Owens Intermediate Science Fair
Dear parents,
Our ability to solve present and future problems depends on our ability to question the world in new and
creative ways. With our knowledge of the world growing so rapidly, we must move away from having our children
simply memorize facts. Instead, we must emphasize the thinking skills that can put those facts to use.
What better opportunity for a child to develop such skills than to participate in the Bessie Owens School
Science Fair on Wednesday, January 30th, 2013! The thinking skills a child develops while doing a science fair
project are the same basic skills he or she will use daily throughout his or her life. I want for the science fair to be a
fun experience so children should select projects that match their ability and interests.
Included in this packet you will find a list of some website to locate ideas (there are projects of varying
difficulty, please choose an appropriate grade level topic), a timeline of project deadlines and a logbook checklist.
Students have completed a sample project in class that should accompany this packet. Also, please be sure to submit
each section by the due. Late work will affect the project grade and may disqualify projects from awards.
Something else to consider when selecting project ideas is that certain topic are considered restricted and require
additional paperwork and deadlines. Topics that deal with humans, animals, culturing unknown
bacteria/fungus or working with hazardous materials are restricted and should be approved in advance.
To encourage your child’s participation we are providing a 24 in. by 48 in. project board at no cost. The
standard board for the Kern County Science Fair is 36 inches by 48 inches. However, a standard board will be provided
to the winners of each grade level going on to the county competition. If you or your child feels that it may be
difficult to recreate their display for the county science fair, you may purchase and use a standard board for our
science fair from any of the local suppliers.
I look forward to witnessing the fantastic discoveries your child will make. If you have any question or need
further information, please contact me. I can be reached at 631-5950 or visit the science lab web page at
http://owensintermediate.bcsd.com/.
Thank you,
Katy Auffant
Science Specialist
CATEGORIES:
*Life Science
*Chemistry
*Physics
*Engineering/Mathematics
*Behavioral, Social and Consumer Science
*Environmental Science/Earth Science/Astronomy
PARTICIPATION QUALIFICATIONS:
-The project must exhibit the scientific method and include a logbook.
-No glass, liquid or flames.
-No live animals (vertebrate or invertebrate) may be displayed.
-No preserved animals, animal parts, or animal tissue may be displayed.
-No human parts may be displayed.
-No microbial or fungal cultures may be displayed.
-No flammable, toxic, hazardous, or controlled substances may be displayed.
-No syringes, pipettes, or other similar devices may be displayed.
-Display of valuable items is discouraged.
-We reserve the right to remove any project that is deemed objectionable, hazardous or
does not follow the rules of the division.
-Behavior studies on humans are permitted only by prior approval.
Project deadlines
Science Project Proposal*
Log Book – 1st Check (#1-6)
Log Book – 2nd Check (#7-9)
Restricted Project Form**
Completed Project***
*
**
***
November 19th
December 7th
January 11th
January 11th
January 28th
10 pnts.
10 pnts.
10 pnts.
20 pnts.
Attached and should be signed by parent.
Only if you are doing a project that requires one (projects
involving humans, animals or hazardous materials).
Your teacher may have his/her own deadlines that must be
met in addition to these dates.
LOG BOOK CHECKLIST
All projects must include the following.
___1. Table of Contents
___2. Science Project Proposal
___3. Question Be sure you chose a testable question. It should have an
independent and dependent variable. (no demonstrations).
___4. Research You must have a minimum of 3 sources. Write the web
addresses, book titles or name of expert. Do not list Google or other
search engines as a source. Also print out, photocopy or write a summary of
what you learned from each of your sources.
___5. Hypothesis Your educated guess and why you think it.
___6. Materials/Procedures List of supplies and detailed numbered steps of how
to do your project.
___7. Data What you measured. (charts, graphs or pictures)
___8. Analysis What does your data prove? What happened that may have
affected your results? Was this what you expected? Did it prove or disprove
your hypothesis?
___9. Conclusion 3 parts – Refer to your question and state your answer. What
did you learn? What would you do differently next time?
