STEM Fair Packet

Name ______DUE DATE: Tuesday, December 15th STEM Fair Packet

STEM Fair Agreement

Student

 I have discussed my project idea and this packet with my parents. I commit to following through with my project.

 I agree that the project I enter is my own work, and I will complete the project according to the rules of the science fair.

 I will conduct a safe experiment and no dangerous substances or instruments will be part of my project.

 I have read the “unacceptable items to bring” list and understand that photos will be an appropriate substitute.

 I understand that no power outlets are available during the school or district science fair.

 I will complete and turn in portions of this assignment as due dates are assigned by my teacher.

 I know that my full project is due no later than January 25 .

 I will be ready to present my project at the School Science Fair on January 26.

Student Signature ______

Parent

 I will help my child with their project.

 I will NOT COMPLETE the project for them.

 I am aware that each portion of my child’s project will be due on the date listed and that the full project is due January 25.

 My child has permission to participate in the STEM Fair (in accordance with its rules and regulations).

 I am aware that every sixth grade student is required to complete his or her own STEM Fair Project.  I am aware that the school Science Fair will be held on January 26, with judging from 9-11am. I am welcome to visit the fair in the afternoon, if I wish.

 Everyone is required to complete an assignment. Students will be invited to participate in the District STEM Fair based on the scores received from the judges.

Parent Signature ______PLEASE REMEMBER: The following items MAY NOT be displayed at the school or District Science Fair. If your project uses any of these items, please take photographs of each step of the project and the final outcome to display instead.

 Animals

(Note: because of the many issues involved with animal experimentation, projects involving the use of vertebrate animals are strongly discouraged. Any project involving vertebrates must follow proper protocol for animal research. No animals may be harmed or destroyed for your project. The captivity of wild animals is not permitted.)

 Bacterial cultures and/or pathogens

 All hazardous chemicals or explosives and/or devices

 Controlled substances

 No living organisms, plants, or animals

 Taxidermy specimens or parts

 Human or animal food

 Human or animal parts or body fluid (blood, urine)

 Plant materials (living, dead, or preserved)

 Chemicals including water

 Dry ice

 Flames or highly flammable materials  Batteries with open-top cells

 Awards, medals, business cards, endorsements

 Photographs or visual presentations depicting vertebrate animals in surgical techniques, dissections, necropsies, or lab procedures.

 Electronic devices that require a power outlet

In addition, the 2015 STEM Fair will not allow:

 Consumer or product testing projects

STEM Fair Timeline You are allowed to work ahead. This would be a good idea if your experiments need several weeks to complete. Assignment Score Due Date 1. Science Fair Agreement & 10 pts Tuesday, December 15 Project Proposal (Question) 2. Research Paper 25 pts Ongoing

3. Hypothesis 10 pts Thursday, December 17

4. Science Project Plans (variables, 10 pts Friday, January 8 materials, & procedures—all 3 pages) 5. Design your trials 15 pts Friday, January 8

6. Conduct experiment at least 3 10 pts December 18-January 15 times using three variables 7. Create a data graph or chart 15 pts Wednesday, January 20

8. Analyze data & draw a conclusion 15 pts Thursday, January 21

9. Science Project Final Report 50 pts Friday, January 22 10. Display Board complete & ready 60 pts Monday, January 25 for presentation to class/teacher 11. Set up Display Board with logbook Monday, January 25

12. Science Fair* 100 pts Tuesday, January 26 Judging occurs between 9-11 am 13. Behavior during Science Fair 25 pts Tuesday, January 26

14. Take project Home 10 pts Tuesday, January 26 Winners announced Tuesday, January 26

*Parents may visit the Science Fair on January 26, in the afternoon. Name: ______DUE DATE: Tuesday, December 15 Science Fair Proposal

Reminder: Your plan must be for a good science PROJECT, NOT a demonstration or a model.

A good project is Not----A SCIENCE DEMONSTRATION is a quick little science "show" that explains a science concept like building a model volcano and watching it erupt. This shows how something works, but it is not a true experiment.

A good project is Not ---A SCIENCE MODEL –a model of the solar system or an airplane.

A good project IS --- An EXPERIMENT that TESTS a MEASURABLE question. It is usually more involved and provides data you can compare and analyze in the results. An example would be "Does the thickness of the wire affect the power of the circuit?" or "Are natural sponges more absorbent than synthetic sponges?" In these examples, you ask a question and then perform experiments to get the answer.

Question You’re Must be in the form of a question. Not a “yes/no” question. Trying to Figure Out

What will be tested?

What is the form of measurement? (Time, length, weight, height, quantity, etc.) How will you collect your data?

Name: ______DUE DATE: Friday, January 22 Research Paper

Do your research! Use the back of this page to record your findings and sources.

