Green Elementary School

Table of Contents
What is inside this packet in case you are impatient and you want to jump around!

Types of Science Projects (The Good, the Bad and the Scientific
Method).............Page 2 So What is the Scientific
Method?............................................................................................
...............................Page 3 Choosing a category that interests
you ..................................................................................................
..........Page 4 Step One: Coming up with a good
question....................................................................................Pag
e 5 Question Brainstorm

..Page 6
Science Fair Permission and Approval
Form.
..Page 7
Step Two: Doing the
research..........................................................................................
....................................Page 8
Background Research Plan
worksheet.........................................................................................
...............Page 9-10
Research Rough
Draft.................................................................................................
..........................................................Page 11 Step Three: Forming
the
hypothesis......................................................................................
....................Page 12 Step Four, Five and Six: Testing your
hypothesis by doing an experiment..............Page 13 Now its your
turn: Science Project Organizer
worksheet................................................Page 14-15 Time Out:
How do you collect
DATA??..............................................................................................
..................Page 16
Step Seven, Eight, and Nine: Results, Conclusion, and
Application..........................................Page 17
Presentation, (or why you needed all those
pictures).....................................Page 18
Science Fair Rules and
Regulations ......................................................................................
...................................Page 19 Keeping Track of Time: Due
Dates................................................................................................
.........................Page 20
Science Fair Grading
Rubrics.............................................................................................
...............................Page 21-22

Choosing a category that interests you...

All Great Projects start with great questions but before you get started on a great
question you need to pick a subject or topic that you like. You DO NOT need to
spend a lot of money to have a great project. There are three different categories
of the Science Fair to choose from. They are:
Life science: This category deals with all animal, plant and human body
questions that you might have and want to do an experiment about. Remember
that it is against Science Fair Rules to intentionally hurt an animal during an
experiment. If you are dealing with animals, please let an adult assist you. It is
okay to do experiment on plants, as long as they dont belong to someone else,
like dont do an experiment on your moms rose bushes unless you ask her first...
Life science also includes studying behaviors, so its a perfect category to try taste
tests, opinion surveys, animal behavior training (or even training behavior in
humans...like baby brothers or sisters...)

Physical Science: If you like trying to figure out how things work, then this is
the category for you! It includes topics about matter and structure, as well as
electricity, magnetism, sound, light or anything else that you might question, How
does it work and what if I do this to it, will it still work? But remember, you always
need to ask an adult first (and always make sure there is one of those adult guys
with you when you try it.)
Physical Science also includes the composition of matter and how it reacts to each
other. These are the science experiments that may have bubbling and oozing going
on, like figuring out what is an acid and what is a base. It is a perfect category to
try to mix things together to see what will happen. Again, if you are experimenting
with possibly dangerous things, you need to recruit an adult to help you out.

Earth and Space Sciences: This category is really awesome because it

covers all sorts of topics that deal with the Earth or objects in space. This includes
studying weather, Geology (which is the study
of everything that makes up the Earth, like rocks, volcanoes, etc..), and the study
of all that is in space, including the stars, our sun and our planets. Unfortunately
this topic is also where most kids mess up and do a collection or model project
instead of an Experiment, so be careful!!!

Now Its Your Turn:

Write down your favorite Science Fair Category and what it is
you want to learn more about:

My favorite Category was

____________________________________ (Life Science,
Physical Science, Earth and Space Science)
*Look for ideas for science fair projects on greenscience4.weebly.com

Step 1: Coming up with a Good Question...

Now that you have picked out a topic that you like and that you are interested in,
its time to write a question or identify a problem within that topic. To give you an
idea of what we mean you can start off by filling in the question blanks with the
following list of words:

The Effect Question:

What is the effect of _______________ on _____________?
sunlight on the growth of
plants eye color pupil
dialation brands of soda
a piece of meat temperature
the size of a balloon oil
a ramp
The How Does Affect Question:
How does the _______________ affect ________________?
color of light the growth of plants
humidity the growth of
fungi color of a material its
absorption of heat
The Which/What and Verb Question:
Which/What _______________ (verb) _________________?
paper towel is most
absorbent foods do meal
worms prefer detergent
makes the most bubbles paper towel
is strongest peanut
butter tastes the best
Now its your turn:
Create your Science Fair question using either the Effect Question,
the How does Affect Question or the Which/What and Verb
Question:

