Science Fair Project Planner
1. Choose a topic
When you do a Science Fair Project you have a question and you decide to do an experiment
to see what happens if…..
See the Science Project Ideas List attached or go online to the following sites:
http://www.ipl.org/div/projectguide/
http://school.discovery.com/sciencefair central/
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/science-fairs.shtml?gclid
Remember, a Science Fair Project is a test you do to find an answer to a question, not just
showing what you know about something.
2. State your question.
What do you wonder about your topic? What do you hope to find out from the experiment?
This is a quick and simple sentence that just says what you want to know. An example: What
happens to seeds that are planted but have no water? This will keep your project simple. Some of the best
projects are simple and show easily their hypothesis and question. It will be much easier to
write the procedure, gather materials, do the experiment and maintain your log and records if
everything is as simple as possible.
1. TOPIC
I want to learn more about
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2. STATE YOUR QUESTION.
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*Complete this page and return packet to school by Wednesday, April 23rd to be checked by teacher. The
packet will come back home that evening.
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child’s signature
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Parent signature
Project Planner Part II
3. Research/Background Learning
What do you already know about your topic/question? Gather some information about your
question so that you have some understanding about what others may already know about
your topic. You may use the internet, the library, magazines, human interviews, or your
textbook. In your own words, record what you have learned in a Science Project Log Book. Be
sure to keep a record (in your log and on this page) of resources you’ve read.
4. Form a Hypothesis
Now it’s time to think about how you can answer your question or learn more about it. Make
a statement from your question in this form: “I think if I what you plan to change then
__________ will happen.”
Example: I think if I put wheels under the book, then it will reduce friction and take less force to move. Or I think if I don’t let the
plant get sunlight, the leaves will turn dark.
3. Resource List (you can add to this list throughout the project)
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4. Hypothesis
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Complete this page and return packet to school by Monday, April 28th to be checked by teacher. The packet
will come back home that evening.
______________________________
child’s signature
____________________________
Parent signature
Project Planner Part III
5. Plan/Design the Investigation or Experiment
You will want to list and determine how you plan to do the experiment. You need to think
about the project before you do it and determine how long it will take. Plan a fair way to test
your hypothesis. Decide how you will collect data to answer your original question and
investigate your hypothesis.
6. List and Gather Materials
Materials I will need:
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5. Steps of my experiment
1. _________________________________________________
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2. _________________________________________________
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3. _________________________________________________
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4. _________________________________________________
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5. _________________________________________________
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6. _________________________________________________
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7. _________________________________________________
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8. _________________________________________________
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*Complete this page and return packet to school by Friday, May 2nd to be checked by teacher. The
experiment does not have to be complete at that time, just this page. The packet will come back home that
evening.
______________________________
child’s signature
____________________________
Parent signature
Project Planner Part IV
6. Conduct the experiment (shoot for doing this by Wednesday, May 7th )
Keep very detailed notes of what you do and what you observe. Be sure and repeat the
investigation or experiment at least 3 times in order to get enough data to support your
conclusion. Record results accurately, using graphs, photos, drawings or tables.
7. Record your Conclusion
Answer your question based on the results that you got. Explain (give reasons for) how you
reached your conclusion based on the data you collected. Discuss any problems that may
have happened and how they may have affected the outcome. Be sure and explain why the
experiment is important for you and others to know about.
8. Create Your Display (try to have this completed by May 12th )
Make sure the entire investigation or experiment is represented in a logical order. Check your
spelling. Be sure people can understand what you did (a title and labels on each section).
Present your conclusion prominently. It has to be neat, but it does not have to be typed. Your
log and any notes should accompany the project.
10. Practice your Presentation (take a couple of days to do this)
Practice discussing what you did and what you learned from this project. This is the kicker. Be
able to discuss it in your own words (not just reading from the board). Be able to answer how
you got your idea, and why it interests you. Be sure to give anyone that assisted you with the
project credit for helping.
Bring Science Fair Project Display to school on Monday, May 14th.
I will evaluate them before the 9th and they will be displayed on Science/ Basket Raffle night,
May 15th.
Have fun!!! Enjoy the process and don’t stress!
See you at the Fair!!!