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NOTE - To prevent the awful amount of traffic congestion we've faced in previous
years, we ask that you DO NOT drop off your child's project in the morning! This
year, we will be accepting projects Tuesday evening from 5:00-8:00 PM. We hope
this makes drop-off easier for everyone!
Parents Night:
Projects can be picked up at the end of Parents Night (Friday). If possible, please wait
until 6:00 PM to pick up projects so that other parents and children have ample time to
see all childrens wonderful science displays. Any display not picked up during Parent's
Night cannot be saved and will be discarded, unless prior arrangements have been made.
The Science Fair is made possible by the Science Fair Committee of the West View
PTA, and many outstanding volunteers. If you have any questions, please dont hesitate
to email your childs teacher, or contact one of the Science Fair Committee Co-Chairs:
Guy Uechi - 412-415-1145 - guechi@gmail.com
Ron Smart - 412-641-0522 - ronalddsmart@gmail.com
Elise Neill - elise.neill@gmail.com
General Rules
1. Projects are to be constructed by the student. Teachers, parents and friends may advise
and guide, but should not build the project without the child's involvement. Any assistance
provided should be documented in the journal.
2. Projects employing dangerous chemicals, explosives, or potentially hazardous substances,
open flames, electricity not properly shielded, or poisonous plants will not be permitted.
3. NO LIVE ANIMALS OR INSECTS may be present. Use pictures in your display.
4. Entries will be judged by grade level. All participating students will receive an award based
on the display and the results from the judging session.
5. West View Elementary and the West View PTA assume no responsibility for science fair
projects, but every effort will be made to give general protection against damage or loss.
In addition to the awards students receive based on judges scores and for number of years
of participation, students will vote to award each of the following:
1. Most Creative Project
a. Grade K-2
b. Grade 3-6
2. Grossest Project
a. Grade K-2
b. Grade 3-6
3. Fan Favorite Project
a. Grade K-2
b. Grade 3-6
These ideas are only suggestions. We encourage students to think of their own ideas for their
science project. There are also some websites listed at the end that may give you good ideas.
Human Body
What is DNA? How does it control our body?
How do fingerprints identify who we are?
How do germs make us sick?
How do scabs and scars form? How do they protect our bodies?
How does mucus (snot) protect our bodies?
Physical Science
How does a battery work?
How does a magnifying glass work?
What is centripetal force? How does it keep us from flying out of a roller coaster?
What kind of salt best melts the ice on our sidewalks?
Reference books and books detailing science experiments are in a special section of the
library.
Helpful web sites:
http://www.fossweb.com/
http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/projectguide
http://sciencebuddies.com
http://supersciencefairprojects.com/elementarysciencefairprojects.html
http://www.allsciencefairprojects.com
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/elementaryprojectideas/a/1308/
http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmnh/buginfo/scifair.htm
http://pbskids.org/dragonflytv/scifair/index.html
http://www.education.com/sciencefair/
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/index.html#chemical
http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/index.html
Make sure you understand what is expected of you and what you need to do to enter this fair.
Turn in the enclosed Science Fair Application Form to your teacher by Tuesday, Jan 6.
Begin to work on your project. Decide whether you want to do an Exhibit, a Demonstration,
or an Experiment. The basic requirements for all students entering the fair are the same:
Design a Exhibit.
1. Pick a topic.
2. Collect information, pictures, drawings, or models.
3. Figure out the best way to display your work.
4. A Journal is optional for exhibits. If you do keep one use it like a scratch pad with
your ideas, thoughts, and facts you find.
or
Design a Demonstration.
1. Pick your topic.
2. What questions do you have about your topic?
3. Find out answers to your questions from the Internet, from the library, or from people
you know that are knowledgeable about it. Write down where you got your information.
4. Figure out the best way to display your work.
5. A Journal is optional for demonstrations. If you do keep one use it like a scratch pad
with your ideas, thoughts, and facts you find.
or
Design an Experiment.
1. Use the Scientific Method Worksheet to help you with your design.
2. Keep a Journal writing down all your planning, your thoughts, and your results and
conclusions.
