SENIOR SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIR TERM 2 2014

STUDENT BOOKLET

This term you will be undertaking a scientific investigation and presenting your results at the Senior School Science Fair in Week 8. Each step of the investigation process will be explained in class and we will undertake a whole class investigation to model the process to you. You will be given some time at school to work on your project. However the bulk of this investigation will be done at home. This booklet contains information to help you plan, research, and conduct your investigation. There are many elements involved in a science fair project. Time management will be a very important factor in a successful project. Here is a suggested timetable to guide your work at home. Step 1 Step 2 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Ask a question Do background research and construct a hypothesis Test hypothesis by conducting your investigation Analyse your data and draw a conclusion Communicate you results (written reports) Week 1 Week 1 3 Week 4 - 6 Week 7 Week 7 - 8

We have set some due dates for pieces of work to be completed and handed in to your teacher. Project Element Proposal Form completed and signed by parents. Due Date Friday 9th May Wednesday 14th May Friday 23rd May

Background Research Plan worksheet completed.

A draft Background Research Report completed. Your report does not need to be published at this stage. It should be in draft form, carefully edited and ready for conferencing with your teacher

A draft procedure completed. This will show your teacher that you have thought carefully about how you will test your hypothesis. Verbal progress report come to school prepared to talk about your progress and the results of your investigation.

Thursday 29th May

Friday 13th June

Completed Project Due

Friday 27th June

FINDING AN IDEA FOR YOUR SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT Make sure that you choose a topic that you find interesting. You'll be spending a lot of time on it, so you want your investigation to be focused something that you will enjoy learning more about. We know that finding a topic can be the hardest part of a science fair project, so if you are having trouble coming up with an idea, talk to your teacher early in the term for help. There are links on the classroom blogs to websites that may help you come up with ideas and we will be conducting practice investigations and talking about possible projects in class. 1. THE QUESTION Once you have found an interesting topic, the next step is to find a question you want to answer. A scientific question usually starts with: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where. These are examples of good science fair project questions: Which colour are bees most attracted to? Which material is the best insulator? How do different foundations stand up to earthquakes? What sugars do yeast use?

Use the Project Proposal form to help you decide if your question is suitable. You will need to decide on a topic and question quickly in order to have enough time to conduct your investigation and write up your results before the due date. If you are having trouble coming up with a topic please ask your teacher and parents for help! The Project Proposal Form is due on Friday 9th May 2. BACKGROUND RESEARCH Background research helps you to understand the science behind your investigation. Your research will help you make a prediction of what will occur in your investigation and you will have the knowledge to understand what caused the behavior you observed. When we judge the projects we will be looking to see evidence that you understand why your investigation turned out the way it did. Complete the Background Research Plan Worksheet to help structure your research. You will be given time in class to conduct research, but you will also need to do research as homework. The Background Research Plan Worksheet is due Wednesday 14th May You should also have started researching at home by this date.

WRITING A RESEARCH REPORT We will be looking at examples and learning how to write a research report in class. Your research report is a summary of the answers to the research questions you generated in your background research plan. It includes information from relevant sources (books, magazines, websites) to explain the topic you are investigating. Your research report should include a summary of the theory behind your investigation to show that you understand why your investigation turns out the way it does. Your Research Report should include Your question and an investigation of why you have chosen to investigate this topic. This lets the reader know the purpose of your paper. You need to include definitions of the important key words, concepts and theories that relate you investigation. You need to answer the relevant background research questions and explain the science behind your investigation. An edited draft of your Research Report is due on Friday 23rd May 3. HYPOTHESIS After researching your question, you should have a good idea about how things work. You should be able to make a prediction about the answer to your question. This educated guess is called the hypothesis Most of the time a hypothesis is written like this: "If _____[I do this] _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen. Your hypothesis should be something that you can actually test. You need to be able to measure both "what you do" and "what will happen." Example Hypotheses If I open the tap, then it will increase the flow of water. Raising the temperature of a cup of water will increase the amount of sugar that dissolves. If a plant receives fertiliser, then it will grow to be bigger than a plant that does not receive fertiliser. If I put fenders on a bicycle, then they will keep the rider dry when riding through puddles.

