Middle School Science Fair Project Packet

FREDERICK K.C. PRICE III CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS
ANNUAL SCIENCE FAIR
MIDDLE SCHOOL INFORMATION PACKET
PROJECT DUE FRIDAY APRIL 17, 2015
Middle School Science Teacher: Ms. Dianne Coe
March 6, 2015
Subject: 2015 Science Fair
Dear Parents/Guardians:
It is with great pleasure that Frederick K.C Price III, Christian Schools announces our Annual
Science Fair. The Fair will take place on Friday April 17, 2015 in the Youth Activity Center.
There will be times available for viewing and a separate time for judging the projects. We
encourage you to assist your child in researching and preparing this project.
During the next few weeks, your child will design a science project that uses the Scientific
Method to solve a problem. We trust you agree that the educational benefits are numerous, as
students develop skills in writing, oral presentation, creative thinking, problem solving,
understanding cause and effect relationships, keeping records, and budgeting time to meet
specific deadlines.
Each student has been given instructions and handouts (attached) for various steps of his or her
project. Most of the work will be completed at home. We ask that you encourage your child and
monitor his or her progress along the way. Your support is crucial to a successful project.
However, please do not allow your involvement to extend any further in order to assume equity
and promote student learning. It is important that your child wrestle with problems and try to
solve these problems for themselves. Please, guide your child wherever you can, but let the final
project reflect your child’s individual effort and design. Also, keep in mind that a successful
project does not have to cost an enormous amount of money.
Should you have any questions, please direct your questions to Ms. Coe, via email at
dcoe@faithdome.org or you may leave a message in the main office for me at 323-565-4199.
Thank you
Dianne Coe
Middle School Science Teacher
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SCIENCE FAIR 2015 SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AND MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
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No hazardous liquids
No dangerous materials may be exhibited
No open flames
Electrical devices must be safe
No wet cell devices
No containers of mold (however, photos or drawings are acceptable)
No live animals may be brought to school ( however, photos, or drawings or observation notes are
acceptable)
8. Water and other liquids used may not be brought to school (however, photos and or drawings are
acceptable)
MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
1. A threefold display board
2. A written report
3. Model and or pictures of experiment on board
Example of Science Fair Display
SCIENCE FAIR REPORT
1. Title Page: The title of the project should be centered on the page, the name of the student must not
appear here
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2. Hypothesis: The hypothesis is the scientist’s (your child’s) prediction of what they believe will
happen, using “If and then….” This is a single sentence
3. Materials and Procedure: The materials and procedure should be listed in bulleted format; use past
tense, passive voice (e.g., “the solution was mixed,” not: I mixed the solution) . Remember the
scientific point of view is impersonal, therefore, avoid using first person pronouns ( I, me, mine).
4. Results and Analysis: The results and analysis will be written after the experiment is complete. Use
past tense, passive voice (e.g., “measurements of the stem diameter were taken,” not: I measured the
diameter of the stems, “)
5. Conclusion: The conclusion explains how you interpreted your results and statistical analysis. The
conclusion should first be stated in one sentence that parallels your hypothesis in content and
structure. Three paragraphs must be used to further explain your conclusions. References should be
made to similarities and differences between your findings and interpretations.
WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD?
The Scientific Methods Features These Steps:
Question/Purpose: Identify the problem. What do you want to find out?
Hypothesis: Make an intelligent guess, what do you think will happen?
Materials: Gather materials needed to do the experiment. What materials do you need to use?
Procedures: Things done to solve the problem. What will you do to find out the solution to your
problem?
5. Collect Data from Trials and Tests: What method of recording your data will you use? What
things can you count and measure?
6. Results: Observe what happened when you did your experiment.
7. Conclusions: What were the answers to your questions? What did you learn from your
experiment? How is it related to your everyday life?
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SCIENCE FAIR PROJECTS IDEAS
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How much salt does it take to float an egg?
What kind of juice cleans pennies best?
Which dish soap makes the most bubbles?
Which brand of raisin cereal has the most raisins?
Do watches keep time the same?
How can you measure the strength of a magnet?
Do ants like cheese or sugar better?
Do roots of a plant always grow downward?
What kinds of things do magnets attract?
Does a bath take less water than a shower?
What foods do mealworms prefer?
Which travels faster a snail or worm?
Do mint leaves repel ants?
Which paper towel brand is the strongest?
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How far does a snail travel in one minute
Does water with salt boil faster than plain water?
How far can a person lean without falling?
Does anyone in my class have the same fingerprints?