3. Conduct your experiment and collect your data.
4. Figure out the best way to display your work.
And now, a few more words about the Science Fair Journal and Scientific Method
Worksheet (4th graders & anyone else doing an Experiment, pay attention!):
The Journal and Worksheet are only required for Experiments. Youll get a bonus point if you
have a journal with your Exhibit or Demonstration. For these, you can use a Journal as a place
to keep notes and ideas.
So, be sure to include things like your Big Question, your Hypothesis, your Experiment Design
and Procedure, Data & Results, and your Conclusions.
Each day-to-day entry should have a date listed, a brief summary of the activities you did
that day, and a few of your thoughts.
Some Examples:
January10
The first try didnt work so well. I used 2 cups of vinegar and cup baking soda. It only fizzed a
little, and I spilled vinegar all over the kitchen. Next time will be on newspaper, with less vinegar.
January17
MydadandIboughtthewoodforthedevicefromHomeDepot.Wehadagiftcard.Weboughtsix3ftboards.
January22
Today I worked on making an airtight seal around the top of my bottle. I first tried modeling clay,
but it got really messy when wet. My mom suggested duct tape and so I tried that. It held up under
the water, but didnt make an airtight seal. I asked my dad and he suggested silicone caulk. I put it
around the top of my bottle and now I have to wait until tomorrow for it to dry.
The Scientific Method Worksheet can be found on the second to last page of this
packet! Its double-sided, so make sure you fill out both sides!
Also, pictures are always a welcome addition to your display, and so are tables and graphs. All of
these will help make your display visually interesting!
Your project will be judged by one to three judges during the school day on Wednesday,
Feb. 4 and Thursday, Feb. 5.
Ask your teacher to bring the class for a tour through all of the science fair projects.
Bring your parents and friends back to school Friday, Feb. 6 between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm
to view your project, as well as the others. Your project can be taken home with you after
6:00. All projects must be picked up at the end of Parents Night. Any remaining projects
cannot be saved and will have to be discarded, unless you have made prior arrangements.
Display board
Journal
Student: ______________________________________________
Project Title: ___________________________________________________________________
Grade: ______
The Big Question What do you want to find out or what problem are you solving? State this
as a question.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Collect Information: Research your topic. What is known about your topic?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Test Your Hypothesis: Design your experiment to see if your hypothesis is correct.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion: (What did you learn from your observations during your experiment? Why do you
think the results turned out the way they did?)
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
ScienceFairApplicationForm
Name:______________________________________________________________________
Grade:_________
HomeroomTeacher:___________________________________________________________
CircleOne:
Exhibit
Demonstration
Experiment
Briefdescriptionofwhatyouplantodo:
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Doesyourprojectrequireelectricity?Yes(_____)No(______)
Thenumberofyears(includingthisyear)youhaveparticipatedintheScienceFair:______
RETURNTHISFORMTOYOURTEACHERBYTuesday,January6,2015
Parentvolunteers:
Ifyouarewillingtohelpwiththesciencefair,pleasecircleyouravailabilitybelowandprovideus
withyourcontactinformation.YoudonotneedtobeamemberofthePTAtovolunteer.More
informationwillfollowaswenearthesciencefairevent.
Monday(2/2)eveningSciencefairsetup
Tuesday(2/3)5:008:00PMprojectcheckin/dropoff
Wednesday(2/4)10:00AM12:00PMgreetjudges,getstudents,monitorprojects
Wednesday(2/4)1:003:00PMgreetjudges,getstudents,monitorprojects
Thursday(2/5)10:00AM12:00PMgetstudents,monitorprojects,tallyscores
Thursday(2/5)1:003:00PMgetstudents,monitorprojects,distributeawards
Friday(2/6)4:005:00PMParentnightsetup
Friday(2/6)6:007:00PMParentnightcleanup
Parentname:__________________________________________________________________
Phone:_______________________________Email:__________________________________________________
Foranyquestions,pleasecontactGuyUechi4124151145guechi@gmail.com,
EliseNeillelise.neill@gmail.com,orRonSmart4126410522ronalddsmart@gmail.com.