________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
 SCIENCE FAIR
Topic and Problem
DUENOLATERTHANFriday,March17th,2017
Students must submit a
PLEASE RETURN YOUR FORM TO YOUR TEACHER.
project as part of their graded classroom work. It is a Science
class requirement.
HOMEROOM TEACHER _________________________________

STUDENT NAME(S)
________________________________________________________________________

PROJECT TITLE
________________________________________________________________________

QUESTION/PROBLEM
________________________________________________________________________

DESCRIPTION
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________

*All parents must sign and approve their childs Science Fair Project.
I acknowledge that I have received and reviewed the materials for the
Science Fair and I am aware that my child is required to complete a
Science Project.
I have approved my child,_________________________,topic and question for
science fair.

Students Signature _______________________________________

Date________________________
Parents Signature ________________________________________ Date
________________________
Teachers Approval of Project
ProjectTeachers Signature ________________________________________ Date
_______________

Step 2 : Doing the Research

So youve picked your category and youve chosen a topic. You even wrote a
question using our cool fill in the blank template. Now it is time to research your
problem as much as possible. Becoming an expert at your topic is what real
scientists do in real labs.

So how do you become an expert?

YOU READ!!!!

READ about your topic. READ encyclopedias. READ magazine articles

and books from the library. READ articles from the internet. Take note
of any new science words you learn and use them. It makes you
sound more like a real scientist. Keep Track of all the books and
articles you read. Youll need that list for later.

If you decide to use online resources on the internet, make sure they are RELIABLE
sources! Google, Wikipedia, and blogs are not good places to find information,
since people that are not always experts can easily change the information on
those websites. Look through the links on Miss Armbrusters website,
greenscience4.weebly.com to help with your research.

To help with your research, think about your topic? What are some key science
words that go along with your project? Thinking of key terms may help give you a
starting point to your research, and you can look for books or websites about those
key topics and words.

YOU DISCUSS!!
Talk about it with your parents. Talk about it with your teachers.
Talk about it with experts like Veterinarians, Doctors, Weathermen
or others who work with the things you are studying.

ORGANIZING YOUR RESEARCH...

Once you have gathered all of your facts, it is time to organize them in a
paragraph. You will first complete a rough draft in your OWN words, and then
make a final copy. Make sure you keep track of your resources so that you can cite
your resources, or make your bibliography.
Now its your turn:
2. Research topics related to your problem or question. Fill out the
following two pages to help you organize your thoughts and what you
need to research. Fill out your key words, ask relevant questions, and
write your facts on your notecards.

Books I found in the library on my topic are:

Title: Author:
1. ____________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________
Internet sites and articles that I found on my topic are: 1.
___________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________

5. ___________________________________________________

Record some important fact that you learned about your topic on
index cards. Use one index card for each fact you find from your
research. Set up your cards like the example shown below.

Www.website.org Name #HR

Write your fact here. It is okay to copy it word

for word on the index. You will use these
facts to form a paragraph describing the science
behind your project, and you will write your para-
graph in your own words. It is plagiarism to copy,
and you will receive a zero on that portion if it is
copied or plagiarized.

Step 3: Forming your hypothesis

Write a Hypothesis
Now it is the time to PREDICT what you think will happen if you test your problem.
This type of SMART GUESS or PREDICTION is what real scientists call A
HYPOTHESIS. Using this fancy word will amaze your friends and will have you
thinking like a full fledged scientist. So how do you begin? Well, just answer this
very simple question:

What do you think will happen, (even before you

start your experiment)?
Example Problem: Which Paper Towel is more absorbent?
Example Hypothesis: If compared with other paper towels, then Brand X will be
more absorbent because it is popular and thicker than other brands.

(This hypothesis not only predicts what will happen in the experiment, but also
shows that the Scientist used research to back up his prediction.)

Start by listing some possible outcomes or hypotheses to your

question.

3. Hypothesis: Decided which hypothesis is the best one.

Write as an if-then, because statement!

