Your written report for your Science fair project is a summary of everything you did to investigate your topic. It contains all the information you collected or learned during the weeks leading up to the actual Science Fair. This report will give observers of your project (judges, visitors to the fair, me) data about your project and how your understanding of your topic has changed.

The report gives a step by step account of everything you did throughout the length of the project. It should give readers an account of the chosen project and its impact on you.

The report should be in a folder or binder. It MUST be typed!

You should include the following sections in your report:

Title Page

The first page in the report should include the title of the project and your name and your grade.

Table of Contents

This page gives the reader a list of the different parts of your paper and the page on which each section can be found.

Statement of Purpose

This two or three sentence statement explains what you expected to discover by investigating your topic. It also gives the reason why you chose to learn more about the topic.

Hypothesis

If you did an experiment, you need to include a hypothesis in your report. Remember, a hypothesis is an educated guess about what you think will happen as a result of doing the experiment. You do not need a hypothesis if you did not do an experiment.

Research

This is the part of the report that contains all of the background information you collected about your topic. Any books or articles you read, if you consulted any experts, or outside materials collected should be written in your own words and NOT copied from an encyclopedia, the internet or other reference.

Materials

This is a list of all the materials and supplies used in the project. Quantities and amounts of each should be indicated, especially if you conducted an experiment.

Procedure

Here you will list and describe the steps you undertook to complete the project. Usually, the best way to organize this information is in a numbered list. This part of your paper shows the stages of the project in such a way that someone else could reproduce what you did.

Observations and Results

Here you tell what you learned from the project. What new information was provided as a result of pursuing your topic? What do you know now that you did not know before? It is important to include any graphs, charts, or other visual data that summarize the results of your study.

Conclusion

This is a brief statement explaining why the project turned out the way it did. You should explain why the events you observed occurred. Using the wordbecauseis a good way to turn an observation into a conclusion. If you chose to do an experiment, the conclusion should tell whether the hypothesis was proven or not proven.

Bibliography

The bibliography should list all the printed materials the students consulted in carrying out the project. Items should be listed in alphabetical order in a standard format.

Acknowledgments

Here you thank all the individuals who assisted in the research or development of the project ( including Mom and Dad). Everyone the student interviewed, including teachers, scientists, and other experts in the field, should be mentioned here.

SCIENCE FAIR--- TOPICS DUE NO LATER THAN DECEMBER 20, 2011

I need to have your topic, if you are working with anyone their name

Choosing a topic:

·     Pick one that interests you; you will spend a lot of time on this topic!

·     It will only be fun if you want to learn about it

·     Where can you get ideas?

Your topic must be testable; you need to be able to do an experiment to test your research;

If you scroll to the bottom of this page, you will see a list of some topic ideas. I also showed some different websites to look at for ideas. You are also welcome to come before or after school to look at my books for any ideas.

Topic: Plants and fertilizer

Two plants--- one that I will use fertilizer on and the other no fertilizer (control)

Plants same; same pots, same amount of water and light; in the same house

Every experiment needs a problem/question:

How does fertilizer affect the growth of a plant?

Every experiment needs a hypothesis; your best answer/guess to the question

I think the plant with fertilizer will grow taller and have bigger leaves, more leaves, bigger flowers, more flowers;

Need to measure – height of plant, size of leaves, # of leaves, # of flowers

Your question should show a cause and effect; The cause is the independent variable; this is what you are changing in the experiment;

The effect is the dependent variable; what happens because of your changes;

You can only have ONE independent variable in your experiment; all other variables need to be controlled – light, amount of water, temperature, placement of plant

While you are doing your experiment, you will need to keep a log (notebook, folder, binder) to show your experiment, research start to finish

Topic, why you picked it, research about topic, deciding how to set up your experiment

Schedule – watering, measuring, pictures,

PART TWO: RESEARCH

Find out as much about your topic as possible; look everywhere to collect information

Libraries, magazines, Internet, science journals, zoos, videos, plant nurseries, encyclopedias, experts

When you feel you have enough information to really know your topic, then its time to write your hypothesis;

Your written report for your Science fair project is a summary of everything you did to investigate your topic. It contains all the information you collected or learned during the weeks leading up to the actual Science Fair. This report will give observers of your project (judges, visitors to the fair, me) data about your project and how your understanding of your topic has changed.

The report gives a step by step account of everything you did throughout the length of the project. It should give readers an account of the chosen project and its impact on you.

