questioning

• Not all questions are good for a project– Questions that you can’t investigate

• You should test your question yourself • Books are fine for research but not for testing

– Examples of bad questions:• How does a volcano work?• What’s the temperature on Venus?

Questioning

• Knowing WHAT you want to ask and HOW you want to ask it is the hardest part of doing a scientific project.

• Everything else you do just helps you find the answer to your QUESTION.

Hypothesis

• A hypothesis is what scientists call a GOOD GUESS about what the answer to a question will be.– Research question first

• Books• Internet• People• Your own thinking

– After your research then form hypothesis

Hypothesis

• Example:– Question: Which boils faster, plain tap water

or tap water with salt?– Research: Decide what you and others know

about boiling water. – Form Hypothesis: Tap water with salt will boil

faster than plain tap water.

• Now you are ready to test your hypothesis.

Procedure

• After you have formed your hypothesis, you will have to plan out a PROCEDURE to test your hypothesis.– Material List: What do you need?

• Salt, clean pan, tap water, stove or microwave, adult (to make sure you are safe)

• Anything else?...– If you are going to test which boils more quickly, how are

you going to measure it?– WATCH or TIMER

Procedure• You should create STEP-BY-STEP

DIRECTIONS for your procedure.– List your directions in the order that they will be done.

• 1. Fill the pan with 3 cups of room temperature tap water.• 2. Put the pan on the stove.• 3. Turn the stove on highest setting.• 4. Start timer.• 5. Record results.

– Your procedure will also include your directions for testing the tap water with salt.

• Control all variables except the one being tested to make sure your test is a FAIR TEST. – Controlled variable - Manipulated variable

• TEST YOUR HYPOTHESIS 3 – 5 TIMES!

Observe and Record Data

• Once you follow the directions of your procedure, observe and record your data.– Keep a journal to record what you observe during

each of your tests.• Your journal is your record of what you DID, what you

OBSERVED, and what you THOUGHT for each day you did your investigation.

• Charts can also be a part of your journal to record data.

• It is important to WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN!• TEST your hypothesis 3-5 times to make sure

data is reliable!

Conclusion/Results

• After the hypothesis is tested several times and the data is collected, you are ready to determine your conclusion.– Did you prove your hypothesis?

• TRUE?: results supported the hypothesis• FALSE?: results did not support hypothesis

– Even if your hypothesis is proven false, you have conducted a good investigation and your information is just as valuable.

Sharing Results

• The main part of the display is the DISPLAY BOARD. It tells the story of your investigation so others can see what you did. It must contain your:– Title – choose a catchy title to “grab” your audience– Question– Hypothesis– Procedure– Results– Conclusion– Charts, graphs, pictures, equipment, models or

anything else that will help explain your project. You may want to include your journal in a “pocket” to view.

Science Project CHECKLIST• Ask a QUESTION that you can

investigate yourself.• Begin a JOURNAL to write down

everything you do, observe, and think during investigation.

• Do RESEARCH on the TOPIC of your question.

• Form a HYPOTHESIS about what you think the answer to your question will be.

• Plan a PROCEDURE to TEST your hypothesis. Decide what MATERIALS you will need and write STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS for what you will do and how you will do it. BE SAFE.

• Construct a CHART to help you COLLECT and ORGANIZE your DATA.

• Fill out and sign SCIENCE PROJECT PROPOSAL.

• Have your teacher and parents sign PROPOSAL, too! (Do prior to testing)

• Follow the step-by-step directions of your procedure and RECORD data in your journal (chart).

• Summarize the RESULTS of your testing in a WRITTEN SUMMARY.

• Make a GRAPH of the results, so others can see at a glance what you’ve learned.

• Write a CONCLUSION statement which either restates your hypothesis (if supported) or revises it (if not supported)

• Write a SCIENCE PROJECT REPORT that summarizes investigation.

• Be prepared to give an ORAL PRESENTATION.

• Construct your SCIENCE PROJECT DISPLAY.

Asking QuestionsDifferent kinds of scientific questions require

different kinds of investigations.

Sample Questions• At what temperature does water boil?• How many days will it take a potato to sprout?• What is the average number of raisins in a box of

Really Raisins breakfast cereal?• Which dissolves more completely in water – salt or

baking soda?• How many seeds does a Washington apple have?

Asking Questions

• Which dish soap makes the most bubbles?

• What types of things do magnets attract?

• How do different types of liquids affect fruit-fly growth?

• How does the color of a background affect its absorption of solar heat?

• On which foods does fungus grow best?

• What kind of juice cleans pennies best?

• Does a ball roll faster on grass or dirt?

Asking Questions

• How are teeth affected by fluorides and acids?

• How far can a water balloon be tossed to someone before it breaks?

• Which color of light causes green beans to grow best?

• Can potatoes be grown without soil?

• How do worms affect plant growth?

Asking Questions

• How does rotation affect plant growth?

• Does music affect plant growth?

• Does a plant grow best in sunlight or artificial light?

• Do electromagnetic fields affect plant growth?

• Does adding salt to water lower its freezing point?

Asking Questions• Will spaghetti cook faster with or without salt? • Which beverage contains the most sugar? • How much salt does it take to make an object

float? • To what color of bird feeders are birds most

attracted? • Do some colors absorb more sunlight than

others? • How many inches can a person lean forward

before they begin to fall?

Asking Questions

• To get a good answer, you need to start with a good question.

• Asking What, How, When, Where, or Why

• The project question needs to identify something that you will change, test, or experiment.

Websites for

Science Fair Topics

• www.all-science-fair-projects.com

• www.sciencenewsforkids.org

• www.super-science-fair-projects.com