If__________________________________________________________________________
then, _______________________________________________________________________
because_____________________________________________________________________.

Step 4, 5, and 6: Testing your Hypothesis by

doing an experiment
Now weve come to the good part. The part that all scientists cant
wait to get their grubby little hands on... you guessed it... The
EXPERIMENT!

Designing an experiment is really cool because you get to use

your imagination to come upwith a test for your problem, and
most of all, you get to prove (or disprove) your Hypothesis.
Now Science Fair Rules state that you cannot perform
your experiment live, so youll have to take plenty of pictures
as you go through these seven very simple steps.
Step 4: Gather up your materials: What will you need to perform your
experiment? The safest way to do this is get that adult you recruited to help you
get the stuff you need. Oh, did we mention to take pictures or draw pictures of
your materials. This will come in handy when you are making your board display.
Step 5: Identify your control and variable: The variables are any
factors that can change in an experiment. Remember that when you are testing
your experiment you should only test one variable at a time in order to get
accurate results. In other words, if you want to test the affect that water has on
plant growth, then all the plants you test should be in the same conditions, these
are called controls: same type of dirt, same type of plant, same type of location,
same amount of sunlight, etc. The only variable you would change from plant to
plant would be the amount of water it received. This is called the variable.
Knowing what your controls and variables are is very important because if you
dont know them you wont be able to collect your data or read your results.

Step 6: Write a PROCEDURE: A procedure is a list of steps that you did to

perform an experiment. Why do you need to write it down? Well its like giving
someone a recipe to your favorite dish. If they want to try it, they can follow your
steps to test if its true. Scientists do this so that people will believe that they did
the experiment and also to let other people test what they found out. Did we
mention to take pictures of yourself doing the steps?

Step 6: TEST, TEST, TEST. Remember that the judges expect your results to be
consistent in order to be a good experiment, in other words, when you cook from a
recipe you expect the outcomes to be the same if you followed the directions (or
procedure) step by step. So that means you need to do the experiment more than
once in order to test it properly. We recommend five times or more. More is better!
Dont forget to take pictures of the science project being done and the results.
Step 6 continued: Collect your DATA. This means write down or record the
results of the experiment every time you test it. You also need to organize it in a
way that it is easy to read the results. Most scientists use tables, graphs and other
organizers to show their results. Organizing makes the results easy to read, and
much easier to see patterns that might be happening in your results. (Besides, it
impresses the judges when you use them.) But dont make a graph or table
because we asked you to, use it to benefit your project and to help you make
sense of the results. There is nothing worse than having graphs and tables that
have nothing to do with answering the question of a science project.
Now its your turn...
4. List the Materials that you will need for your science experiment here:

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

_________________________________

List the variables that you will control, the variable that you will change.

5a. My controls are (the stuff that will always stay the same):

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

______________________________

________________________________

________________________________

5b. My variable is (this is the thing that changes from one

experiment to the next, it is what you are testing):

_____________________________

6. Procedure: (the steps.... Don't forget to take pictures)List the steps that
you have to do in order to perform the experiment here:

1.__________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
 2.__________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________

3.__________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

4.__________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

5._________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

6._________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

7._________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

8.__________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

9.__________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

10.________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

11.________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

12.________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Time out: How Do You Collect Data?!!?

Keep a science journal: A science journal is a type of science diary that you can
keep, especially if your experiment is taking place over a long period of time. In
your journal you can record observations, collect research, draw and diagram
pictures and jot down any additional questions you might have for later. Your
science journal does not need to be anything fancy. It can be a small notebook, or
 loose-leaf paper neatly stapled together. *Keep in mind that your science
journal is worth 10 points of your total science fair grade. If you do not
keep a journal, you automatically drop your grade to a B+.

Have the right tools to do the job: make sure you have the stuff you need to
take accurate measurements like rulers, meter tapes, thermometers, graduated
cylinders or measuring cups that measure volume.

Tables, charts and diagrams are generally the way a good scientist like you
would keep track of your experiment trials. Remember you are testing at least 5
times or more. A table is organized in columns and rows and ALWAYS has labels or
headings telling what the columns or rows mean. You will probably need a row for
every time you did the experiment and a column labeling the variable.

