6th Grade STREAM Expo

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STREAM EXPO: TBA

• STUDENTS ARRIVE BETWEEN 5:45-6:00PM

• 6:00-7:00PM VIEWING OF EXHIBITS

• AWARD CEREMONY: 7:00-7:30PM

Below are educational resources utilized in class for

each step of the Scientific Method.

Overview of the Scientific Method Video:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_h33ak73JC5WHg2eVYweTRjcnc/edit

cut and paste this link.

STEP 1 OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

RESEARCH QUESTION:

Science Buddies Topic Selection Wizard: use this to help find a topic to conduct an experiment

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/recommender_register.php

TIPS FOR WRITING YOUR RESEARCH QUESTION

Introduction:

Write a paragraph about what your experiment is and why you chose to do it.

• What made you choose this research question?

• What is the purpose of the experiment?

  • • This sets the stage for the report. It entices people and intrigues them, making them want to read more. Be specific.

• What do you hope to learn from this experiment?

Below is an example.

M & Ms are one of my favorite candies to eat. I often noticed, when eating a fun size bag of M&Ms, that the number of M&Ms in the bag often varies. The frequency of each color contained in the bag also seems to differ. I began to wonder if there is a common color found to occur in significant amounts and if there is an average number of M&Ms contained in each bag. In this experiment, I will count the number of M&Ms in several bags of M&Ms and sort them by color to determine the number and frequency of colors found in them.

STEP 2: CONDUCTING RESEARCH ABOUT YOUR RESEARCH QUESTION

Background research is necessary so that you know how to design and understand your experiment. To make a background research plan — a roadmap of the research questions you need to answer — follow these steps:

1. Identify the keywords in the question for your science fair project. Brainstorm additional keywords and concepts.

2. Use a table with the "question words" (why, how, who, what, when, where) to generate research questions from your keywords. For example:

   1. What is the difference between a series and parallel circuit?

   2. When does a plant grow the most, during the day or night?

   3. Where is the focal point of a lens?

   4. How does a java applet work?

   5. Does a truss make a bridge stronger?

   6. Why are moths attracted to light?

   7. Which cleaning products kill the most bacteria?

   8. Throw out irrelevant questions.

3. Add to your background research plan a list of mathematical formulas or equations (if any) that you will need to describe the results of your experiment.

4. You should also plan to do background research on the history of similar experiments or inventions.

5. Network with other people with more experience than yourself: your mentors, parents, and teachers. Ask them: "What science concepts should I study to better understand my science fair project?" and "What area of science covers my project?" Better yet, ask even more specific questions.

Citation: http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair projects/project_background_research_plan.shtml

STEP 3: WRITING YOUR HYPOTHESIS

What is a Hypothesis?

A hypothesis is a tentative, testable answer to a scientific question. Once a scientist has a scientific question she is interested in, the scientist reads up to find out what is already known on the topic. Then she uses that information to form a tentative answer to her scientific question. Sometimes people refer to the tentative answer as "an educated guess." Keep in mind, though, that the hypothesis also has to be testable since the next step is to do an experiment to determine whether or not the hypothesis is right!

A hypothesis leads to one or more predictions that can be tested by experimenting.

Predictions often take the shape of "If ____then ____" statements, but do not have to. Predictions should include both an independent variable (the factor you change in an experiment) and a dependent variable (the factor you observe or measure in an experiment). A single hypothesis can lead to multiple predictions, but generally, one or two predictions is enough to tackle for a science fair project.

Examples of Hypotheses and Predictions

What if My Hypothesis is Wrong?

What happens if, at the end of your science project, you look at the data you have collected and you realize it does not support your hypothesis? First, do not panic! The point of a science project is not to prove your hypothesis right. The point is to understand more about how the natural world works. Or, as it is sometimes put, to find out the scientific truth. When scientists do an experiment, they very often have data that shows their starting hypothesis was wrong. Why? Well, the natural world is complex—it takes a lot of experimenting to figure out how it works—and the more explanations you test, the closer you get to figuring out the truth. For scientists, disproving a hypothesis still means they gained important information, and they can use that information to make their next hypothesis even better. In a science fair setting, judges can be just as impressed by projects that start out with a faulty hypothesis; what matters more is whether you understood your science fair project, had a well-controlled experiment, and have ideas about what you would do next to improve your project if you had more time. You can read more about a science fair judge's view on disproving your hypothesis here.

