By
Crickett Buker
Indian River County
Science and Engineering Fair Director
Science fair projects at the
middle school level are much
more advanced than elementary
projects.
Main differences
More stringent rules
 A proposal must be submitted to teacher
for approval.
 Forms MUST be filled out, signed and
dated prior to experimentation.
 6th-8th grade compete with each other.
 A student can advance to state level
competition.
 This is not a class project.

So what does/does not make for a
good middle school project?

Product comparisons and surveys are not
suitable for middle school.

Models and demonstrations are not science fair
projects.
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A good project allows for measurable results,
such as time, distance, capacity or temperature
changes.
Speaking of measurement…
Metric is the language of science: meter,
liter, gram, Celsius.
Do NOT use cups, pints, ounces, pounds,
inches, feet, Fahrenheit.
Time is the same in metric: seconds,
minutes, hours.
Where do I begin?
Research topics that interest you. Topic
selection is the hardest part!
 Write a proposal of experiment in your log
book.

 What
problem are you investigating?
 Write a DETAILED procedure.
 Identify your variables.

Submit your proposal to your teacher.
Log Book





EVERYTHING you do should be recorded in
your log book.
Use pen, not pencil.
Date every entry (extremely important).
Do NOT tear out pages or white out or scratch
out changes. Draw ONE line through changes.
Your entries should document your topic
research, your proposal, the date the proposal
was submitted and returned—everything!
Log book sample entry
9/3/08
Today I logged on to the internet to
research possible experiment topics. I
found several that interested me. Here
are the website addresses:
http://www.fantasticidea.com
http://www.iwonfirstplace.org
I discussed the prospects with my teacher
and my Mom and decided to do….
What next?
AFTER your teacher has approved your
proposal, (record the date submitted and
approved in your log book) you MUST fill
out all required forms.
These forms are required—they aren’t
hard to do, but you must pay attention to
the details! (That is part of science, too.)
Which forms do I fill out?
ALL projects require a form 1, 1A, Research
plan, 1B, and 3.
These MUST be completed in blue ink and
submitted to your teacher.
Leave no line blank EXCEPT actual start
and end date (form 1A, #6).
Research plan
This “form” does not look like a form because there
are no blanks to fill in. Read it carefully. You
must provide all of the information outlined on
this form on another sheet of paper. It should be
typed.
It must include a bibliography, with a minimum of 5
sources. Your bibliography must use MLA
format. We will go over this in class.
If your project involves a vertebrate animal, there
MUST be a 6th source on care of that animal.
Refresh my memory, what is a
vertebrate?
 Fish
 Amphibians
 Reptiles
 Birds
 Mammals
More forms
Additional forms MAY be required depending on the
nature of your project.
Examples:
Working with a vertebrate animal?
You will need ONE of the #5 forms.
Humans involved in your project?
Form 4.
Working with a scientist at a research lab?
Form 1C
Being helped by a scientist?
Form 2
PRIOR APPROVAL
All projects requiring additional forms require
prior approval by a specific review board.
Your teacher will get the forms to the board,
and you MAY NOT start your project until
the board approves the project. (Your
teacher will let you know.)
Where do I get these forms?

Your teacher

www.sciserv.org
Look in document library.
IF 2011 forms are not posted and you want
to get started, use the 2010 forms.
But I want to start NOW!!!!!
Write your proposal.
 Get it approved by your teacher.
 Fill out your forms.

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Your teacher will be your adult sponsor:
Joseph Refsland
IF I approve your project,
you may begin work on your project.
Experimentation
After you gather your materials and are
ready to start, document everything in your
log book.
Create a chart to record data.
A good experiment is repeated many times
OR has a large test group.
Examples
If you are doing an experiment with plants, insects,
brine shrimp, or human subjects you should
have a LARGE number in each test group. (And
always have a control group.)
If you are running an experiment that involves
timed trials, repeat the experiment as many
times as possible and find the mean of your
results.
Variables
These are factors in your experiment that you must
identify. (They are a part of your proposal.)
 Independent-the one thing that you are changing
in your experiment.
 Dependent-What are you measuring?
 Constants-everything you keep the same for
fairness.
 Control-a group to which the independent
variable is NOT applied to.
Report
I require a detailed research report on the topic of
your experiment to be done. In this way I know
if you have done sufficient research to
thoroughly know your topic and develop your
hypothesis.
In order to write a report, you should research your
topic and make copies of websites that have
information specific to your topic. READ them,
become familiar with your topic. Place them in a
folder labeled “Reprint file” and display this with
your project.
Important form information
You may NOT begin experimentation until
all forms are signed and dated by the
necessary adults.
*The adult sponsor is usually your teacher.
Parent signature is required on forms 1B
and 3.
Graphing results
The Excel program or other computer
graphing programs should be used to
develop computer generated graphs.
The judges will be looking for good math in
your results. Can you find the mean,
median and mode? Your teacher may
teach you some more advanced statistics
for analyzing your results.
Abstract
An abstract is a summarized version of your
project. It must be typed on the official state
abstract form. It includes the purpose,
hypothesis, procedure, data analysis and
conclusion.
It is written in past tense and 200-250 words in
length.
Make 3 copies, one for your final report, one for
your show board, and one for your records.
www.fffs.ucf.edu
Title
Problem
Materials
Data
(graphs)
Hypothesis
Abstract
Procedure
Variables
Data
Analysis
Conclusion
Completed Project
Title Page
Abstract
Table of contents
Introduction
problem, hypothesis, why you selected this project and what you
hope to achieve
Materials and procedures
Data (tables and graphs)
Data Analysis
Discussion
Conclusion
Recommendations
Acknowledgements
Research report
Bibliography
Contacts
Cynthia Falardeau
564-0034
Crickett Buker
564-4043
The Education Foundation of
Indian River County are the proud
sponsors of this program and provide
funding for the regional fair.
In addition the foundation provides the
funds for student participation in state
and international competition.