Be accurate and neat! When you are writing your tablesand charts please make
sure that you record your data in thecorrect column or row, that you write neatly,
and most of all that you record your data as soon as you collect it SO YOU DONT
FORGET WHAT HAPPENED!!!! Sometimes an experiment might be hard to
explain with just a table, so if you have to draw and label a diagram (or picture) to
explain what happened, it is recommended that you do.

Use the right graph for your experiment. There is nothing worse than a bad
graph. There are all types of graph designs, but these seem to be easy to use for
science fair experiments.

1 Pie graphs are good to use if you are showing percentages of groups.
Remember that you cant have more than 100% and all the pieces
need to add up to 100%. This type of graph is great if you are doing
surveys.
2 Bar graphs are good to use if you are comparing amounts of things
because the bars show those amounts in an easy to read way. This way
the judges will be able to tell your results at a glance. Usually the bars
go up and down. The horizontal axis is where you label what is being
measured, (like plant A, B, C and D) and the vertical axis is labeled to
show the unit being measured (in this case it would be centimeters
that the plant grew).
3 Line graphs are good to use if you are showing how changes occurred
in your experiments over time. In this particular case you would be
using the horizontal axis to show the time increments (minutes, hours,
days, weeks, months) and then you would use the vertical axis to show
what you were measuring at that point in time.

Step 7, 8, and 9: Results, Conclusion and

Application
Step 7: Results:

Use your charts, graphs, and your data that you collected to summarize your
results! What happened in your experiment?

Step 8: Write a Conclusion:

Tell us what happened. Was your hypothesis right or wrong or neither? Were you
successful, did it turn out okay? What did the results tell you? Would you change
anything about the experiment or are you curious about something else now that
youve completed your experiment. And most of all, TELL WHAT YOU LEARNED
FROM DOING THIS. Sometimes not being able to prove a hypothesis is
important because you still proved something. What did you prove?

____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

Step 9: Application:

Understand its Application. Write about how this experiment can be used in a
real life situation. Why was it important to know about it?

(How does this apply to real life?)Its important to know about this
experiment because......

___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________

Science Fair Rules and Regulations

Aw! You mean there are rules? Of course there are, silly, this is made by
 adults!
Safety Rules First
Number one rule... think safety first before you start. Make sure you have recruited your
adult to help you.
Never eat or drink during an experiment and always keep your work area clean.
Wear protective goggles when doing any experiment that could lead to eye injury.
Do not touch, taste or inhale chemicals or chemical solutions.
Respect all life forms. Do not perform an experiment that will harm an animal.
All experiments should be supervised by an adult!
Always wash your hands after doing the experiment, especially if you have been handling
chemicals or animals.
Dispose waste properly.
Any project that involves drugs, firearms, or explosives are not permitted.
Any project that breaks district policy, and/or local, state or federal laws are not permitted.

Use safety on the internet! Never write to anyone without an adult knowing about it. Be
sure to let an adult know about what websites you will be visiting, or have them help you
search.
If there are dangerous aspects of your experiment, like using sharp tools or experimenting
with electricity, please have an adult help you or have them do the dangerous parts.
Thats what adults are for, so use them correctly. (Besides, it makes them feel important!)
Science Fair Rules
1. You may work in groups of 2, or on your own. No more than 2 people per project.
2. Adults can help, in fact we want them to get involved. They can help gather materials,
supervise your experiment and even help build the display, but not do the project for you!
3. Speaking of help, many internet sources, such as Pinterest, already have hundreds of full
science experiments already completed and published. Although it is okay to repeat a
project found online, it is NOT okay to copy everything from the project, such as
the research, conclusion, and application. Again, this is plagiarism and you will
receive a zero on the project and be disqualified from the science fair. If you do
choose a project from the internet, make sure YOU do the work and form your own results
and conclusions from the experiment. Remember, good scientists will do an experiment
more than once, and sometimes they do have different results, and it is okay!
4. Experiments are recommended over collections and models. You will not score very high
unless you do an experiment, so save the models and collections for a class project. You
will be judged on the use of the Scientific Method.
5. You cannot bring the materials of your experiment for the display or perform the
experiment live. You will only be judged on your presentation and board. You can however,
mount things on your board in a type of 3D display, but remember that your board has to
be able to stand by itself, so dont get carried away. If you do mount things on the board,
try not to mount something expensive that you bought and make sure you have things
mounted securely so they don't fall off. YOU MAY NOT MOUNT ANY FOOD OR ORGANIC
MATERIALS!
6. Displays must be on a 36 by 48 inch trifold display board.
7. Respect all other projects and students, as well as adults involved in the fair... especially
the judges!
8. All decisions of the judges are final.
 Keeping Track of Time