It is worth noting, scientists never talk about their hypothesis being "right" or "wrong." Instead, they say that their data "supports" or "does not support" their hypothesis. This goes back to the point that nature is complex—so complex that it takes more than a single experiment to figure it all out because a single experiment could give you misleading data. For example, let us say that you hypothesize that earthworms do not exist in places that have very cold winters because it is too cold for them to survive. You then predict that you will find earthworms in the dirt in Florida, which has warm winters, but not Alaska, which has cold winters. When you go and dig a 3-foot by 3-foot-wide and 1-foot-deep hole in the dirt in those two states, you discover Floridian earthworms, but not Alaskan ones. So, was your hypothesis right? Well, your data "supported" your hypothesis, but your experiment did not cover that much ground. Can you really be sure there are no earthworms in Alaska? No. Which is why scientists only support (or not) their hypothesis with data, rather than proving them. And for the curious, yes there are earthworms in Alaska.

Hypothesis Checklist

IDENTIFYING YOUR VARIABLES:

Independent variables – the one factor changed by the person doing the experiment.

Dependent variables – the factor being measured in an experiment.

Control Variables – all the factors that stay the same in an experiment.

Example: I hypothesize that plants receiving the most water will grow the fastest.

Independent Variable: the amount of water

Dependent Variable: the amount of growth of the plant

Control Variables: the types of plants, the amount of sunlight they receive, the location of the plants

STEP 4: EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Materials

What type of supplies and equipment will you need to complete your science fair project?

By making a complete list ahead of time, you can make sure that you have everything on hand when you need it. Some items may take time to obtain, so making a materials list in advance represents good planning!

Make the materials list as specific as possible, and be sure you can get everything you need before you start your science fair project.

• Use bullets to list all items that you need and the correct amounts needed.

• DO NOT NUMBER your materials

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_materials_list.shtml#preparingamaterialslist

PROCEDURE

***When planning to conduct your experiment, consider how long it will take to conduct your experiment and plan accordingly so that you have your results by February 6th.

1. WRITE EVERY STEP OF YOUR PROCEDURE.

2. BE SPECIFIC.

3. USE SIMPLE COMMANDS WRITING IN COMPLETE SENTENCES.

4. NUMBER YOUR STEPS IN ORDER - YOU DO NOT NEED TO WRITE FIRST, NEXT, LAST.

• Write the experimental procedure like a step-by-step recipe for your science experiment. A good procedure is so detailed and complete that it lets someone else duplicate your experiment exactly!

• Repeating a science experiment is an important step to verify that your results are consistent and not just an accident.

  • For a typical experiment, you should plan to repeat it three times.

  • If you are doing an experiment that involves testing or surveying different groups, you won't need to repeat the experiment three times, but you will need to test or survey a sufficient number of participants to insure that your results are reliable. Ideally, I would like you to have at least 10 participants.

  • http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_experimental_procedure.shtml

Example of Materials and Procedure:

Research Question: Which battery lasts longer: Energizer or Duracell?

Materials List

• • CD player & a CD (low drain device)

  • Three identical flashlights (medium drain device)

  • Camera flash (high drain device)

  • AA size Duracell and Energizer batteries

  • AA size of a "heavy-duty" (non-alkaline) battery (I used Panasonic)

  • Voltmeter & a AA battery holder

  • Kitchen timer

Experimental Procedure

• 1. Number each battery so you can tell them apart.

  2. Measure each battery's voltage by using the voltmeter.

  3. Put the same battery into one of the devices and turn it on.

  4. Let the device run for thirty minutes before measuring its voltage again. (Record the voltage in a table every time it is measured.)

  5. Repeat step 4 until the battery is at 0.9 volts or until the device stops.

  6. Do steps 1–5 again, three trials for each brand of battery in each experimental group.

  7. For the camera flash push the flash button every 30 seconds and measure the voltage every 5 minutes.

  8. For the flashlights rotate each battery brand so each one has a turn in each flashlight.

  9. For the CD player repeat the same song at the same volume throughout the tests.

http://www.slideshare.net/abridgesmith/good-procedure-writing

Powerpoint on examples of a bad and good procedure

• STEP 5: CONDUCTING YOUR EXPERIMENT:

• Make sure your experiment is complete and your observations are recorded in your virtual logbook by Monday, February 13th, 2017.

