Middle Ridge Science Fair Guidelines
Date:
Time:
Location: Middle Ridge Elementary
Grade Level Participants: Individual Projects for Grades K-5
Judging: Community Members and Partners in Education
Awards: Each grade level will have an opportunity to earn 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Each winner will receive a ribbon (blue ribbon for first place, red ribbon for second place and white ribbon for third place) and a certificate.
Requirements: Students must have a project including all elements (see attached rubric). Students must prepare the project by themselves. Plagiarism (copying someone else’s ideas) is not acceptable. Parent involvement should be minimal.
Due Dates:
February 14: Problem and Hypothesis due
February 28: Procedure due
March 20: Data Collection and Summary due
March 27: Conclusion Due
April 1: Presentation Due
Assessment: Science Fair Steps Rubric
Science Fair Presentation Rubric
Science Fair Project Steps
1. Select a Topic
The first step in preparing a good science fair project is to select a topic for your project. Choose a topic that interests you.
2. Research your Topic
After selecting your topic, learn everything about it. Use the school library and local library to find books about your topic. You can also use search engines on the internet to find information. Take notes on this research. You will need to include it in your presentation.
3. Make a Plan
Once you are an “expert” on your topic, think of a problem you want to investigate. Write this as a question.
Then, decide what you think will happen and why. This is your hypothesis.
Make a plan to investigate your problem. You should write a detailed procedure explaining how you will complete your experiment. Make sure to include any variables (things you are going to change).
4. Conduct the Experiment(s)
The next step is to follow the plan you have written. While conducting the experiments, make sure you keep detailed notes on everything you observe. You make even want to take pictures or make sketches of your observations. These notes are vital to your experiment because they are needed when you write your report and make your display.
5. Analyze Your Results
Once you are finished with the experiment, organize your notes. You may want to recopy your notes so that they are more organized and can be easily understood by others. Then, think about what your data shows. Ask yourself these questions:
What happened?
Did the results agree with my hypothesis?
What is the best way to display my data? (Think about making a table or graph)
What did I learn?
6. Create your presentation
Make a detailed presentation about your project. The presentation is crucial to your success at the fair because it tells about your project. Your presentation should look professional. The presentation can be in the form of a poster/trifold boards, booklet, Powerpoint presentation, file folder, notebook. Tell exactly what you did, how you did it and what you discovered. Include your data, and some charts and/or graphs to help readers understand your information. Make sure you include some of the background information you learned.
Presentation Components
· Title: Provide the title of your project
· Question: Include the question for your project
· Experiment Plan: Describe in detail the procedure, and the method you used to collect your data and observations. Your report should be detailed enough for anyone to be able to repeat your experiment by just reading the plan. Include pictures or sketches to help your reader understand.
· Data Displayed: In this section, show your data. Include graphs, tables and/or pictures to help your reader understand.
· Data Summary: Analyze your data results, and explain why you got the results you did. Also describe what you would do differently if you were to do this project again.
· Conclusion: Summarize your results. Do not introduce anything that wasn’t already mentioned in previous parts of the paper.
· Organization: Make sure your elements are in the correct order and are correctly labeled.
· Neatness: Your presentation should be clearly legible, well-spaced and easy to read. It should be typed or neatly hand-written in pen on the correct side of notebook paper with no ripped or torn edges. The elements should be neatly displayed.
· Visuals: You must include visuals such as text and pictures, drawings, models, photographs and/or diagrams that are easy to see and clearly support your project.
· Conventions of Writing: Your presentation should not have any errors in spelling, capitalization, punctuation or grammar. Use complete sentences for all elements.
INTERNET RESOURCES FOR SCIENCE PROJECTS
Use these websites to get ideas for your project. Remember, your project and presentation must be your own ideas. Plagiarism (copying someone else’s ideas) is not acceptable.
Get ideas for starting your project
http://www.cool-science-projects.com/index.html
An overview of each part of the project
http://www.ipl.org/div/projectguide/
Discovery School: Learn the Steps for a Project
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/sciencefaircentral/scifairstudio/handbook/
http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/SciProjIntro.html
Ten Steps to a Successful Project
http://www.scifair.org/articles/steps.shtml
A Student’s Guide to Creating a Project
http://www.ag.ncat.edu/extension/programs/dte/science.pdf
GRADE LEVEL SCIENCE STANDARDS
Second Grade
Habits of mind: Asks questions and seeks answers by observation, Uses numbers to quantify, Estimates, Assembles and takes apart, Describes changes in materials, Can repeat an activity and get similar results, Uses tools to gather data, Gives accurate descriptions, Communicates ideas, Questions and attempts answers
Earth Science: Motion/patterns of celestial bodies, Changes of the earth’s surface
Physical Science: Changing attributes of materials, States of matter (solid, liquid, gas), Energy to keep things going (motion), pushes and pulls answers
Life Science: Life Cycles
Third Grade
Habits of mind: Records investigations, Analyzes whole number data, Measures, Makes sketches, Compares and describes numerically, Answers their own questions, Researches, Communicates findings, Uses tools, Understands safety concerns
Earth Science: Rocks and minerals of Georgia, Soils, Weathering, Fossils
Physical Science: Heat energy, Magnets
Life Science: Habitats, Features of organisms of Georgia, Pollution and conservation
Fourth Grade
Habits of mind: Asks questions that lead to investigations, Conducts simple investigations, Uses tools for collecting data, Uses charts and graphs, Uses data to answer questions, Writes and uses instructions, Understands fairness, Justifies reasonable answers, Identifies patterns of change, Researches for information, Understands the importance of safety concerns
Earth Science: Stars and star patterns, Solar System, Weather—data and forecasting, Effects of gravity
Physical Science: Sound, Light, Force, mass, and motion (simple machines)
Life Science: Ecosystems, Food web/Food chain, Adaptation-survival/extinction
Fifth Grade
Habits of mind: Records observations, Offers and considers reasoning, Quantifies data, Uses scientific tools, Measures and estimates, Assembles, describes, takes apart and reassembles, Identifies parts and makes models, Describes changes, Compares physical attributes, Draws and sketches, Questions and seeks to find answers, Researches for scientific information, Replicates investigations, Works safely
Earth Science: Landforms of Georgia, Effects of constructive forces, Effects of destructive forces, Role of technology in control
Physical Science: Introduction to conservation of matter, Physical Changes, Chemical Changes, Electricity and magnetism
Life Science: Classification of organisms, Inheritance of traits, Learned behaviors, Cells and microorganisms