For a printable version of the following information, and to download the entry form found at the end of the information packet, go to https://docs.google.com/file/d/1kJ7Glykw8FRbZQkC5tg_mi71GNmqeAVy08Wg9fi1cEyJnQEAWqgwRABXPLds/edit?usp=sharing
2013
Science Fair Guide
Science Fair Guide
Saturday, April 13
Location: Calvary Memorial Church
Eligibility: All
home educated students in the Roanoke
Valley and surrounding
areas are eligible to participate in the research and exhibition division of
the science fair. Students in grades
5-12 are invited to compete for first, second, and third place in their
division.
Judging: Judges will be selected by the organizers
from people in the scientific and teaching community or who have a strong
interest in scientific investigation.
Each project will be judged by at least three judges. Judging will be based upon a pre-specified
set of criteria, which can be found in this document. Students in the competitive division will be
interviewed for 5-10 minutes by each of the judges that reviews their
projects.
Awards: Awards
will be based upon the number of participants.
All participants in both the competitive and exhibition divisions will
receive recognition. First, Second, and Third place winners will
be chosen by the judges for each division.
If the number of participants per division is less than 10, the
organizers reserve the right to combine divisions. Furthermore, a Parent's Choice winner and a
Student's Choice winner will be chosen by secret ballot.
WHAT TO EXPECT THE DAY OF THE FAIR
Event Schedule:
9:15-9:45
Set Up Projects
Judges
Meeting
9:30-11:30 Public Viewing of Projects
9:45-11:00 Judging and Participant
Interviews
11:00-11:30 Tallying of Judges Scores
11:30-11:40 Awards
11:40-12:00 Public Viewing of Projects
12:00-12:30 Clean Up
GETTING STARTED AND STAYING ORGANIZED
The number one
problem students have with their science fair project is organizing their time.
It
will be very important that you get started early and work on
your project throughout the time period so that you are not trying to
get it done at the last minute. Keep a journal! This is important
and included in the judge score sheet. Below you will find a check list you can
use
to
keep yourself organized over the many weeks necessary to complete a quality
project.
Step
|
Task
|
Date Completed
|
1
|
Choose a topic. What are you interested in exploring?
|
|
2
|
Develop your scientific
question and hypothesis. Start your Journal to record your
progress as you go.
|
|
3
|
Gather resources and
information and design your experiment.
|
|
4
|
Gather materials, set up
and record your experiments. Collect
and record your data.
|
|
5
|
Continue recording data as
necessary. Depending on your
experiment, this may take several days or weeks.
|
|
6
|
Begin designing a display
board.
|
|
7
|
Assemble display, graph
data, and write conclusion.
|
|
8
|
Design charts, graphs, and
finalize writing for display.
|
|
9
|
Finalize display and
related journal. Include a report if
desired.
|
|
10
|
Attend Science Fair and do
your best!
|
|
SELECTION, DESIGN
AND DEVELOPMENT
OF YOUR SCIENCE
PROJECT
Your job is to develop a question in science that your
science fair project will test and attempt to answer. The key is to come up
with a question in science that interests you. Then you will plan and create an
experiment, instead of merely building a model or reporting on a subject
in science. Since you will be spending a great deal
of time on this experiment (many days, weeks or even
months), it is very important that you choose a science subject that really
interests you. Do not limit yourself! Consider all of the science disciplines:
Science Journal: Start a science journal right away!
This is a descriptive record of how you went about the project, what you found
out, what it means, what it makes you think, what you want to do next, etc.
Everytime you work on the project, even if it’s just ideas for what you might
do, how you might change a procedure or what you think might happen, write a
note about this. Make sure that all your entries are dated.
Developing a Question: This is a crucial step! If you
do not have a good question, a good experiment is unlikely to follow. Strong
experimental questions usually begin with “do”, “does”, “are”, or “is.” There
are exceptions, though this is a good place to begin. In general, questions
that start with “why”, “how” or “what” should be avoided, since these tend to
ask for information, but aren’t as good for designing an experiment.
Ask questions that allow you to make comparisons – For
example; the effectiveness of competing products, differences in strength, time
of day, type of species, amount of water or light or soil, etc. Remember to ask
a question that you can realistically solve through
experimentation. It shouldn’t be too broad or too difficult,
but it shouldn’t be a simple question with an answer that most people already
know. For example, “Does soil type impact the growth of tulips?” is a good
question, and the question sets up a logical
set of experiments that you can complete in order to
determine an answer.