• 1. Your observations do not need to be neat.

• You will use them to write your results and to generate tables and graphs which we will work on in class

• 2. Your observations are a good place to jot down ideas for future research, notes about experimental design changes (do not change your planned procedure), and things that did or didn't work in your experiment.

  • You will use this information in your conclusion.

Record in your Virtual Logbook:

1. Observations about experiment : This will be used to write your results, design tables and graphs. This will be done in class.

2. Any changes in procedure

3. Ideas to improve the experimental design

4. Ideas for future experiments

#2,3,and 4 will be addressed in your conclusion which we will work on in class.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE YOUR DATA ON

FEBRUARY 6TH

TO MEET THE DEADLINE FOR PART II OF YOUR LAB REPORT.

STEP 6: COMMUNICATING YOUR RESULTS

• Data analysis and discussion. This section is a summary of what you found out in your experiment, focusing on your observations, data table, and graph(s), which should be included at this location in the report.

• Conclusions.

• Ideas for future research. Some science fairs want you to discuss what additional research you might want to do based on what you learned.

Citation: www.sciencebuddies.org

How to present your results in written word, tables, and graphs:

• 1. In theory, this is the easiest part to write, because it is a straightforward commentary of exactly what you observed and found.

  2. In reality, it can be a little tricky, because it is very easy to include too much information and bury the important findings.

Too Much Information?

• 1. The results section is not for interpreting the results in any way; that belongs strictly in the conclusion section in which you will ANALYZE and DISCUSS your findings.

  2. You should aim to narrate your findings without trying to interpret or evaluate them, other than to provide a link to the conclusion.

  3. For example, you may have noticed an unusual correlation between two variables during the analysis of your results. It is correct to point this out in the results section.

     1. Questioning why this correlation is happening and generating theories about what may be happening, belongs in the conclusion.

  4. Because you are making a table and graph to show your data, you do not have to repeat the data in the results. Instead, refer to the graph or table, i.e. In graph 1 we see the color red was the most common color found in a fun size bag of M&Ms.

Tips for Writing a Results Section

• 1. Perhaps the best way to use the results section is to show the most relevant information in the graphs, figures and tables.

  2. The text is used to direct the reader to the results in tables and graphs and to clarify any unclear points. The text should also act as a link to the conclusion where you will discuss any correlations and findings.

  3. Be sure to include negative results - writing a results section without them not only invalidates the paper, but it is extremely bad science. The negative results, and how you handle them, often gives you the makings of a great conclusion, so do not be afraid to highlight them.

****Powerpoint on creating tables and graphs.

http://www.exposciencesnb.ca/bar-graphs-tables-pie-charts-oh-my.pd

Writing a conclusion:

Key Information

Your conclusions summarize how your results support or contradict your original hypothesis:

• • Summarize your science fair project results in a few sentences and use this summary to support your conclusion.

  • Include key facts from your background research to help explain your results as needed.

  • State whether your results support or contradict your hypothesis.

  • If appropriate, state the relationship between the independent and dependent variable.

  • Summarize and evaluate your experimental procedure, making comments about its success and effectiveness.

  • Suggest changes in the experimental procedure (or design) and/or possibilities for further study.

Overview

Your conclusions will summarize whether or not your science fair project results support or contradict your original hypothesis. You may want to include key facts from your background research to help explain your results. Do your results suggest a relationship between the independent and dependent variable?

If Your Results Show that Your Hypothesis is False

If the results of your science experiment did not support your hypothesis, don't change or manipulate your results to fit your original hypothesis, simply explain why things did not go as expected. Professional scientists commonly find that results do not support their hypothesis, and they use those unexpected results as the first step in constructing a new hypothesis. If you think you need additional experimentation, describe what you think should happen next.

Scientific research is an ongoing process, and by discovering that your hypothesis is not true, you have already made huge advances in your learning that will lead you to ask more questions that lead to new experiments.

Science fair judges do not care about whether you prove or disprove your hypothesis; they care how much you learned.

Conclusions Checklist

Writing an Abstract

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Science Expo Board Order Letter

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Science Expo Presentation Rubric'

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