Does sugar prolong the life of cut flowers?
Does an ice cube melt faster in air or water?
SCIENCE FAIR IDEAS: HOW TO CHOOSE A TOPIC
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Choose a topic that interest you
Choose a single aspect about your topic to investigate
Make sure your experiment can be tested
Be sure to allow yourself enough time to complete your experiment
Identify possible variables in your experiment. Variables are factors that change
Write a hypothesis that states what you predict will happen based on changes in your
variables
Create a step-by-step experiment that tells what you intend to do
Gather together and list the materials needed to perform your experiment
Perform your experiment and record the data as your experiment
Do all the necessary calculations
Write a summary of what happened in your experiment
Use your data and observations to draw conclusions about your experiment
HOW TO DO THE BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Write the author’s last name, first name,, and middle name or initial
Write the name of the article or chapter from your source in quotes
Write and underline or italicize the title of the book or source
Write the place where your source was published by a colon
Write the publisher’s name, date and volume followed by a colon and the page
number
SCIENCE FAIR RUBRIC
Middle School 6, 7, & 8 Grades
Each student must have a threefold display board, a written report, and a model and or pictures of the experiment on your display
board. On the display board these steps must be clearly stated. The steps that must be stated are: the Question/Purpose,
Hypothesis, Materials needed, Procedures, Collect Data from Trials and Tests, Results, and Conclusions. The report must
be in three paragraphs Bibliography. The report must be typed and placed in a Report Folder. Place your Name, Last name first,
Given name second, the date it is due, April 17, 2015.
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Rubric
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A project that has a complete: Title Page, a Hypothesis, a list of Materials and Procedures, a list of
Results and Analysis, and a Conclusion as specified in the Science Fair Report Instructions, on a Tri fold display
board of 48”X 36” in a well thought out manner.
The results and analysis page, and the conclusion must be a paragraph of eight sentences, for eighth
grade, seven sentences for seventh grade and six sentences for sixth grade. These sentences should be of varied lengths
making sure all verb tenses are in the past tense since you have completed the experiment.
Sentences may not all begin with “the.” Use of varied adjectives to describe results and conclusions
must be a part of this section.
The conclusion must summarize all points indicated in this paragraph. There must be correct spelling
and end punctuation.
Sentence structure is elaborate and complex. Elaborate sentences use figurative language, i.e. similes
and metaphors.
Grammatical usage is correct and student has followed all directions for the assignment.
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A project that has a mostly complete: Title Page, a Hypothesis, a list of Materials and Procedures, a list
of Results and Analysis, and a mostly complete Conclusion as specified in the Science Fair Report Instructions, on a
Tri fold display board of 48”X 36” in a mostly well thought out manner.
The results and analysis page, and the conclusion may not be a paragraph of eight sentences, for eighth
grade, may not include seven sentences for seventh grade and may not include six sentences for sixth grade.
These sentences may not be of varied lengths and the student may not make sure all verb tenses are in
the past tense even though the student has completed the experiment.
Sentences may not all begin with “the.” Use of varied adjectives to describe results and conclusions
may not be included in this section.
The conclusion may not summarize all points indicated in this paragraph. There may be correct spelling
and end punctuation.
Sentence structure is not as elaborate and complex.
Elaborate sentences use figurative language, i.e. similes and metaphors.
Grammatical usage is mostly correct and student has followed most of the directions for the assignment.
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A project that has a basically complete: Title Page, a Hypothesis, a list of and Procedures, a list of
Results and Analysis, and a basic Conclusion as specified in the Science Fair Report Instructions, on a Tri fold
display board of 48”X 36” in a basically thought out manner.
The results and analysis page, and the conclusion may not be a paragraph of eight sentences, for eighth
grade, may not include seven sentences for seventh grade and may not include six sentences for sixth grade.
These sentences are of basically varied lengths and the student may not make sure all verb tenses are in
the past tense even though the student has completed the experiment.
Sentences may not all begin with “the.” Use of varied adjectives to describe results and conclusions are
basically included in this section.
The conclusion basically summarizes some points indicated in this paragraph.
There may be some correct spelling and end punctuation.
Sentence structure is not as elaborate and complex. Elaborate sentences use figurative language, i.e.
similes and metaphors.
Grammatical usage is somewhat correct and student has followed some of the directions for the
assignment.
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A basic project that is not well thought out. However, it has completed the absolute minimum of all that
was asked in the Science Fair Report Instructions, on a Tri fold display board of 48”X 36” in an extremely basic
manner.
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