Here are a few examples of well-worded questions that lead
to stronger, more focused experiments:
Do commercial water filters remove bacteria equally?
Does the blood-sugar level of middle school students
impact their ability to concentrate?
Is there a difference in the effectiveness of popular
stain removers?
Do certain fish learn by association?
Are there differences in strength between various bridge
designs?
Do various types of music affect the blood pressure of
people?
Is there a difference in effectiveness between
mouthwashes?
Gather Resources: There are many books and on-line
resources available to give you ideas on science fair projects and experiments.
There are also many people that can help you get started and guide you along
the way. Some examples include: teachers in middle and high schools, high
school students, university students and professors, local scientists, family
members and neighbors. You are solely responsible for your experiment, but
obtaining assistance can be very useful.
Hypothesis: A hypothesis is an educated guess that
you make attempting to answer your
question before you do any of your experimenting. A
good hypothesis has two parts: what you
think and why you believe this. For example, “I think soil
type will affect tulip growth because different soils contain differing amounts
of nutrients that the tulip needs to grow.” To the extent that it is possible
and practical you should investigate what is already known about your question.
In your science journal, document any resources you use.
Design and Carry Out Experiment: Design your
experiment to test your hypothesis. It is important that your experiments
include controls and variables and you are able to repeat the experiment
more than once and produce the same results. A control is a group or
condition that does not vary in your experiment and can be used to compare
with your experimental groups/treatments. A variable is a factor that
can change. For example, your scientific question may be: “Does the type of
soil impact the growth of tulips?” In this case you would choose different
soils to test and compare to a “control” soil. The different soil types are the
variables. Make sure to include a complete list of all of your materials
that you use in your experiment and keep a specific procedure. The
procedure is “recipe cookbook” step-by-step instructions explaining how to
perform your
experiment. Your procedure is complete if anyone wanting to
repeat your experiment could do so using your instructions.
Gather Data: Every step of your experiment should be
documented. This requires that you keep detailed numerical data and descriptive
observations. For example, “March 2, Day #20 – measured tulip growth and added
water to all plants.” Photos and graphs can be generated from your data to
present your findings and convey scientific accuracy.
Data Analysis, Conclusion: Once your experiment is
completed, go back over your data and observations to interpret what you found.
You may need to graph your data and perform some sort of analysis to determine
if your results are significant. That means “Is there too much variation in
your data to draw a conclusion?” Summarize all of your data to form a
conclusion. You should remember to restate your original hypothesis and
state how your results support it or not. Your conclusion may also
suggest variables that may have affected results that you could not control and
suggestions for further testing.
Process Analysis: Provide a written response (less
than 1 page each) addressing the following topics:
1) My method of research was (outline what you did and
why)….
2) The best part about this project was….
3) The next time I do a research project I will….
4) I could have improved this project by….
5) What I learned from this experience was….
6) How can a future study or project be created from mine?
CONTEST RULES AND REGULATIONS
Only
entries that follow the guidelines below will be accepted into the competitive
division, so it is important to keep them in mind as you carry out your
project.
Scientists
– The project must be completed by one student working independently. Parents, guardians, and teachers may advise
students on their
projects,
but please limit the amount of help provided. The projects must be developed
and carried out by the students.
Display
–All work must fit on or in front of the board. No electricity or
water
will be provided. Your display will be limited to 3 feet of table space. No
open flames or burners will be permitted at the fair. No open flames or burners
may be used in the display.
Judging
– Judging will be done by outside officials. All judges’ decisions are
final. After projects are checked in for judging, no changes may be made.
Live
Animals –No live animals will be permitted at the fair (this includes
invertebrates).
Health
& Safety –
No poisonous animals, pathogenic
or carcinogenic materials, hypodermic needles, explosives, body fluids,
flammables, poisonous chemicals or other dangerous materials may be used.
Open flames, burners, lasers, x-rays, ultraviolet, or infrared radiation may be
used during the project only under adult supervision. They cannot be part of
the display.
Science
Journal – Each project must include a science journal as described
under “Selection, Design and Development of your Science Project.” This report
must be the original work of the scientist(s) involved. This journal should not
be attached to the board, but presented on the table in front of it.
Judging Criteria
Total
Points___________ (out of 70
possible)
Student
Name__________________ Project
#___________________
Grade____________ Judge
#____________________
PROJECT OBJECTIVE (10 POINTS)
Originality of Investigation (5)
|
Great Idea, very
original
|
Good idea, some
originality
|
Keep working on
originality
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Clearly stated research and hypothesis (5)
|
Very clear,
testable research question. An
informed layperson would understand the objectives.
|
Reasonably
clear. An informed person would need
minor clarification.
|
Keep working on
clarity.