WRITING YOUR PROCEDURE Now that you have come up with a hypothesis and planned a fair test to investigate whether it is true or false, you now need to write up an investigation procedure. An procedure is a step-by-step recipe for your science investigation. A good procedure is so detailed and complete that it lets someone else duplicate your investigation exactly! Your procedure must include: A clear description of what it is you will be investigating. What is the one and only variable you will change? What will remain the same? A step-by-step list of everything you must do to perform your investigation. Think about everything you will need to do to complete your investigation. You must record exactly what needs to be done in each step. How are you going to measure your results? How many times are you going to repeat your investigation? A draft of your procedure is due on Thursday 29th of May 4. CONDUCTING YOUR INVESTIGATION By now you have put a lot of hard work into your science fair project. You are finally ready to conduct your investigation. You will need to Gather materials Follow your written procedure exactly Make sure your measurements are exact Make careful observations (be sure to record these) Collect and record data at regular intervals Write down any problems that occur or unexpected results Take lots of photos along the way. These will be helpful for your display board Be honest about your results. Even if things go wrong you can still produce an excellent investigation by explaining why the unexpected result occurred and what you would need to do differently next time. DATA TABLES You should create a table to record your data in. Your table should include the independent variable (what has been changed) and the dependent variable (what has been measured). Tables help us to easily see how what has been changed has affected what has been measured. They give a picture of the information collected and helps use to identify patterns and trends in the results.

Here is an example of a data table: What was changed Temperature (C) 10 degrees 12 degrees 14 degrees 16 degrees 18 degrees 20 degrees What was measured Number of seeds germinated 2 5 7 11 16 23

The information in your data table will be used to create at least one graph for your display. The type of graph you use will depend on what you have changed and what you have measured. The table on the next page give examples of which type of graph should be drawn for different types of variables. If you are not sure what type of graph is appropriate to display your results, please talk to your teacher.

5. ANALYSING RESULTS AND WRITING A CONCLUSION Youve finished your investigation and you have your results. The next step is to analyse them and write a conclusion. Your conclusion should answer the following questions What does your data tell you? Can you analyse your data to find any relationships, patterns or trends? What did you conclude? Was your hypothesis correct? Why/why not? Is this what you expected? Why/why not? Was your investigation a fair test? If not, why? Are there any possible improvements you could make to your investigation? Do you think these changes would impact on the results?

6. PRESENTATION / DISPLAYING RESULTS And finally you need to prepare a display board to communicate your investigation to others. You will be provided with a standard, three-panel display board that unfolds.

Organise your information like a newspaper so that your audience can quickly follow the thread of your investigation by reading from top to bottom, then left to right. Include each step of your science fair project: Question, hypothesis, background research, and so on. Your information should be typed. Use a font size of at least 16 points for the text on your display board, so that it is easy to read from a few feet away. It's okay to use slightly smaller fonts for captions on picture and tables. The title should be big and easily read from across the room. Choose one that accurately describes your work, but also grabs peoples' attention. Use photos and diagrams to present non-numerical data, to propose models that explain your results, or just to show your investigation setup. But, don't put text on top of photographs or images. It can be very difficult to read. Use graphs to present numerical data. Here is a checklist of items that should be included o Your name on the display board o Pictures of yourself o Your question and hypothesis o Your background research paper o Your procedure and a list of materials and equipment o Your data chart o Graphs and diagrams that illustrate your results o Your analysis and conclusion o Captions that include the source for every picture or image o Acknowledgements of people who helped you o Equipment such as your laboratory apparatus or your invention

Your completed project is due Friday 27th June

Year 7 and 8 Science Fair Self Assessment Schedule Name:

