Gus Franklin STEM Academy Science Fair Project Gus Franklin STEM Academy

What is a science & engineering fair? A journey of scientific inquiry. Students answer a scientific question by conducting an experiment. The process ends with a showcase event.

Participation in the Science Fair Students will… PBL (Problem/Project-Based Learning) Learn how to research background information Processing information like a scientist develop organizational skills enhance writing and presentation skills work on real science problems demonstrate their abilities and knowledge to an audience learn the scientific method

Student Benefits Integrates skills learned in other classes: -Math skills, -Computer skills, Research skills, -Writing and presentation skills Serves as a basis for future science fairs, which present opportunities for scholarships, awards, and prestige Promotes interest in a STEM careers No notes.

Partnership Students Choose a topic Design and perform experiment Communicate results through presentation If students don’t create their own learning experience, it defeats the purpose of the active inquiry. Teachers Keep students on track Answer Questions Provide rules and regulations of fairs Parents Encourage your child to do their best work Supervise safety Science Fair Success

Partnership Students Choose a topic Design and perform experiment Communicate results through presentation If students don’t create their own learning experience, it defeats the purpose of the active inquiry. Teachers Keep students on track Answer Questions Provide rules and regulations of fairs Parents Encourage your child to do their best work Supervise safety Science Fair Success

Partnership Students Choose a topic Design and perform experiment Communicate results through presentation If students don’t create their own learning experience, it defeats the purpose of the active inquiry. Teachers Keep students on track Answer Questions Provide rules and regulations of fairs Parents Encourage your child to do their best work Supervise safety Science Fair Success

Science Project Categories Physical Sciences : Chemistry, Astronomy, Physics Life Sciences: Agriculture, Behavior/Psychology, Health, Botany, Microbiology, Environmental, Geology, Medicine, Zoology Engineering/Computer/Math: Electronics, Computer, Mathematics, Robotics, Civil engineering

Concerns About Science Projects “So what kind of a project is required?” Allowable Projects: Experimental type projects that use the scientific method with a testable question. Ex. How Does …brand fertilizer affect the growth rate of roses? Projects Not Allowed: Research projects (What is a hurricane?) or models (a paper mache' volcano). These do not involve testing.

Science Project Topics to Avoid

What do the teachers need to do? No notes. Teachers will break the science project into small, manageable assignments that are spread out over time.

What do the students need to do? No notes. Students need to complete the assignments on time and ask questions if needed.

The Scientific Method?

Engineering Desing

Ask a question. This is the foundation. If your child identifies a question that is safe and can be answered through experimentation, the rest of the project will follow. Avoiding the shaky foundation: at this point, each student will fill out a project proposal, which is a rough map of where they plan to head. It is critical for me to evaluate each one so that the students can re-do their questions at this point, if it they are not practical or not safe. For Example: How will the amount of fertilizer affect plant growth?

How to Pick a Good Question The question should be interesting enough for your child to read about and then work on for the next couple months. Make sure the experiment is safe to perform. Ensure there is enough time to do the experiment before the science fair. For example, most plants take weeks to grow. If your child is doing a project on plants, he or she will need to start early. No notes.

Do background research. Collect information by looking in a variety of sources. Speak about your topic Goal: Obtain enough information to make a prediction of what will happen in the experiment. We will give students a worksheet to help them collect information. For example, one of the tables on the worksheet will help them brainstorm possible questions. Then students are asked to go through and pick the most relevant ones.

Construct a Hypothesis What is a hypothesis? An educated guess about the answer to a question. (It is a statement of “expected” results.) Avoid statements like “I think” and “I predict.” The hypothesis should be in the form of If/then: If I do [this], then [this] will happen. No notes. For Ex: “If I increase dosages of fertilizer, it will cause greater growth in tomato plants.

Design Experiment Independent Variable Is the factor that changes in an experiment BY EXPERIMENTER Dependent Variable Is the factor that changes in the experiment because of the change in the independent variable Control Variable(s) All other aspects of the experiment must remain the same. “How Does amount of fertilizer Affect the Growth Rate of Roses?” Control variable (type and amount of water) Ind. Dep. Cont.

Materials The materials section is a detailed list of everything used in the experiment. Include what, how much, and kind of things used. They are typically measured in metrics. Non-Example Water Flower pots Seeds Dirt Example 5 liters of rain water Six 4 cm. clay pots 12 bush bean seeds 10 liters of potting soil

Procedure A procedure is a list of how the experiment will be performed. Someone else should be able to follow your directions and repeat your attempt

Test the Hypothesis Test At minimum of three attempts Write down all your data in a journal and keep the journal. Don’t erase – put a line through mistaks mistakes and continue writing. No notes.

Data Draw tables, charts, graphs. It can be Line or Bar or Circle. Example of a graph that “How wind generator power changes with wind speed”. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50 60 Wind Speed (m/sec) Power (kW)

Analyze the data After organizing the data in easy-to-read tables and graphs. You create a written statement of the data and your observations during experiment Look at measurements and observations recorded during the experiment. Think about the data and decide what the results mean. The graph shows that the power a generator is able to produce increases by the cube of the wind speed.

Conclusion Did the data support the hypothesis? If not, why do you think it did not? Do not worry about negative results, or results that come out differently than expected. Just explain why you think you got those results. If the results turned out as expected, explain why you think it turned out this way. Restate what the results actual mean in your conclusion It’s ok if the experiment disproves the hypothesis. Safety, safety, safety!

You can find this diagram and a lot of helpful information about display boards at www.sciencebuddies.org

References DiscoverySchool.com United States Department of Agriculture In addition to www.sciencebuddies.org, these websites are useful… DiscoverySchool.com http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/ Discovery Channel’s guide to projects. Includes project ideas, questions & answers, tip sheets, and a “Parents-Get Involved” section. All Science Fair Projects http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com/ Browse ideas by topic or grade level. You can also search if you know your topic. Be sure to look at the grade level of the project. United States Department of Agriculture http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/kids/fair/ideasframe.htm Agricultural project ideas dealing with Chemistry, Botany, Environmental Science, Nutrition, Microbiology, and Zoology.

Important Dates Site projects due February 3, 2017 Science fair set up and judging starts February 8th Encourage students to work individually or in groups of two 4th – 5th grade create a 5 min presentation (optional) Science fair family viewing February 9th starting 3:45 pm – 6: 30 pm Awards will be announced on Friday with information regarding the district fair District Fair – February 25th at Old George TK – 3rd grade do not need to be present 4th – 8th grade will need to present at the district fair (not optional) SIM (San Bernardino, Inyo, Mono Counties) Fair Dates TBD Students present at the fair

Celebrate Success Mention a clear next step. The kickoff will be on [DATE] Parents will receive an information packet with a letter, tips on how to support their child throughout the process, and a copy of the student assignment timeline.

QUESTIONS ?