Following the timeline below will ease the process of completing the
scientific method and projects. This allows you to stay on track with
your project, and not wait until the last minute. You will have some
class time to work on portions of your project.

Due Dates Tasks

3/17/17 Choose topic and write project question.
Get approval from your teacher.

End of Class Research your topic. Write science terms, fill

3/31/17 out notecards, and write your rough draft in
your packet. Include bibliography of
resources.
4/3/17 Write your hypothesis in your packet.
4/7/17 Design experiment: list and gather materials,
list controls and variables, and write
procedure in your packet.
No due date Conduct experiment multiple times. Record
observations data in science journal.
No due date Create a table, chart, or graph of the data in
your packet.
5/5/17 Write your rough draft of your results,
conclusion, and application in your packet.
5/12/17 Make the project display and make final
copies of each step, such as procedure and
research. Make final copy of charts/graphs.
Develop pictures.
5/__/17 Present project in class. (Due date)
5/19/17 Present project at science fair. Dress up!

Science Fair Grading Rubrics

Name(s):___________________________________________

Science Fair Project Components

*SCIENCE FAIR FRIDAY, MAY 19TH

Component Points Points
Possible Received

Science Fair Project Planning Packet 10 pts

Display Board with:

Question/Title

Hypothesis

Key Words, Research, Bibliography

Procedure and Materials

Control/Variable 20 pts

Photos/Drawings

Chart or Diagram

Results

Conclusion

Application

Experiment Log (Science Journal) 10 pts

40 pts
TOTAL

Science Fair Project Content

My due date:____________________________________________

*SCIENCE FAIR FRIDAY, MAY 19TH, 2017

 Points Points
Content
Possible Received

Question* Question is relevant and testable through

5 pts 012345
experimentation

Hypothesis* Hypothesis is based on observations 5 pts 012345

Research* Key words and research are relevant to the

5 pts 012345
question being tested

Procedure* Procedure is clearly outlined and presents a

5 pts 012345
controlled experiment

Results* Results are communicated clearly through

5 pts 012345
graph/chart AND well written explanation

Conclusion* Conclusion includes appropriate evaluation of

5 pts 012345
data and proves or disproves the hypothesis

TOTAL 60 pts(30 x 2)

0 = Not Presented

1 = Below Standard

2 = Minimum Standard

3 = Average Standard

4 = Above Standard

5 = Exceptional/Outstanding

March 6, 2017

Dear Parents/Guardians,

It is that time of year for the 4th grade Science Fair! Included in your childs
take home folder today is the science fair packet with a blue cover. We have
discussed the packet in class, and have highlighted important information in the
packet. Completing a science fair project is a lengthy process, but the packet
should clarify the steps and it is a good idea to follow the timeline toward the back
of the packet to eliminate a stressful science fair. The items that have due dates
will be checked by Miss Armbruster on the indicated dates, while the items that do
not have due dates will completed at the pace of the student. Students will NOT
be working on the actual experiment during class time, however, there will be time
in class to complete the research portion, as well as some of the other writing
portions. Additionally, it is not intended for projects to become expensive;
household items are great materials to use!

Please review the science fair packet with your child. Please sign the bottom
portion to indicate you have reviewed the information, and return to school by
Friday, March 10th.

Thank you!

Miss Armbruster

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have reviewed the entire 4th grade Science Fair packet with my child.

My child and I both understand the expectations of science fair.

I will contact Miss Armbruster with any questions about the project I have.

_____________________________________
Parent Signature