1 Aim & Question: Aim is unclear. Question was very hard to answer or test. Does not link to project. Research: No research. Method: No Method. Hypothesis: A prediction has been made but it is not based on research. Investigation/Testing: No investigation carried out. Results: No results. Conclusion: Unable to make a conclusion. Presentation: Poor. Aim & Question: I have a question that I have researched, however it is hard to create a test from. Research: Some research completed, however not enough to make an informed hypothesis. Method: An outline of the process. Hypothesis: A prediction made, based on a little amount of research. Investigation: One simple investigation carried out. Results: Limited results. Conclusion: A simple conclusion made. Presentation: Only in note form or in a display book. Aim & Question: I have a question that I can measure. (fair test) Research: Research included. Key words identified and sub questions formed and answered. Method: A clear outline of the process (step by step) Outlining everything done. Hypothesis: A prediction made based on research. Clear reasons given and an explanation into what will happen and why. Investigation: At least two trails completed. Investigation are completed under controlled circumstances. A fair test has been carried out (method outlined). Results: Results show that investigation was completed. Conclusion: The conclusion shows that the results have been analysed, comments made and there is a link to the hypothesis. Presentation: Completed on a display board. Typed and clear. Aim & Question: I have a question that I can measure (fair test). My question provides a purposeful investigation. Research: Research included. Key words identified and sub questions formed and answered. Further research has been gathered eg. site visit, discussion or an interview. Method: A clear outline of the process (step by step) Outlining everything done. It clearly outlines a scientific process. Investigation is outlined and how it is a fair test documented. Hypothesis: A prediction made based on research. Clear reasons given and an explanation into what will happen and why. Shows a high level of understanding of the science fair process. Investigation: At least three trails completed. Investigation completed under controlled circumstances. A fair test has been carried out (A detailed method/ procedure outlined) Results: Results show that investigation was completed. Data has been gathered and results graphed. Conclusion: The conclusion shows that the results have been analysed, comments made and there is a link to the hypothesis. Personal comments are made into the success of the investigation or challenges faced. Presentation: Completed on a display board. Typed and clear. Photos and or diagrams used Aim & Question: I have a question that I can measure. (fair test). My question is purposeful. The process will be useful and can be used for further study or implementation. Research: Research included. Key words identified and sub questions formed and answered. Further research has been gathered eg. site visit, discussion or an interview. High level of understanding of the key concepts involved. Method: A clear outline of the process (step by step) Outlining everything done. It clearly outlines a scientific process. Investigation is outlined and how it is a fair test documented. Conditions of testing are noted and more than one test carried out in order to compare results. Hypothesis: A prediction made based on research. Clear reasons given and an explanation into what will happen and why. Shows a high level of understanding of the science fair process, shows a technical understanding of concepts being explored. Investigation: At least three trails completed. Trails are completed under controlled circumstances. A fair test has been carried out. (A detailed method/ procedure outlined). Appropriate equipment used effectively. Results: Results show that investigation was completed. Data has been gathered and results graphed. A wide range of data collected which can be used to give accurate conclusions. Conclusion: The conclusion shows that the results have been analysed, comments made. There is a link to the hypothesis. Detailed personal comments are made into the success of the investigation or challenges faced. Presentation: Completed on a display board. Exceptional presentation overall. Photos and diagrams. Model or equipment displayed.

Comment:

Year 7 and 8 Science Fair Teacher Assessment schedule Name:

