1. Go to File, Save As…
• Save File as School_Grade_Title.ppt
• Now you can edit
2. You may change the background theme to whatever you would
like. Be sure that the text and pictures are easily readable.
3. Go to View, “Header and Footer…”
• Change “Footer” to your own information
4. If you have used the MillCreek STEM Fair Guide presentation,
many of the slides/text boxes can simply be copied into this
presentation where prompted.
5. Delete this text box when you have completed the above steps.
Project Title
Student Name(s)
Mill Creek Elementary
Grade(s)
Question or Problem Statement
 An excellent question will be interesting, creative, worded scientifically and relevant
to the world today. Your slide should also include your thought process and
preliminary research on why you selected the question. (250 Word max, no pictures
on this slide) Find a question or problem that interests you about something that
you have observed, noticed or wondered about.
 Slide 12 from the Guide
School_Project Title
Hypothesis/Design Goal

An excellent hypothesis will lead on from the question, be tightly focused and build on
existing knowledge and be testable. An Engineering/Invention project will have a design goal
instead of hypothesis. A hypothesis should be a concise 1 or 2 sentences (no pictures on this
slide/page).
What is your hypothesis or design goal? Try to address something that you believe is
challenging which you are able to answer in a single experiment.

Example Hypothesis: If sulfur released from a coal-burning power plant contributes to acidity
of precipitation, and snow samples are collected and tested for pH from 3 upwind locations
from the plant, versus samples collected from 3 downwind locations from the plant, then the
downwind samples will indicate an average pH that is lower than the upwind snow samples.

Example Design Goal: This project’s goal is to develop a sound-based golfing system that
people who are blind can use to accurately locate their golf ball. The hole will also have a
sound so that they may be able to direct their ball to the right location. This will be
accomplished by inserting a beeping mechanism in the ball and a different sound mechanism
at the hole. Initial tests will be conducted by the student scientist using a blindfold to hit test
golf balls toward a sound target.

Slide 25 from the Guide
School_Project Title
Background Research
 Excellent students will undertake research to help them shape their question and
hypothesis and to put their work into a relevant, real-world context.
Engineering/Invention show research about how the new product will meet a need
or solve a problem better than an existing product. (500 Word max, no pictures on
this slide/page)
 Figure out what others have found out about your subject area or question. How
has your research helped you to refine your question and ask something that may
not be unique, but is relevant and interesting and not already answered.
 Slide 21 from the Guide
School_Project Title
Experiment/Design Process
 Excellent students will demonstrate that they have used good experimental
techniques and describe their experiment clearly and in detail.
Engineering/Invention should show schematics, assembly information, refining of
design, prototyping. (500 Word Max; summary explaining the procedures, variables,
materials, & testing/experimental trials. Pictures are very appropriate on this
slide/page). Multiple slides may be used to show the experiment.
 Design and execute an experiment that tests your hypothesis. Include descriptions
of the materials, equipment, and methods/techniques you used. Explain the
variables and how they will be controlled, manipulated and measured. Also detail
any key steps to avoid errors, risks and safety.
 Slide 27 from the Guide
School_Project Title
Data/Observations
 Excellent data will be relevant, sufficient to support a conclusion and should be
recorded accurately and precisely, and be presented clearly.
-Excellent observations will describe patterns or trends supported by the data.
Engineering/Invention project show evidence of testing, applications of invention.
(multiple slides/pages OK to record data, charts, graphs, and lists are appropriate).
 Multiple slides may be used to show data/observations, pictures and graphs are
appropriate.
 Report on all of the data, numbers, outputs or outcomes from your experiment.
Show an understanding of what you saw happening during your experiment.
Describe the patterns and trends you saw emerge as you worked.
 Slides recording your observations and graphs (Slides 30-38 on the Guide may have
your data recorded) . Include Slide 39 from the Guide as well.
School_Project Title
Conclusion
 An excellent conclusion will explain how the experiment answers the question or
why it fails to do so and whether or not it supports the hypothesis or design goal.
(500 Word Max, no pictures on this slide/page).
 How did your experiment support or contradict your original hypothesis? How
could you improve your experiment? Did everything go as planned or were there
unexpected results? Does what you learned lead to a new question to ask or
experiment that would answer it? If so, why would it be important, interesting,
or useful to do?
 Slide 41 from the Guide
School_Project Title
References
 Excellent students will acknowledge and provide clear references for sources of
information that they have consulted and/or referenced and acknowledge any
assistance received (e.g. to find equipment and materials, to stay safe or to use
unfamiliar equipment or techniques). Use a bibliography generator such as
citationmachine.net to document articles you read, people you interviewed, etc.
 Slides 17-19 on the Guide will have 3 references listed at the bottom. Insert this
information into Citation Machine (APA format) to generate a scientific citation to
include here.
School_Project Title
Final Instructions

Be sure to save the PowerPoint with a file size of under 10MB (Click Save As…Reduce File
Size on a Mac or on a PC, right click on pictures and choose Format Pictures, then
Compress). You can also save your file as PDF.

Make sure that your file will open on a computer OTHER than the one you used to create
it (if you worked on it at home, try it on a school computer too).

If you work on your project over several days, don’t put the unfinished version in the
Science Fair Folder. Only save your final version of the PowerPoint in Science Fair 2016.
Save another copy somewhere else, just in case there is a problem.

If you have video clips, use links to the video, do NOT embed in the PPT (it will be too
large a file).

Your File should be named in the correct format:


Millcreek_Grade_Title of Project.pptx or Millcreek_Grade_Title of Project.pdf
You can delete this slide before you turn in your project.
School_Project Title