Crown

Point
Elementary
2014-2015
Science Fair

Information
Packet

Science Fair
Dear Parents,
This year Crown Point will be conducting another school wide science fair. No
doubt it will be very exciting and informative. The science fair will be held on
Tuesday, March 17th at 5:00 pm.
The goal of this project is to help your child learn to become a true scientist by
going through the steps of the Scientific Process. Children want to find answers
to things that make them wonder. Going through this process helps them to
search systematically for their answers. They also discover that science does
not always turn out the way they expected.
All 3rd-5th grade students are encouraged to develop individual or group science
fair projects, however it is not mandatory. These projects must be Experiments
that involve the entire scientific process. Experiments or Investigations have a
testable question and involve the scientific process.
If your child is interested in creating a science fair project, please complete the
Project Plan on the back of this sheet and have them turn it in to their teacher.
Please use this packet as a standard. Guidelines, explanations, schedules,
helpful hints and other important information are included. Encouragement in
guiding your child through this process can help them develop the attitudes and
skills they need to make this a valuable experience. Your help and support are
welcome, but please remember that their entry should reflect the problem solving
and work of an elementary school child. The final project must demonstrate your
childs individual effort and design.
Remember that a successful project requires time and planning. Stress can be
relieved by spacing the work over a period of time, instead of rushing through it.
Lets make this an enjoyable experience! HAVE FUN! I look forward to seeing
your childs project at our Science Fair.

Helpful sites:
http://www.all-science-fair-projects.com
http://chemistry.about.com/od/sciencefairprojects/a/sciproelem.htm
http://sciencebuddies.org
http://www.science-ideas.com/elementary-projects.htm
http://www.education.com/science-fair/elementary-school/

Crown Point Elementary Science Fair

2014-2015 Timeline and Parent Information
Dates
February 9
February 17

Activities / Events
Interest in Participating forms due.
Project Plan sheet is due to your
teacher for approval.
February 19-20 All Project Plan sheets reviewed by
teacher and student approval given to
begin.
February 21 to (Model all parts of the scientific process.)
March 6
Students conduct experiments, record
data, and write 1st draft of information.
March 7 to
Students make display board with charts
March 15
and all other required information.
March 16
Science Projects are due to the
classroom.
March 17
Science Fair open to viewing at 5:00pm.
The only displays allowed are the
Science Fair Display Boards.
Grades 3-5: No models such as volcanoes,
circuit boards, etc. Photographs of students models
for display on their boards will be allowed.
This timeline is a suggested pacing guide to help you
keep on track.

Judging Criteria
When evaluating the exhibits and selecting winners, judges will consider
the following:
1. Creativity and Originality - Does this project show originality of thinking
and illustrate a scientific principle?
2. Scientific Thought - Does this project indicate well organized work, the
use of controlled experimentation, and contain careful analysis of data?
3. Thoroughness -Is this a complete presentation of the problem given?
Was sufficient data obtained?
4. Effective Presentation -Does this project display the nature of the
scientific investigation well? Is it appropriate for what is being
demonstrated? Does this project show appropriate skills for what is
being demonstrated?
5. Organization -Is it displayed in the correct order on the board?
6. Clarity and Understanding -Can the average person understand this
exhibit? Are the different aspects described and organized neatly using
photographs, drawings, graphs, etc.?
7. Project Report -How has the student (class) expressed himself or
herself in writing the experiment/problem?
8. Dramatic Impact -Is the exhibit attractive? (uses good visuals; eyecatching quality)
9. Teamwork (for team or class projects only) (Is there evidence of
teamwork found within the project documentation? Has each team
member had a role in the overall project?

The Scientific Method

Children do not have to know these terms to complete their projects.
This is just a quick review. Information is written in child friendly terms
for those interested.
Your main concern is that your investigation must be testing only one
thing. You want to control the experiment so that differences will not
interfere with your results.
A variable is anything that could change the way an experiment turns out.
Keeping all the variables the same, except for the one you are testing, is
the key to a good experiment. Only the one variable you are testing should
alter the way the investigation turns out. This is called controlling the
variable.
An independent variable (the cause) is the variable you plan to test or
change. This is the part of your experiment that you are changing on
purpose to get the results. (i.e.- If you are testing the effect of colored light
on plant growth, the independent variable will be the different colored
lights.)
Constant variables are the variables that you plan on keeping the same
for the experiment. (Remember that the word variable is just a way of
saying something that can be changed.)
Constant variables are things that are not changed. You want to be careful
to make sure as many parts of your experiment are the same as possible.
(i.e. same brands, same amount of water, same amount of time, etc.)
Anything you can control or make the same allows your results to be more
reliable.
A dependent variable is the effect or what happened when you used you
independent variable (the cause). Because of what you did in the
experiment, the dependent variable changes. An example of a dependent
variable would be how much the plant grew. You would measure plant
growth (dependent variable) as they respond to the (independent variable)
colored lights.
Make sure you do 3 trials to PROVE your answer.
Keep as many things as possible in the experiment the same.