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
PROJECT
IMPLEMENTATION (10 POINTS)
The experiment addresses the question and is clearly
explained; includes step-by-step procedures. (5)
|
The experiment
clearly and accurately relates the experiment to the question and
step-by-step procedures could be readily replicated.
|
Reasonable
explanation of the experiment.
Relationship between question and experiment. Somewhat clear procedures.
|
Question is not
well-addressed by the experiment.
Explanation of the experiment needs development.
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Clearly defined variables and controls (5)
|
Variables and
controls are clearly and readily defined.
They are thoroughly explained (as appropriate).
|
Explanation of
variables is somewhat vague or not completely defined (as appropriate).
|
Little evidence of
definition or explanation of variables.
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
DATA COLLECTION (10
POINTS)
Repetition of experiment to verify results (5)
|
Sufficient number
of trials
|
Slightly more/fewer
trials were needed.
|
Not enough/ too
many trials were made.
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Results are measurable (5)
|
Measurement is well
used in the interpretation of experimental results.
|
Use of measurement
is a little shaky.
|
Measurement was not
well used in this experiment.
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
DATA INTERPRETATION
(10 POINTS)
Data is presented in a graphic form (charts, graphs,
pictures). (5)
|
Graphics used are
appropriate, clear, compelling, and sufficient
|
Graphics used are
adequate but could be improved.
|
Data is poorly
represented by the graphics.
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Data is used to draw a well-supported conclusion. (5)
|
Very clear and
correct connections between data and conclusions.
|
Connections between
data and conclusions are mostly clear and correct.
|
Connections between
data and conclusions are not clear or well supported.
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
PROJECT
PRESENTATION (10 POINTS)
Clear and thorough explanation of investigation (5)
|
The presentation
provides clear and thorough explanation of the investigation.
|
The presentation
offers a limited but adequate explanation of the investigation.
|
Insufficient
evidence of ability to explain investigation and/or results.
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Neatness and organization (5)
|
Presentation is
neat. Organization is clear and
effective.
|
Neatness and
Organization are adequate but could be improved.
|
Lack of neatness
and/or organization distracts from presentation.
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
SCIENCE JOURNAL (10
POINTS)
A complete informal journal of all work completed on the
project. (5)
|
Journal shows
consistent, appropriately detailed, and relevant entries.
|
Journal entries
were not made consistently and/or do not give a complete account of the
investigation.
|
Journal entries are
few and/or appear to have been created at the last moment.
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Clearly written and in student's own words (5)
|
Journal is clear
and in the student's own words (consistent with the interview).
|
Journal is mostly
clear and in the student's own words (consistent with the interview).
|
Journal is not
clear and/or not in the student's own words (consistent with the interview)
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
INTERVIEW (10 POINTS)
Student is present. (5)
|
Student is there
when you arrive and remains present throughout the interview.
|
Student is late or
needs to be summoned to the interview.
|
Student was not
present to be interviewed.
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
Student answers questions related to the project. (5)
|
Student answers
reasonable questions readily and demonstrates complete understanding.
|
Answers are
reasonable but reveal minor gaps in understanding.
|
Answers reveal a
serious lack of understanding about the project.
|
|
5
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
IMPRESSIVE ASPECTS
ABOUT THIS PROJECT:
SUGGESTIONS FOR
IMPROVEMENT:
Project
Checklist for Student:
Note: This criteria
list comes directly from the judge scoring sheet. Please see judge scoring
sheet for a clearer understanding of what is assessed by the judge.
______
Experiment is a great idea and original.
______ Project
has a clearly stated research question and hypothesis.
______ The
experiment addresses the question and is clearly explained; includes step-by-step procedures.
______ Project
has clearly defined variables and controls.
______ There
are sufficient number of trials to verify results.
______ Results
are measureable and measurement is well used in the interpretation of results.
______ Data is
presented in a graphic form (charts, graphs, pictures).
______ Data is
used to draw a well supported conclusion.
______ The
presentation provides a clear and thorough explanation of the investigation.
______ The
presentation is neat and organized.
______ The science journal provides a
complete informal record of all work related to the project.
______ The science journal is clearly
written and in student’s own words.
______ Student
is present for the judge interview.
______ Student
answers reasonable questions readily and demonstrates complete understanding of their project
during the judge interview.
Source: Science
Fair Guide, http://www.stcatherineschool.net