Dear Parents:
The school science fair will be held in January. This project counts as an important science grade and
every student is required to bring in a project. Students are allowed to work individually or in pairs. The attached packet is very valuable (there are no extras), so please keep it in a secure location that
you can refer to for the upcoming months. Below is a detailed explanation of the required data for the board:
Topic Question:
Is this something you can investigate?
Does it have a cause and effect relationship?
Is there something to measure?
Hypothesis:
This is a good guess as to what you think will happen. It must be made as a statement and not a question. Your topic question may be turned into a statement of what you think will occur.
Procedure:
This section is divided into two parts. Materials should be listed-this includes all materials anyone would need if they were going to do your experiment. Secondly, list the step-by-step directions for conducting your
experiment. Someone should be able to follow these steps and redo your same experiment.
Data, Observations, and Graph:
These are your recorded measurements, records, and information collected during the experiment. This could include graphs, photos, logs, or a journal of observations or changes over time.
Results:
What happened? What was the final outcome? This is NOT your opinion! This is your description or listing of the results.
Conclusion:
Your conclusion is stated in relation to the hypothesis. Example, “My
hypothesis was incorrect. Plants need sunlight and water to grow properly,
not just one factor” or “My hypothesis was correct. Plants must have sunlight
and water to grow properly.”
Sincerely,
Fifth Grade Teachers
----------------PLEASE SIGN AND CLIP THE BOTTOM PORTION OF THIS FORM----------
I have read and understand the above due dates and scoring system for the 5th
grade science fair project.
Student :____________________Parent
Signature:__________________________________
Scientific Method
1. Choose a problem
(What do you want to explore? Ask a question about it.)
• Choose something that interests you.
• Choose something that you don't know the answer to.
• Choose something you can work with.
2. Research your problem.
(How can you find the answer to your question?)
• Look in books.
• Get advice.
• Make observations.
3. Develop a hypothesis. or a statement that tries to explain a relationship
between variables. A hypothesis is an idea that is based on known lacks and
can be tested.
(What do you think the answer to your question will be?)
• Use the words if and then.
• Form your hypothesis from a simple question.
• Your hypothesis must be very clear so you can test it.
4. Write your procedures.
(Tell what you will do to test your hypothesis.)
• List the materials you will need.
• List each thing you will do. Number each step in order. Write down
everything you will do. Others should be able to repeat your experiment by
reading your procedures.
• Be sure that you are testing your hypothesis. (Is there anything you
haven't considered that could affect your experiment?) .
• Control your variables. (A variable is anything that can change or vary
during an experiment. In an experiment, everything should be the same each
time you test. except the one variable you are testing.)
5. Test your hypothesis.
• Get your materials.
• Follow your procedure.
• Make observations.
• Collect data and record it in a journal (notebook).
• Be honest.
6. Organize your data.
• Make tables. charts. or graphs.
• Write a summary.
• Draw pictures or take photographs to show your results and/or procedures.
7. State your conclusions.
(What happened? Was it what you expected? Did you find out what you wanted to
know?)
• Look at your data.
• Decide what your data tells you about your hypothesis.
• Decide how you might change your hypothesis based on your results.
• Think about what you might do to experiment further.
• Communicate your results with others.
Questions to Explore for Science Fair Projects
• How will adding air to a ball affect the height of its bounce?
• Can eating food containing sugar affect students’ health OT school
performance?
• Does watching TV affect students' school performance?
• How does the number of eggs used in a cake affect how high it rises?
• How does the amount of water a plant receives affect its growth?
• Does the thickness of a paper towel affect how fast it absorbs liquids?
• Which type of flashlight battery-regular, heavy-duty, or alkaline-lasts the
longest?
• How do different bath soaps affect the surface tension of water?
• Do left-handed people grasp things quicker than right-handed people?
• How does the shape of an airplane wing affect its lift?
Useful Links
http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/fair.html
http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/projectguide
http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/steps.html
http://sciencefairproject.virtualave.net/observation.htm
http://www.energy.sc.gov/K-12/science_fair.htm
http://www.rossarts.org/naples/index.html
Web Sites for Science Fair Project Information
http://school.discovery.com/sciencefaircentral/
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/fair.html
http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/projectguide
http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/cf/steps.html
http://sciencefairproject.virtualave.net/observation.htm
http://www.energy.sc.gov/K-12/science_fair.htm
http://www.rossarts.org/naples/index.html
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/index.html