November 19, 2015 .
During the next few months your child will be required to complete a science project which uses the Scientific Method to solve a problem. All 6th grade students are required to do an individual project. Science projects are primarily independent study assignments involving experimentation on a topic of individual interest. The educational benefits to the student who completes a project include oral presentation, developed skills in writing, creative thinking and problem solving, just to name a few.
Most of the work will be completed at home. Your child may need you to monitor his/her progress to develop good time-management skills and also provide encouragement. Your support helps ensure a successful project; please, however, do not allow your involvement to extend any further. This will assure equity and promote student learning.
This packet contains a Science Fair Timeline, a form for each step of the
Scientific Method, display and log book guidelines, and a parent/student agreement form. I will go over each step with your child and send home specific instructions before each step is due. Students will be required to display their experiments on a
36” X 48” science board. You may want to purchase one as early as possible, for the best selection.
Start thinking of a project idea! Please email if you have any questions!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Gappa kelleygappa@mooreschools.com

# ________ Name _______________________________________ Date ________________
The scientific problem should be written as a question. You may use the examples below to help you in finding your project idea.
Model 1 – “How does _______ affect _______?”
(Example: “How does water temperature affect plant growth?”)
Model 2 – “What is the effect of _______ on _______?”
(Example: “What is the effect of liquid fertilizer on house plants?”)
Model 3 – “Which _____ (consumer product) is _______ (strongest, lasts longest, etc.)?”
(Example: “Which brand of white glue is the strongest?”)
Model 4 – “What is the relationship between _______ and _____?”
(Example: “What is the relationship between the amount of fertilizer and the number of flowers on a rose bush
?”)
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IMPORTANT things to remember as you are planni ng…
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As a district, 6 th graders are not permitted to do experiments that involve humans, animals, or animal tissue (blood, teeth, etc.), bacteria/mold, or hazardous products (which includes the burning of anything).
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Your Science Fair Project must involve some kind of EXPERIMENT. Something must be tested.
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Please write your PROBLEM on the lines below.
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The hypothesis of your experiment is just a tentative (temporary) explanation for an observation (or your scientific problem) written in a special way that leads to further investigation.
Write your hypothesis in the form of an “If……, then……, because….” statement.
Examples:
 “If fertilizer is added to plants, then the plants will produce more tomatoes, because fertilizer helps plants grow
.”
 “If you increase the height from which a golf ball is dropped onto a flat surface of flour, then the resulting crater will be bigger, because the golf ball will have more speed .”
 “If greater amounts of salt are added to water, then the freezing point of the mixture will decrease more, because salt water freezes below 0 degrees Celsius .”
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Keep these important points in mind:
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The results of an experiment cannot prove that a hypothesis is correct. Rather, the results either support or do not support the hypothesis.
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You can gain valuable information even when your results do not support your hypothesis.
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In science, a hypothesis is supported only after many scientists have conducted many experiments and produced consistent results.
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Please write your HYPOTHESIS on the lines below. Remember to use the “If…, then…, because…” format.
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There are 2 different variables in your experiment
– the independent variable and the dependent variable. The independent variable is the factor that you wish to test and that you manipulate or change. This can be found just after the word “If…” in you hypothesis. The dependent variable is the factor that you measure to gather results. This can be found in your hypothesis just after the word “then…”.
Example:
Hypothesis – “If you increase the height from which a golf ball is dropped onto a flat surface of flour, then the resulting crater will be bigger , because the golf ball will have more speed.”
Independent Variable – the height from which a golf ball is dropped
Dependent Variable
– crater size
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Please write your VARIABLES on the lines below.
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE - ____________________________________________________
DEPENDENT VARIABLE - ______________________________________________________
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All of the other factors involved with your experiment are the things that you do not want to change. Variables change and constants stay the same. Constants are all the factors that must be identical across all groups you are comparing. REMEMBER: The only things that are allowed to change are the 2 variables listed above.
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Please list at least 3 CONSTANTS involved in your experiment on the lines below.
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2. _______________________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________________________
5. _______________________________________________________________________
6. _______________________________________________________________________

