1. Science Fair is Coming Are you Ready?

2. How to Start Your Science Fair Project Step 1: Curiosity Pick a topic, ANY TOPIC, you are interested in. (nature, music, sports, mechanics, computers, medicine etc.) By exploring your scientific interests, you will develop a passion for discovery, making the process much more exciting. Step 2: Gather Learn as much as you can about your topic. Ask your teachers, librarian, and family; look in books, newspapers, magazines, encyclopaedias, and the internet; watch documentaries, news broadcasts and TV shows like “Mythbusters”, “How It’s Made”, and anything on the National Geographic channel. Step 3: Predict Come up with questions you want to answer about your topic. Avoid “why” questions! Try to come up with a “how” or “what” question because these questions can be tested

3. Science is All Around Us The beauty of science lies not only in what we have discovered but in what we have yet to find! Everyone can be a scientist- even young people. As students we are not only the scientists of tomorrow; we are the scientists of today. Science fairs are not about repeating popular projects (NO VOLCANOES !). They are not a competition to see who can paint the prettiest Jupiter Styrofoam ball. The idea of a science fair is to try and answer unsolved questions. Therefore, a science fair project is not just a research paper. From research we develop an idea, we test that idea, analyze the results and draw conclusion.

4. See a need, Fill a need Look at the world around you and see what needs to be fixed, or improved. Then find a way to do it

5. Research Idea (focus question) Experiment (Test) Analyze Draw Conclusions

6. On a sheet of paper, write down one thing that interests you. Write down a few things that you already know about this topic. Now try to come up with a focus question.

7. Example: I am interested in learning more about the different types of picks used to play guitar. I know there are many different sizes, colors and thicknesses of picks. I also know that using a pick makes the guitar sound louder. I wonder what affects the sound of the guitar more, the thickness (flexibility) or the size.

8. How does the thickness of a guitar pick affect the volume of the notes played? What can I do to test this? What materials will I need? What do I already have? Focus Question

9. Monday’s Assignment Topic proposal, explanation and focus question 1.Topic Proposal and Explanation Include the name of your topic (ex. Friction, sports, ecology, music etc.) along with an explanation of why you choose this topic. This explanation should be at least a paragraph (5 sentences). 2.Focus Question (“How” or “what”)- Remember this question must be testable! Ex. What is the effect of a full moon on the decibel level in a school? How does sleep affect school performance? Does the surface of a road affect the speed of a vehicle with rubber tires, wooden tires, plastic tires etc.?