SCIENCE FAIR Grade 6

Science Fairs • What is the objective of science fairs? • > They require participants to use and demonstrate the scientific method • > Many of them require you to conduct investigations by experimentation • > They encourage the development of critical thinking skills

What to look for?? Selecting a question for research can be the most difficult step in the project. Students should begin by looking at their own personal interests. If they have a love of football, looking at questions involved with handling the ball, the texture of the football, or physical properties of the gear may spark an interest. Student interested in dance might concentrate on how position of the body affects spin, factors affecting the wear and tear on the toes of shoes; the possibilities are endless! All areas of a student’s life have questions that can peak the interest of the student and make that first step an exciting one. Avoid projects that are demonstrations of a scientific principle or event, such as model volcanoes or tornadoes in a bottle. Steer clear of books and websites that offer “cookbook” experiments.

SCIENTIFIC METHOD • • • • •

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Problem/Purpose • What idea are you trying to test? • What is the scientific question you are trying to answer? Hypothesis • Make a prediction regarding the outcome of your experiment and explain your thinking. For example, “My hypothesis is …...because…....” • State the results you are predicting in measurable terms. For example, “If………., then……….” Materials: • List all materials and equipment that were used. • Your list of materials should include all of the ingredients of the procedure recipe

Procedure • Your procedure should be like a recipe--another person should be able to perform your experiment following your procedure. Test this with a friend or parent to be sure you have not forgotten anything. This is an important part of doing good science. • Be clear about the variables (elements of the experiment that change to test your hypothesis) versus your controls (elements of the experiment that do not change). • Be very specific about how you will measure results to prove or disprove your hypothesis. You may want to develop a regular timetable for measuring results or making observations (i.e. every hour, every day, every week). • Sample size should be as large as possible and/or the experiment should be repeated a large number of times (with each repetition considered a “trial”.

Observations/Data/Results • Keep a detailed journal (laboratory notebook) of observations, data and/or results of your scientific process. This information can be data measurements and written notes about what you are sensing (hearing, seeing, or touching) about your experiment. Always utilize the International System of Units (metric system) when measurements are required. • Where appropriate, have both Control and Experimental groups. • When possible, collect enough data for a statistical analysis. • Photograph your project results or phases of the project if appropriate to help your analysis and possibly to demonstrate your experiment on your exhibit board. Only the student doing the research can appear in photographs. • Use charts, graphs and tables to summarize your data.

Analysis: Conclusion: • Explain your observations, data and/or results. This is a summary of what your data has shown you. • List the main points of what you've learned. • Why did the results occur? What did your experiment prove? • Answer your problem/purpose statement. • Was your hypothesis correct? Explain why or why not. • What does it all add up to? What is the value of your project? • What further study do you recommend given the results of your experiment? What would be the next question to ask? • If you repeated your project, what would you change?

How will you be judged?? • • • • • • • • • •

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Scientific experimental design is used for the project. Variables are clearly defined and information collected is accurate and complete. Conclusions reached are accurate. Creative Ability Project is unique. Exhibit shows original thinking or a unique method or approach. Project demonstrates ideas arrived at by the child. Understanding The project explains what the student learned about the topic. References are listed. Clarity The information about the project is clearly organized and communicated. Dramatic Value Project board is well designed and constructed. Important ideas are emphasized. Project is visually appealing. Technical Skill Student does majority of work and help received is acknowledged. Written materials show attention to grammar and spelling. The lab notebook is a critical part of the project. A quality lab notebook is as important as the information on the backboard. The SEFH web site at http://www.uhd.edu/academic/colleges/sciences/naturalscience/SEFH has excellent lab notebook guidelines.

Types pf Projects • •

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There are broadly speaking, 5 types of science fair projects that you can do: 1. The investigative project This is a project that asks a question, constructs a theory or hypothesis, draws a conclusion and then tests that hypothesis by constructing an experiment using the scientific method. By far, this is the most popular type of science project. 2. The laboratory experiment This is a project that repeats an "experiment" found in science books, textbooks, workbooks and other references. This experiment does not seek to investigate new theories. 3. The report or poster This is a project based on extensive research done in books and other materials in order to write a paper on the chosen topic. Backboards (posters) are then used to illustrate key concepts from the research paper. 4. The hobby collection This is a project that consists of either a collection of objects, or features interesting artifacts. It involves library research but no hypothesis is tested. An example of this type of project would be an antique coin collection. 5. The model construction This is a project that involves the construction of a model that may illustrate a scientific principle. An example of this type of project is creating a model of the solar system.

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Behavioral and Social Sciences Biochemistry Botany Chemistry Computer Science Earth and Space Sciences Engineering Environmental Science Gerontology Mathematics Medicine and Health Microbiology Physics Zoology Getting Ideas: Questions to ask yourself A very good way to find a suitable idea for your project is to ask questions such as: Why does it...? When did it...? What is it...? How can it...? Where was it...? Who said it...?

QUESTIONS • to ask • Getting Ideas: Questions yourself A very good way to find a suitable idea for your project is to ask questions such as: Why does it...? When did it...? What is it...? How can it...? Where was it...? Who said it...?