1 Aim & Question: Aim is unclear. Question was very hard to answer or test. Does not link to project. Research: No research. Method: No Method. Hypothesis: A prediction has been made but it is not based on research. Investigation/Testing: No investigation carried out. Results: No results. Conclusion: Unable to make a conclusion. Presentation: Poor. Aim & Question: I have a question that I have researched, however it is hard to create a test from. Research: Some research completed, however not enough to make an informed hypothesis. Method: An outline of the process. Hypothesis: A prediction made, based on a little amount of research. Investigation: One simple investigation carried out. Results: Limited results. Conclusion: A simple conclusion made. Presentation: Only in note form or in a display book. Aim & Question: I have a question that I can measure. (fair test) Research: Research included. Key words identified and sub questions formed and answered. Method: A clear outline of the process (step by step) Outlining everything done. Hypothesis: A prediction made based on research. Clear reasons given and an explanation into what will happen and why. Investigation: At least two trails completed. Investigation are completed under controlled circumstances. A fair test has been carried out (method outlined). Results: Results show that investigation was completed. Conclusion: The conclusion shows that the results have been analysed, comments made and there is a link to the hypothesis. Presentation: Completed on a display board. Typed and clear. Aim & Question: I have a question that I can measure (fair test). My question provides a purposeful investigation. Research: Research included. Key words identified and sub questions formed and answered. Further research has been gathered eg. site visit, discussion or an interview. Method: A clear outline of the process (step by step) Outlining everything done. It clearly outlines a scientific process. Investigation is outlined and how it is a fair test documented. Hypothesis: A prediction made based on research. Clear reasons given and an explanation into what will happen and why. Shows a high level of understanding of the science fair process. Investigation: At least three trails completed. Investigation completed under controlled circumstances. A fair test has been carried out (A detailed method/ procedure outlined) Results: Results show that investigation was completed. Data has been gathered and results graphed. Conclusion: The conclusion shows that the results have been analysed, comments made and there is a link to the hypothesis. Personal comments are made into the success of the investigation or challenges faced. Presentation: Completed on a display board. Typed and clear. Photos and or diagrams used Aim & Question: I have a question that I can measure. (fair test). My question is purposeful. The process will be useful and can be used for further study or implementation. Research: Research included. Key words identified and sub questions formed and answered. Further research has been gathered eg. site visit, discussion or an interview. High level of understanding of the key concepts involved. Method: A clear outline of the process (step by step) Outlining everything done. It clearly outlines a scientific process. Investigation is outlined and how it is a fair test documented. Conditions of testing are noted and more than one test carried out in order to compare results. Hypothesis: A prediction made based on research. Clear reasons given and an explanation into what will happen and why. Shows a high level of understanding of the science fair process, shows a technical understanding of concepts being explored. Investigation: At least three trails completed. Trails are completed under controlled circumstances. A fair test has been carried out. (A detailed method/ procedure outlined). Appropriate equipment used effectively. Results: Results show that investigation was completed. Data has been gathered and results graphed. A wide range of data collected which can be used to give accurate conclusions. Conclusion: The conclusion shows that the results have been analysed, comments made. There is a link to the hypothesis. Detailed personal comments are made into the success of the investigation or challenges faced. Presentation: Completed on a display board. Exceptional presentation overall. Photos and diagrams. Model or equipment displayed.

Comment:

Science Project Proposal Form

Name: ____________________________________________ The question I plan to investigate in my experiment (please phrase as a question):

Science Fair Project Question Checklist 1. Your teacher may put some restrictions on projects. Have you met your teachers requirements? 2. 3. 4. Yes / No Is the topic interesting enough to read about, then work on for the next couple months? Yes / No Can you find at least 3 sources of written information on the subject? Yes / No Can you measure changes to the important factors (variables) using a number that represents a quantity such as a count, percentage, length, width, weight, voltage, velocity, energy, time, etc.? Or, just as good, are you measuring a factor (variable) that is simply present or not present? Yes / No Can you design a "fair test" to answer your question? In other words, can you change only one factor (variable) at a time, and control other factors that might influence your experiment, so that they do not interfere? Yes / No Is your experiment safe to perform? Yes / No Do you have all the materials and equipment you need for your science fair project, or will you be able to obtain them quickly and at a very low cost? Yes / No Do you have enough time to do your experiment more than once before the science fair? Yes / No

5.

6. 7.

8.

I have discussed the project idea and the checklist with my parent(s) and I am willing to commit to following through on this project. ______________________________________________________________________________ Student Signature Date: I have discussed the project idea and the checklist with my student and I believe he or she can follow through with this project. _____________________________________________________________________________ Parent Signature Date:

Background Research Plan Worksheet

Name: ______________________________ 1. What is the question you are going try to answer with an investigation? _________________________________________________________________________________ _________ 2. List the keywords and phrases from your question and the topic in general. _______________________ _______________________ ______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ ______________________ ______________________

Use your keywords to build some questions to guide your background research. Substitute your keywords (or variations of your keywords) for the blanks in the previous column. Write down the relevant questions and use them to guide your background research.

Put your keywords into the blanks.

Possible Questions for Background Research

Why

Why does ________ happen? Why does ________ ________?

How

How does ________ happen? How does ________ work? How does one measure ________?

Who

Who needs ________? Who discovered ________? Who invented ________? What causes ________ to increase (or decrease)? What are the properties and characteristics of ________?

What

When

When does ________ cause ________? When was _______ discovered or invented?

Where

Where does ________ occur? Where do we use ________?