Science Fair Project

  • This project addresses the State Educational Standard which requires that students conduct a "long term" study in Scientific Inquiry.

Getting Started...........

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Science Fair Ideas


 




Displays a list of Intermediate Science Fair Projects (Grades 7 - 9)

 http://www.cdli.ca/sciencefairs/intermed.html
 




This site offers tips and sample topics as a starting point.  This allows you to explore and find ideas that are interesting to you.   Let your imagination run wild.
 http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/ideas.html
 




"The Ultimate Science Fair Resource"

 http://www.scifair.org/
 



Finding an idea for your project can be the hardest part.

http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/projectguide/topic.html
 



http://www.tryscience.org/
 




USGS - Science for a  Changing World

 http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/kids.php
 



http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/
 



http://www.super-science-fair-projects.com/midd
le-school-science-fair-projects.html



Over 500 FREE Science Fair Project Ideas

 http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/category0.html




http://www.sciencefaircenter.com/
 



Click on the Home Demos link and you can use the pull down menu to select from forty experiments.

 http://www.nyelabs.com/



A few basic ideas of agricultural science projects you can do. Use these ideas as a jumping-off place for coming up with your own project.

 http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/fair/ideasframe.htm

Science projects ideas under plants, animals, earth science, human body, physical science, and consumer science.

http://www.rossarts.org/naples/ideas.htm



Science fair topics related to bugs. If you have an interest in insects be sure to take a look at this site.

 http://www.si.edu/resource/faq/nmnh/buginfo/scifair.htm



The California Energy Commission lists topics on the areas of Chemical/Stored Energy , Electricity , Geothermal, Hydro-Power/Water Energy, Nuclear Energy, Saving Energy, Solar, Transportation, and Wind Energy. It also includes a really Great Reference Sheet for What makes a Good Science Fair Project.

 http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/index.html



From blowing, bouncing, bursting bubbles to dramatic static, this site tells you what you need, what to do, as well as explaining what's going on.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/index.html




Guides you through the steps of picking a topic, including how to narrow down your topic.  Also, the site includes "ways to find project ideas along with some simple exercises in how to frame your idea into a research question.

http://www.twingroves.district96.k12.il.us/ScienceI
nternet/GetStarted.html


Edible/Inedible Experiments Archive

A comprehensive list of experiments and descriptions in the following categories: Astronomy, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Mathematics, Physics.

 http://www.madsci.org/experiments/




Dr. Chudler publishes a long list of games and creative ideas for science fair projects in the area of Neuroscience. Some questions asked are: Can your eyes deceive you?, How good is your memory?, Do you remember your Dreams?. Experiments are good for grades 3-12.

http://staff.washington.edu/chudler/experi.html


A list of chemistry-related science fair ideas

http://www.neiu.edu/~pjdolan/chemistry.htm



This site breaks down ideas into topic areas such as "Animals and Insects," "Food and Our Bodies," and "Plants and Gardening."

http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentr
al/scifairstudio/ideas.html




A list of questions is given that might help get a student started with a photosynthesis science fair project.

http://photoscience.la.asu.edu/pho
tosyn/education/sciencefair.html




"Science Fairs offers the student numerous scientific categories from which to choose and then provides a large number of project ideas in each category. We try to provide a good mix of ideas so that both younger students as well as high school students will find useful ideas...The site includes research, demonstration, and experimental project ideas."

 http://www.cdli.ca/sciencefairs/




South Lake Middle School science fair topics in the following categories: Behavioral Sciences, Chemistry, Earth Science, Engineering, Light, Microbiology. Beginning to advanced topics.

http://www.southlakems.org/science_fair_ideas.htm




All types of projects here, organized according to level of difficulty.

http://scienceclub.org//kidproj1.html

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Project Requirements


Science Fair projects must follow the Scientific Method.  The Scientific Method is a series of steps that scientists use to answer questions and solve problems. The chart below shows the steps that are commonly used in the Scientific Method.

