SCIENCE FAIR GENERALRULES
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All entries must present a display.Fifth grade students will present a portfolio for projects completed at school.
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This is a student-driven project where parents are encouraged to participate in an advisory role.
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No hazardous chemicals should be used in any experiment.
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English Landing PTAScience Fair Restriction: In accordance with the 2014-2015 Park Hill SchoolDistrict Parent/Student Handbook (Page 67), students may not create a sciencefair project which involves weapons. Park Hill School District PolicyJFCJ includes the definition of a “weapon,” which includes firearms,blackjacks, gas guns, knives, knuckles, projectile weapons, or explosiveweapons.
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Live animals can be used in projects as long as they cannot be harmed in any way. “Animals”include any living thing (insects, worms, house pets, etc.). Also animalscannot be brought to school with your project – take pictures butplease do not bring in a sample.
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Any project demonstrations requiringbatteries or access to electrical outlets must be pre-approved and flagged bythe Science Coordinator.
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Please do not use pre-packaged science kits.
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A student’s name, grade, and teacher name should be labeled clearly on the back of all projects.
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Experiment Guidelines
Each project should be guided by following the scientific method. The scientific method is a way to ask and answer scientific questions by making observations and doing experiments. An experiment can answer an original question or can recreate testing an existing question. It is important that you perform each step of the process yourself and use your own ideas to explain your experiment. You can search websites, science books, and the Media Center for thousands of ideas on possible experiments. However, the best experiments always stem from questions in your mind about something you are interested in. Use this mnemonic device to remember all the steps:
That's His Piece of Melted Red Candy
The Scientific Method
1. Testable Question – Develop a question about your observations / scientific interest that is both testable and measurable. The question should be narrow enough to be answered by a single test. The purpose of your experiment is to answer this question.
2. Hypothesis – This can also be called a prediction. What do you think will happen when you perform your test? This should be a carefully educated guess. For example, if I grow a plant using regular sunlight and one using artificial sunlight, then I think the plant in artificial sunlight will grow faster because it will have more light exposure.
3. Procedure – This is the test to answer your question. What are the steps to perform your experiment? The best experiments usually have a control and a variable to compare results. Record each step of your procedure so that your test is reproducible. Carefully record what happens at each step using your five senses and simple tools.
4. Materials - List all of the materials you will use in the experiment so that another scientist can reproduce your test. Be specific.
5. Results – What happened during your test? This is the experiment’s answer to your question. This may or may not be the same as your hypothesis and that’s ok. It is always best to repeat your experiment at least three times to confirm your results.
6. Conclusion – Discuss your results – did they surprise you or were they just as you expected? Why? Was there a scientific principle that explains your result? What would you do differently if you could do this again? Does your experiment have any real world application? This is the part we love to hear about because it shows how much you were thinking about your experiment. It’s also the part that is most useful to another scientist who may create further experiments to learn more about your results.
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Display Guidelines
The display you submit to the Science Fair will represent all of your hard work. All Science Fair entries must present a display. Please put careful time and attention into this display. Remember the physical display makes the first impression on the judges and all who review your work. All lettering should be clear and easy to read. You can creatively cover the backdrop with colored paper or fabric but the information presented should be readable. The information required should be addressed in a concise but complete manner.
All display boards must fit certain size and shape restrictions due to the space available. All displays must stand by themselves. Tri-fold display boards are commercially available at many local businesses and through the PTA. They are inexpensive and designed specifically for these events. They can also be used several times if the background is recovered and neat. However, creative ideas are encouraged and welcomed as long as they meet the size requirements. Please do not exceed the dimensions of 48” high x 36” wide x 30” deep. The commercial display boards generally meet these requirements.
All displays should include the title for your project and all the steps of the Scientific Method. Your name, grade, and teacher's name should be posted on the BACK of the project and a numbered red squared assigned to you by your teacher should be clipped to the UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER of your display. Please check and recheck your display for any misspelled words, incorrect titles, or insufficient information. Carefully label all charts and graphs that present data collected.
The following information should be included on your display.
Left Panel |
Center Panel
Title of Experiment
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Right Panel |
Testable Question
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Procedure |
Results |
Hypothesis
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(include graphs/charts with data/ pictures) |
Conclusion |
Materials |
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We encourage pictures on your display board. These can be hand drawn sketches or photographs. Have someone take photos of you performing your experiment. This demonstrates clearly that you did the work on your project and shows how much fun you had doing it!
**Fifth grade students will not submit displays as described above but will submit portfolios as directed by their classroom teachers.**
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Judging Criteria
Our science fair is non-competitive at the K, 1st, and 2nd grade levels, as our goal in these early years is simply to encourage scientific exploration, to learn the basic steps in the scientific method, and to promote a passion for science. Our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade levels proudly display their projects, and their impressive mastery of the scientific method, to a panel of judges.
Each participant, K-5th, will receive a ribbon. Our judges will identify approximately ten extraordinary third, fourth, and fifth grade projects to display in the front of the school. The scientists of these projects will be invited to a cookie reception.
Participants will present their project to their buddies from their buddy classrooms sometime during the week of the fair, but judges will only see a student's display and will only view projects on Wednesday, April 8. Judges will evaluate projects using a scorecard and a 4 point scale on the following criteria:
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Presented a testable question
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Developed a hypothesis and included an "If... then" statement
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Developed a fair test, keeping everything the same and only changing one factor
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Made observations using the five senses and simple tools (ruler, thermometer, balance...)
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Compared amounts and measurements of at least THREE trials
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Used observations and data to explain results of the experiment
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Analyzed whether or not the evidence supports the hypothesis
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Used drawings, tables, graphs, and/or writings to communicate the procedures and results
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Used all the steps of the scientific method
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Described how the project contributes to science and technology
Our goal is to make this a positive experience for all participants. We want to ensure each participant walks away with a feeling of pride and accomplishment. For this reason, the judges' scorecards will be given to the teachers for review but not to the students unless deemed appropriate by the teacher. Teachers will assess and comment on projects independent of the volunteer judges.
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Helpful Hints
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Give your project a catchy title.
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Make certain to use at least THREE trials so you can more accurately draw your conclusions. That means you need to do your experiment THREE different times or have at least THREE different samples in each test. For example, if you are testing to see if refrigeration affects mold growth on bread, you need to put at least THREE pieces of bread in the refrigerator and three pieces of bread at room temperature.
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Use an "If... then..." statement in your hypothesis.
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Share your results using colorful graphs, tables, and pictures.
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Although neatness and creativity are not on the judges' scorecards, judges are human and they may take neatness and creativity into account when judging your project.
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It is ok to have parental help, however it must be clear that you performed most of the work.
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Have fun!!!