Science Fair Project
Mr. Gott
Problem Statement
• This is the question you want answered. It
should be written as a question.
– Example: Do plants grow better with fertilizer?
Background Information
• Ok so you’ve come up with an idea…but is it
worth doing a whole project on it?
• This is where research comes in…
• Scholarly books, articles and websites
• Search Engine vs. Website
• If you can back it up, you can do it!
• This is in paragraph form
Hypothesis:
• This is your prediction about the outcome of
your experiment.
• It should be written as an if/then statement.
• Example: If fertilizer is added to lima bean
plants then the fertilized plants will grow
larger than lima bean plants without fertilizer.
Experimental Design
• How are you going to do this?
• Put your ideas together
• Plan out your experiment: How much time do
you need? How much material does it
require? Can you put this together?
Variables and Controls
• Identify the following in your experiment:
– Independent variable: This is the variable you change in
your experiment
• Example: adding fertilizer to lima beans
– Dependent variable: This is the variable that changes
because of the RESULTS of your experiment.
• Example: the height of the lima bean plants
– Control: This is the group without an independent variable
• Example: the plants without fertilizer
– Constants: Everything that you intentionally did not
change as part of your experiment
• Example: Sunshine, water, soil, time of day, etc.
*Listed on power point*
Experimentation
• You picked a topic, you’ve got your idea and
you can test it…Great, now actually do it!!!
• Remember you have to have at least 3
trials…you don’t just do the experiment once!
• The three trials can be shown in pictures or in
charts
Materials
• This is a list of all the materials you used in
your experiment
Data
• Once you do your experiment remember to write
down your findings: Journal, Chart, Data table – there
are your rough notes; For Example:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
11/15/04
Control Plant 7.4 mm
Test Plant 16.2 mm
Test Plant 24.9 mm
Test Plant 37.2 mm
11/22/04
Control Plant 7.8 mm
Test Plant 15.9 mm
Test Plant 23.2 mm
Test Plant 37.2 mm
• THEN….you have to do something with it!
What to do with Data?
• You must include at least one data table and
at least one graph.
• You must have some sort of statistical analysis
for your data. This can be as simple as
calculating the mean (average), median,
mode, or as complicated as a statistical test.
From Data to Results
• From your data you get your results…what did
you find?
• Example: Does your plant hate salt water, or the
way you sing?
• The results is usually in the form of a statement
that explains or interprets the data. You do not go
into any detail or explanations here. You simply
say in words what your data is telling you.
Example: "Test Plant 3 showed little difference in
growth rate as compared to the Control Plant."
Procedures
• List step-by-step instructions someone else
can use to complete your experiment exactly
as you did it.
• Example: "After 1 minute, I stirred in the
baking soda and timed the reaction to be 45
seconds
Conclusion
• This part is LONG…it’s supposed to be!
• The conclusion is a summary of the research and the
results of the experiment. (paragraphs)
• This is where you answer your research question. You
make a statement of whether your data supported
your hypothesis or not.
• You may have data that supported part of your
hypothesis and not another part. You may also have
data that did not support your hypothesis at all.
• In this case, you may explain why the results were
different.
Applications
• Explain in a paragraph why your experiment is
important and how people can use the results
of your experiment to make their lives better.
• Who really cares? Why is it important to the
world or to you?
Resources/Bibliography
• Where did you get your information? Include
any and all sources such as:
• Articles
• Websites
• Books
• Interviews
All need to be cited CORRECTLY!
Visual display and Oral Presentation
• If possible, turn your project in on PowerPoint.
Follow this example as a guide. Your power
point NEEDS to have all the parts!
• You will need to present your project in front
of the class. Please note that there will be NO
prompting from the teacher. Practice your
speech. You need to sound like you know what
you’re talking about.
Your Display Board
• Guidelines for Display Board
• This is a Tri-fold display board that exhibits the highlights of
your Science Project. This is the first thing a person sees
when they are introduced to your project so the
presentation of this component of your Science Project is
one of the most important.
• Follow the guidelines illustrated below for dimensions of
your DISPLAY BOARD as well as the placement of objects on
the DISPLAY BOARD.
Display Board Continued
• SIDE A
This side has the PROBLEM STATEMENT, The BACKGROUND INFORMATION
and your HYPOTHESIS.
SIDE B
This side has the TITLE as well as all your DATA (including tables, diagrams
and photos.
SIDE C
This side has the MATERIALS, PROCEDURE as well as your RESULTS and
CONCLUSION followed by your BIBLIOGRAPHY.
The Title of your Science Project is the first thing people will see when
they look at your DISPLAY BOARD. You can use your QUESTION as your title
or you can make up something. You want the title to be catchy and to
make people interested in looking at your project.