The report should be in a folder or binder. It MUST be typed!

You should include the following sections in your report:

Title Page

The first page in the report should include the title of the project and your name and your grade.

Table of Contents

This page gives the reader a list of the different parts of your paper and the page on which each section can be found.

Statement of Purpose

This two or three sentence statement explains what you expected to discover by investigating your topic. It also gives the reason why you chose to learn more about the topic.

Hypothesis

If you did an experiment, you need to include a hypothesis in your report. Remember, a hypothesis is an educated guess about what you think will happen as a result of doing the experiment. You do not need a hypothesis if you did not do an experiment.

Research

This is the part of the report that contains all of the background information you collected about your topic. Any books or articles you read, if you consulted any experts, or outside materials collected should be written in your own words and NOT copied from an encyclopedia, the internet or other reference.

Materials

This is a list of all the materials and supplies used in the project. Quantities and amounts of each should be indicated, especially if you conducted an experiment.

Procedure

Here you will list and describe the steps you undertook to complete the project. Usually, the best way to organize this information is in a numbered list. This part of your paper shows the stages of the project in such a way that someone else could reproduce what you did.

Observations and Results

Here you tell what you learned from the project. What new information was provided as a result of pursuing your topic? What do you know now that you did not know before? It is important to include any graphs, charts, or other visual data that summarize the results of your study.

Conclusion

This is a brief statement explaining why the project turned out the way it did. You should explain why the events you observed occurred. Using the word because is a good way to turn an observation into a conclusion. If you chose to do an experiment, the conclusion should tell whether the hypothesis was proven or not proven.

Bibliography

The bibliography should list all the printed materials the students consulted in carrying out the project. Items should be listed in alphabetical order in a standard format.

Acknowledgments

Here you thank all the individuals who assisted in the research or development of the project ( including Mom and Dad). Everyone the student interviewed, including teachers, scientists, and other experts in the field, should be mentioned here.

JUNIOR HIGH SCIENCE FAIR

DATES:

Projects due at school: March 19, 2012
March 22, 2012 Judging

March 23, 2012 Class Visits

Dear Parents,

            Soon your child will be taking part in an exciting school event – a science fair. Science offers children experiences in exploring beyond the classroom to understand more about their world. Investigating a selected science topic in detail can open up new vistas and a new appreciation for not only this planet but for worlds beyond.

            I would like to invite you to work along with your child as he or she selects, investigates and reports on an appropriate area of science. With your interest and encouragement, your child can develop the skills and attitudes he or she needs to make this project a valuable experience. Do encourage your child to do most, if not all, of the work. It is important that your student wrestles with problems and tries to solve them, learning is in the doing.

            To help you in helping your student prepare for the science fair, I will be sending home instructions and suggestions throughout the coming weeks. These guidelines will give you and your child some ideas on how to create an effective project.

            Your child will succeed by learning and understanding more about science and how scientists work. The goal of the science fair is to stimulate your student’s curiosity about the world.

            Please contact me at any time during the preparations and during the fair with questions and suggestions. Let’s work together so that our science fair will be a memorable and pleasant experience for your student.

Science Fair Topic Ideas

Effects of light on plants

Effects of root position on plant growth

Factors affecting germination

Will bean stems grow downward if the only light source comes from below

Factors affecting leaf decay

Effects of colored lightbulbs on plant growth

Ways to desalinate water

Effects of different types of fertilizer (natural and artificial) on plant growth

Effects of the depth of the planted seed on plant growth

How much water do different soils hold

Effects of phototropism on different plants

Effects of car exhaust on different plants

Effects of toothpaste on bacteria growth

What type of insulation holds in heat the best

Determine what effects different types of leavening agents have on the quality of baked goods

What effect does temperature have on an enzyme’s ability to break down protein

What effect do different oxidizing agents have on the amount of vitamin C foods retain

Test antacids with different active ingredients to determine their effectiveness in neutralizing stomach acid

Evaluate the costs and benefits associated with antibacterial products (grow bacteria from your own body on slices of potato and then treat the slices with antibacterial products to determine what effect the products have on inhibiting bacterial growth)

Experiment with different kinds of dandruff shampoos containing different ingredients to find out which ingredient slows or prevents yeast growth

Find out why so much paper ends up in landfills. Conduct an investigation to determine the effect of paper type on its recyclability

Identify the effect of color on how people identify the flavors of foods (investigation to determine if subjects respond to the stimulus of color)