A Students Guide to the Parts of a Science Project

1. Getting started
You can keep a log or journal - This is like a diary where you record and list
your ideas, notes, procedures, materials, predictions, observations, and
conclusions. Anyone should be able to do your experiment exactly like
yours from reading your log.
Brainstorm This can be fun if you do it with your class, your family or your
friends. Jot down everything you think of. Have everyone toss out ideas and
think of problems or questions that you could solve.
1. Think about things you like to do.
2. Experiment with something you have done in class and investigate
further.
3. Think of things that are fun to play with. How could you make them
better?
4. Do you have a personal problem that you might be able to solve? (such
as: keeping shoelaces tied longer, keeping your lunch cold)
5. How could you experiment with recycling? Biodegradable products?
2. Experiment
Record your procedures in your log. List all materials required and exactly
what you do in each step of your experiment. Include exact measurements.
Observe and record data at appropriate times. Write details in your log so
that another person could do your experiment exactly like you did it.
Experiment example:
Problem:
Will a large bottle of soda go flat before I can drink it all?
Information:
I found in my research that soft drinks are bottled under pressure.
Prediction:
The pressure will last longer if I keep the bottle of soda in the
refrigerator than if I leave it out on the counter.
Variables:
Date soda is purchased
Type of soda
Size of the bottle
Material bottle is made of
Number of times the bottle is opened
Temperature bottle is stored at
How bottle is handled
Materials:
Three 2-liter bottles of Pepsi

Procedure:
1. Purchase 6 identical bottles of Pepsi on the same day from the
same store.
2. Place 3 bottles in the refrigerator and 3 on the countertop.
3. Six hours later measure out 200ml of liquid from each bottle in the
refrigerator and on the countertop.
4. Recap each bottle. Handle each bottle the same amount of time
and in the same way. Return each bottle to its original location.
5. Observe and record data.
6. Repeat steps 3-5 every six hours a day.
7. Record all observations and record differences.
3. Data Collection and Analysis
You will be observing and collecting information (data) to answer a
question. You will not be doing anything to change the situation in the
experiment. After the data is collected, you must do something with it for
this to be a scientific project.
Collection Example:
Problem:
Will a smaller apple have fewer seeds than a larger apple?
Prediction:
The smaller apple will have fewer seeds.
There will be variables to control so you will be gathering data related
to the size of the apples, not the age, color, type, etc. You must collect
data on at least 3 large apples and 3 small apples. Is there a ratio
between the number of seeds in an apple and the circumference of the
apple? Math is very important in a scientific investigation.
4. Results
Results must be recorded on a chart and in written form. Graphs make
data easier to understand, compare and analyze. You can use line
graphs, bar graphs, pie graphs or picture graphs.
5. Conclusions
Write at least a paragraph about what you discovered
What did your project show?
How did it turn out?
Was your prediction supported?
How does it apply to a real world problem?
Were there any flaws? How would you do your experiment differently?

6. Display
Your display must include everything required. It must be organized in
the correct order on the board. It must be neat, attractive, and easy to
understand. Pictures and drawings make it more interesting. A chart or
graph is highly recommended.
Your display board must be sturdy enough to stand up by itself. It must fit
on a table.
There must be no identifying information on the front of the display. Your
name, your teachers name, your schools name, and pictures that show
faces cannot be on the front of your display. Write on the bottom back of
your display or attach a card at the bottom back with the following
information: Teacher name, Student name, Grade level, Title
The board must be organized like the following drawing.

Prediction

Materials

Title

Results

Question
Conclusions

Procedures

drawings,
photos,
graphs,
charts

Reminder of what to include in each category

Prediction-This is your PREDICTION of what your result we be. This is your best guess about
what you want to find out. Write out your prediction first before doing any
experimentation. (I think .. because.)
Materials-This is a list of things you used to do you experiment
Procedure- This is where you tell what you did and how you did it. If you have a picture of your
experiment, place the picture below the Question.
Results-This is the information that you collected while you did the experiment. It should
include a chart with data from your experiment and a graph using your data.

Conclusion-This is where you tell if your PREDICTION was correct or incorrect, based on the
data that you collected.

Project Plan Due Tuesday, February 17th

Your teacher must approve this plan before you begin your experiment.
Students Name ____________________

Grade ______

Teachers Name _____________________

Topic of Experiment ___________________________
What Testable question do you want to answer?

Does your question have

Something to measure?
Only one thing to measure?
A specific answer to be determined?

Yes No

Prediction: (Explain what you think the answer is going to be and WHY! Base your reason
on your knowledge.)
I think ____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
because ___________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
I am ready to begin my investigation. I have reviewed this project with my teacher and my
parent and have their permission. In addition I have arranged a way to get the necessary
materials. No animals, no humans, nor the environment will be hurt or endangered by my
experiment. Finally, I agree to dispose of my experiment in a responsible manner.

Students Signature: ___________________ Date: ___________

Parents Signature: ____________________ Date: ___________

Teachers Signature: ___________________ Date: ___________