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The materials list for your project should include all of the equipment and all of the supplies you used to perform your experiment. It is very important that you include amounts and sizes in your list. Be as specific as possible. If someone wants to perform your experiment, your materials list will tell them everything they need to get together in order to do it. For example, if you use cups list how many cups and what size they are. Also list what type of cups
– plastic, etc. The more details you can provide the more likely someone will be able to duplicate your experiment.
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Please list all of your MATERIALS on the lines below.
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2. _______________________________________________________________________
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# ________ Name _______________________________________ Date ________________
The procedures list on this page is simply your plan for how you are going to perform your experiment. You may need to go back and change some things after you carry out the experiment – telling what you did exactly. Writing detailed experimental procedures is very important in science.
Scientists must be able to reproduce the results reported by other scientists in order for research to be taken seriously. Be sure you include specific information about the methods you use, such as amounts, sizes, types of materials, temperatures, and data collection techniques.
Here is a list of guidelines to follow in writing your procedure:
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Be sure to break your procedure into short, easy-to-follow steps.
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Start each step with a verb, or action word.
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Write your procedure so it is clear enough for someone else to use as instructions for repeating your experiment.
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Please write your PROCEDURE on the lines below. Use as many steps as you need to. Be sure to number the steps as you go. Use the back of this page if you need more space.
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The data from your experiment can also be considered the results. This is where you share with us what exactly happened when you carried out your procedure. For this part you will be required to make at least one table and one graph (either a bar graph or a line graph).
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Here are some important data table tips: (Points will be deducted if any of these are left out.)
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Always give numbers (Example: Table 1 and Table 2) and titles for data tables.
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Decide how you will organize the table into columns and rows. Generally, you will place the independent variable in the left column and the dependent variable in the right column(s).
(See example below)
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Always put units (minutes, inches, centimeters, etc.) in the column headings, leaving them out of the individual cells.
Table Example:
Table 1. Growth rate of a Child
Age (years) Weight (kg)
0
1
2
3.3
8.2
11.8
3
4
15.4
18.1
5 19.5
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Please make your own data table for your experiment in the space provided below.

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# ________ Name _______________________________________ Date ________________
(continued)
The bar graph and the line graph are different ways of representing the data in your table.
Below are some directions on how to make each of the graphs. You will need to choose which type of graph you would like to use to best represent your data. If you have a hard time deciding you are welcome to make one of each.
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How to make a bar graph :
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Place the dependent variable on the vertical axis (y-axis).
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Place the independent variable on the horizontal axis (x-axis).
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Choose a numerical scale for the dependent variable on the y-axis. The top of the scale should have a value greater than the highest value in the data. Use equal increments along the scale.
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Draw and label the axes. Mark intervals on the y-axis according to the scale you chose.
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Draw a bar for each data value. Use the scale to decide how long to make each bar. Label each bar.
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Be sure to give your graph a number (Example: Graph 1 or Graph 2) and a title.
Bar Graph Example:
Figure 1. Number of Birds
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18
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10
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6
4
2
0
Bird Species

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(continued)
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How to make a line graph :
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Place the dependent variable on the vertical axis (y-axis).
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Place the independent variable on the horizontal axis (x-axis).
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Choose scales for both axes of the graph. You should have two points more than you need on the y-axis, and the x-axis should be long enough for all of the data points to fit.
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Draw and label each axis. Mark intervals on both axes according to the scales you choose.
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Plot each value as a point on the graph.
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Connect the points with straight lines.
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Be sure to give your graph a number (Example: Graph 1 or Graph 2) and a title.
Line Graph Example:
Figure 1. Average Monthly Water Temperature on Lake Powell
30
27
24
21
18
15
12
9
6
3
0
Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
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# ________ Name _______________________________________ Date ________________
(continued)
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Please make your own bar graph or line graph (or both) for your experiment in the space provided below. You are welcome to use the following website to create a graph: http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/graphing/

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# ________ Name _______________________________________ Date ________________
After collecting, organizing, and presenting the data from a scientific investigation, it is necessary to determine what the results mean. The goal of any experiment is to generate data that either support or fail to support your hypothesis. Nothing is proved by an experiment, but you can interpret the data and draw some conclusions from them. Any conclusions you make must be support by your results.
Here are some tips to help you develop your conclusions :
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First, write your results, and then compare your results to your hypothesis .
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Include information about if your results do support or do not support your hypothesis
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Be careful not to make inferences about factors that you did not test.
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Make sure you have enough data before attempting to draw conclusions about your experiment. If your data sample is too small, your conclusions may be faulty.
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Please write your conclusion on the lines provided.
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