The Scientific Method

 Ask a Question
Form a hypothesis
Test the hypothesis
Analyze the Results
Draw Conclusions
Communicate Results


To learn more about the Scientific Method visit these websites:



 http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_scientific_method.shtml




http://teacher.pas.rochester.edu/phy_labs/AppendixE/AppendixE.html




http://physics.ucr.edu/~wudka/Physics7/Notes_www/node5.html
 

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Research Paper Requirements

Here are the basic elements of a science research paper:
  • Title Page
     
  • Table of Contents
     
  • Abstract: The Abstract is a short summary of the project and includes the key highlights of your experiment: purpose, procedure, and conclusions.  Following are some tips on writing your abstract from the California State Science Fair :

     

    Objectives: State the purpose or hypothesis upon which the project is based.
     
    Materials and Procedures: Indicate the materials and procedures used in your project. Briefly describe your experiment or engineering methods.
     
    Results: Summarize the results of your experiment and indicate how they pertain to your purpose or hypothesis.
     
    Conclusions/Discussion: Indicate if your results supported your hypothesis or enabled you to attain your objective. Discuss briefly how information from this project expands our knowledge about the category subject. If you did an engineering or programming project, state whether you met your design criteria.
     
  • Question and Hypothesis: The question that you are trying to answer with your experiment. Be sure to clearly state your hypothesis at the end.
     
  • Review of Literature: Background information that reflects the knowledge you have acquired, through your research, on the topic your of your experiment. You should be providing the reader with useful background information for your project.
     
  • Materials and Procedure (Research Plan): This is essentially your research plan. You should be certain to include a list of all materials that were used in your experiment and how they were used. It is best to present your procedure in steps and to include as much detail as possible about measurements and techniques in each step.
     
  • Results: A precise recap of what you found out in your experiment, focusing on your observations and data, leaving all interpretation for the Conclusion section.
     
  • Conclusion: A summary of your interpretation of the data and results of the experiment. You should restate the hypothesis and whether you found the hypothesis to be true or false. You should also comment on how the results of the experiment satisfied your original purpose.
     
  • Acknowledgments: This is your opportunity to thank anyone who helped you with your project, from a single individual to a company or government agency.
     
  • Reference List / Bibliography
     
  • Table and Figures: Include tables, charts, and photographs that further help explain your experiment and results.

     

Here is a sample research paper.

Grading Yourself

What Makes for a Good Science Research Paper? For a Good Science Research Paper, You Should Answer "Yes" to Every Question
Does your abstract include a short summary of the hypothesis, materials & procedures, results, and conclusion? If you did an engineering or programming project, did you state whether you met your design criteria? Yes / No
Does your research paper include:
  • Title page
  • Table of contents
  • Abstract
  • Question and hypothesis
  • Review of literature
  • Materials list
  • Procedure
  • Data chart(s)
  • Graph(s)
  • Conclusion
  • Bibliography
Yes / No

You can find this page online at:  http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_research_paper.shtml

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Science Fair Scoring Rubric

Printable Version

NAME : ___________________________________  TEACHER :________________
 

 

S C I E N C E   F A I R    J U D G I N G   R U B R I C
 

CATEGORY

IMPRESSIVE

EXCELLENT

ADEQUATE

AVERAGE

MINIMAL

FAIR

INCOMPLETE

POOR

CLEAR & SPECIFIC QUESTION OR HYPOTHESIS

3

2

1

0

METHODS COMPLETE & THOROUGH PROCESS IS CLEAR

3

2

1

0

COMPLETE USE OF DATA (GRAPHS, CHARTS, TABLES, PICS, ETC...)

3

2

1

0

CONCLUSION SUPPORTED BY DATA

3

2

1

0

APPROPRIATE MATERIALS & CONSTRUCTION

3

2

1

0

OVERALL PROJECT APPEARANCE

3

2

1

0

POINT SYSTEM:     16 – 18  =  A   
13 – 15  =  B
10 – 12  =  C
   7  –   9   =  D 
   0  –   6   =  F
 		     TOTAL  POINTS  

GRADE		  

 

 COMMENTS:

 

                                                       

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