Formulating the Question or Problem •

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After choosing your topic, you should then clearly rephrase it in the form of a question (some call this the "problem"). Taking the previous example about hamburger meats, after a little research, you're convinced that the price of the hamburger meat affects the level of greasiness. You then formulate the question as: "Does cheap hamburger meat really contain more grease compared to expensive hamburger meat?" The Hypothesis Now, once you have decided on your question, the next very important step is to propose a possible answer to the question. This process is known as ""formulating the hypothesis". The hypothesis should always show how two different factors are related to one another. For example, in the example above, we asked whether the price of hamburger meat affects the amount of grease. The two relating factors are price and grease level. The hypothesis for your question would therefore be "Cheaper hamburger meat contains more grease than higher priced hamburger meat."

How to perform your experiment Variables are things (or factors) that have an effect on your experiment. There are three kinds of variables that you need to use in your experiment. They are known as independent, dependent, and control variables. The independent variable This is the variable that changes throughout the experiment. You will change this variable intentionally in order to see how it affects the other variable known as the dependent variable. In our sample experiment, the price of the hamburger meat is the independent variable that would be changed by introducing different meat of different prices. The dependent variable The dependent variable changes in response to the independent variable. In our example, the level of greasiness of the hamburger would be the dependent variable, as it would change depending on the price of the hamburger meat. The control variables The variables that are not changed are called control variables. In the example above, the independent variable is the price of hamburger meat, and the dependent variable is the level of greasiness. In a control, all variables are identical to the original experiment, except for the independent variable. The variables that are identical in both the original experiment and the control are called the control variables.

Experiment checklist • Repeat each experiment many times to be certain of your results. • Have multiple control experiments. • Have exactly one independent variable during an experiment.

• Record and organize data carefully. • Watch out! Because you need to prove your hypothesis before it can become a theory, this means that all scientific theory must be backed up by reproducible tests. These tests must be reproducible by other people. That is why it is so important for you to keep good, systematic records of your experiment!

ERRORS Errors in the measuring instruments that you are using. Because this type of error will always produce a measurement that is higher or lower than the "true" value, it is called random error. Systematic errors (also known as non-random errors), which are due to factors which bias the result in one direction. No measurement, and therefore no experiment, can be precisely accurate. At the same time, in science we have standard ways of estimating, and in some cases, reducing errors. Therefore, it is important to determine the accuracy of a measurement. And, when stating your results, you must state what the measurement error is. Actually, for scientists, a measurement without a stated error is meaningless

What to do if the results support your hypothesis •

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If the results do support your hypothesis, you should then summarize your findings in a short, clear sentence. Here, you should also re-state the problem, the hypothesis and some ways you can improve your experiment. In the example above, you could say:My hypothesis is that cheaper hamburger meat contains more grease than higher priced hamburger meat.

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My experiments show that cheaper hamburger meat does contain more grease than the more expensive hamburger meat. I discovered this by testing the level of greasiness in 5 types of hamburger meat of different prices from the same grocer.

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To improve on my experiment, I would try the same process with different types of meat other than beef (such as chicken or turkey).

How you display • How you display your project is very important. It shows just how much work you've put into the project. You want to make sure that the display shows the judges all that they need to know. A poor display could ruin all the hard work that you've done. • For the display, you will need a backboard, the project report and anything else that you have that represents your project - such as models that you may have constructed, items studied, reports, pictures, surveys etc. You must make sure that the display is attractive and interesting. There should be enough details, but you should also make sure the judges are not overloaded with or distracted by too much information.

General advice on displaying your project

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1. Make sure that all lines and edges are straight. Crooked displays give the judges an impression of sloppiness. A good scientist should never be sloppy! 2. Lay your letters on the display board first to see how it looks before sticking them on. Make sure that your letters are displayed in a straight line. You should use a ruler and draw a straight line first as a guide before you stick the letters on. Make sure that the bottom of each letter lines up properly against the rest. 3. Use a large font for the project title and a smaller font for each of the headings. For the headings, you can also use a different color from the rest of your text. However, you should not use too many colors as this might distracted the judges. Most of the ordinary text should be black in color. 4. Place all typed material on a colored backing such as construction paper. Make sure that there is a border of at least an inch all around. 5. Make sure that your wiring and electrical connections comply with all safety standards. Get help from an adult for this. 6. Pack a kit of stationery comprising of colored pencils, markers, erasers, felt pens, glue, tape, paint etc - basically anything that you may need to do last minute touch ups to your project display. 7. Cover the table with a clean colored cloth before putting up your display. Choose a color that matches the color scheme of the display board. This will enable your project to stand out from other projects displayed next to it.

Display checklist •

Other than your pictures (if any), you should use no more than 5 different colors in your entire display

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Colors should be bright and contrasting, but not too distracting

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Use photos to show how you performed the experiment and the results of your experiment

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Use charts and graphs

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Carefully space out the wording and pictures on your display to ensure that it does not appear too crowded or sparse

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Display a model of your experiment. Place it on the table in front of your backboard

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Display a copy of your journal on the table

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Display a copy of your report on the table

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Make sure your entire display (including the table) is neat, clean and tidy

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Do not use handwritten or hand-drawn words and pictures on the backboard as far as possible

Your Project Journal • As you consider various ideas for your project, you should record them in a notebook. This will be your journal. Your journal should also be used to record descriptions of your experiments, as well as the results of your experiments. This is where you will record all data, diagrams, charts etc. Remember that your journal will probably be displayed with the rest of your project, so make sure to keep it neat and systematic!