Suggested Web Sites:
(see school web site for additional resources)
Kern County Superintendent of Schools – Science Fair Info and Parent Handbook
http://ci.kern.org/scienceFoundation/stories/storyReader$160
Science Fair Central
http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/
Cyber Fair
http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/welcome.html
Science Buddies
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/
Math Ideas for Science Fair Projects
http://mathforum.org/teachers/mathproject.html
USGS:  Science Fair Ideas
http://earthquakes.usgs.gov/4kids/sciencefair.html
PROJECT DISPLAY BOARD FORMAT
Helpful Hints
1 Type or neatly print all information from your logbook
into sections. Check for spelling. Use color in graphs
or charts to emphasis and clarify information.
2 Place all typed material on a colored backing,
such as construction paper. Leave a border of
1/4 to 1/2 inch (0.63 to 1.25 cm) around the
edges of each piece of typed material. Use a
paper cutter so that the edges will be straight.
3 Make the project title stand out by using larger letters
for it and smaller letters for the headings.
4 To arrange the letters on the backboard, first
lay the letters out on the board without attaching them.
Then, use a yardstick (meter stick) and pencil to draw a
straight, light guideline where the bottom of each letter
should line up. This will help you keep the lettering
straight. Before adhering everything, ask the opinion of
other students, teachers, or family members.
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
All projects must follow this format.
Problem/Purpose
• What is your goal?
• What idea are you trying to test?
• What is the scientific question you are trying to answer?
Research
• Learn as much as you can about your topic.
• List the sources.
• Summarize what you learned from each one.
Hypothesis
• Explain how you think your project can demonstrate your purpose.
• Make a prediction regarding the outcome of your experiment.
• State the results you are predicting in measurable terms.
Materials
• List all materials and equipment that were used.
• Your list of materials should include all of the ingredients of the procedure recipe.
Procedure
• Give a detailed explanation of how you will conduct the experiment to test your hypothesis.
• Be clear about the variables (elements of the experiment that change to test your hypothesis)
versus your controls (elements of the experiment that do not change).
• Be very specific about how you will measure results to prove or disprove your hypothesis. You
should include a regular timetable for measuring results or observing the projects (for example,
every hour, every day, every week).
• Your procedure should be like a recipe - Another person should be able to perform your
experiment following your procedure. Test this with a friend or parent to be sure you have not
forgotten anything.
Observations/Data/Results
• Keep a detailed journal of observations, data, and results. Your journal should contain data
measurements and written notes about what you are sensing (hearing, seeing, or touching)
about your experiment.
• If appropriate, photograph your project results or phases of the project to help your analysis and
possibly to demonstrate your experiment on your exhibit board.
Analysis
• Explain your observations, data, and results. This is a summary of what your data shows.
• List the main points that you have learned.
• Why did the results occur? What did your experiment prove?
• Was your hypothesis correct? Did your experiment prove or disprove your hypothesis? This
should be explained thoroughly.
Conclusion
• Answer your problem/purpose statement.
• What does it all add up to? What is the value of your project?
• What further study do you recommend given the results of your experiment? What would be the
next question to ask?
 If you repeated this project, what would you change?
Name ___________________
Science Project Proposal Form
Due Date: November 19th
1. Question (What I want to find out. Be sure your project is not a demonstration. You should be
testing or measuring something?): ___________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Independent Variable (What is changed/manipulated for each test?):
Dependent Variable (What will be measured?):
____________________________________
__________________________________________________
2. Research Sources (You are required to have a minimum of three (3) sources. They
should not all be from the Internet. Complete back of page):
3. Hypothesis (An educated guess as to what you will find out and why you think so.
Use the if…then…because format.): ________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
4. Please provide a brief description of the materials and general procedures for your proposed
project. Think about items that may be difficult to obtain or require adult supervision.
Basic Material: ___________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Brief Procedures: _________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Parent’s Signature: _______________________________
Approved _______
Teacher comments:
Revise _______
Restricted Project Form Needed _____
Initial Research Worksheet
This is the beginning of your research. On this sheet you will be writing a brief summary of the
information you learned from each source. However, these summaries will be expanded in your
logbook. Remember that you are required to have a minimum of 3 sources. They cannot all be
from the Internet. Also, if you do use the Internet, be sure to list the complete web address.
Key Words to help begin your search: _______________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Source #1 (list title/author, name and title of expert or web address)
______________________________________________________________________________
Brief Summary : ________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Source #2 (list title/author, name and title of expert or web address)
______________________________________________________________________________
Brief Summary : ________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Source #3 (list title/author, name and title of expert or web address)
______________________________________________________________________________
Brief Summary : ________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________