Next, type your research paper. It should be 3-6 paragraphs long with the following format:

List in the upper right hand corner: Your name Grade Date Centered Title

 Introductory paragraph to explain your question and the reason you are asking it. What connection or previous experience to you have with your subject?  Explain how and/or why your subject acts or functions the way it does. This may take more than one paragraph if you have several aspects/variables to research. Include at least one fact or reference to a source including the title, author, or website name. (*Use the source note page on the back to record your research findings).  Explain or define vocabulary words or subjects that might not be clearly understood and tell how they relate to your research.  Tell about other testing that has already been done on the subject. What were the usual outcomes of this testing?  Do you expect your testing to be similar or different? Why or why not?

*IMPORTANT: Remember to SAVE your typed research paper. This one will be graded and edited, but you will need to assemble a clean copy of this research with the other assignment pages into your final printed project.

Sources and Findings

Source Title ______(capitalize properly)

Author’s Name ______(if you can find it)

(If it is a website, write the website address)

Facts  ______ ______ ______

Name: ______DUE DATE: Thursday, December 17 Hypothesis

REVIEW: What was your question? ______

______

DEFINITION: A hypothesis is an “educated guess” in answer to your science fair question.

Now that you have done your research, what do you expect to happen?

It should be listed in an “if…then” format.

Hypothesis Example – If I limit the amount of light a plant receives, then the growth of a plant will be slowed.

If I ______

then______

______will happen.

Does your hypothesis answer your question with your “educated guess?” Remember, it doesn’t have to be correct. We are going to test it to find out if it is.

Name: ______DUE DATE: Friday, January 8 STEM Project Variables

Define your variables:

INDEPENDENT Variable DEPENDENT Variable CONTROLLED Variables

“X” on a graph “Y” on a graph Don’t change “ The Cause” “The Effect”

This is the thing that you will change This is the thing that will change These are things which you must be … to see what effect it will have. because of what you did with the sure to keep the same. independent variable. THIS MUST BE MEASURABLE!!!

Example – the amount of light Example – the growth of the plant Example – keep the same plants…keep the same amount of soil…keep the same amount of water….same amount of time…. What will be the affect to be Include 3 things you will change measured? Name at least 4

1— 1— 2— 2— 3— 3— 4—

Name: ______DUE DATE: Friday, January 8 Materials List What Be specific! materials Don’t leave anything out….use only METRIC measurements (when needed). would you Good Examples: Bad Examples: need? 500 mL of deionized water water

Stopwatch with 0.1 second accuracy clock

AA alkaline battery battery

Nike Spiral Tech 1000 Composite Football football

100 grams of uncooked macaroni noodles noodles

Your List of Materials How to Write a Procedure

SAMPLE 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. Name: ______DUE DATE: Friday, January 8 Procedure Rules: 1. Be Specific 2. Include that you are doing 3 trials on each of your independent variables 3. Before you’re done, read your steps out loud to another person….this should show you where you need to “tweak” your procedure.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Designing Your Trials

(ROUGH How long do you How long do you How long do you think it will take to think it will take to think it will take to DRAFT) complete each trial? complete each trial? complete each trial? (Remember you have (Remember you have (Remember you have to test all 3 variables to test all 3 variables to test all 3 variables for each trial). for each trial). for each trial). ______TRIAL 1 TRIAL 2 TRIAL 3 What is your 1st independent variable? ______

What is your 2nd independent variable? ______

What is your 3rd independent variable? ______

WHAT will you be measuring? ______What units will you be measuring in? ______

Examples: cm, grams, mm, m, mL, L, seconds, minutes, hours ***You must have a minimum of 3 trials, but you can (and maybe should) have many more depending on what you are testing. In most cases, the more trials you do, the more accurate your data will be.

Name: ______DUE DATE: Wednesday, January 20 Trials Chart/Data Graph

Example:

Variable Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average Full Sun 10 cm 11 cm 10.3 cm 10 cm Dark Closet 6 cm 6.4 cm 7cm 6 cm Windowsill 3 cm 3 cm 4 cm 3 cm Now create a similar chart or logbook to collect data on your 3+ trials. Record all observations and outcomes. You are welcome to use this template to record your first three trials if you would like. **It is always a good idea to display your data logbook at the science fair.

Variable Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average

Transfer your data into a chart or graph that can be used on your display board. A neatly printed chart or graph is preferred. Using color is also a great suggestion. Name: ______DUE DATE: Wednesday, January 20 Analyze Data and Draw Conclusions

Was your hypothesis correct? ______

What happened? Use your data to be specific. (Include numbers from your trials to describe what happened during your experiment.)

______

Describe anything that may have gone wrong or a specific challenge or mistake you had to overcome. Be specific.

______

Describe any successes you had. ______

______

Name at least one thing you’d do differently (or add to) your experiment if you did it again.

______

What other questions or suggestions do you have for this experiment? (at least one)

______

How could this project relate to “real life” situations? What are its applications: ______

______Name: ______DUE DATE: Friday, January 22 STEM Fair Final Report

Congratulations! You are now ready to assemble your final Science Fair Report that will be displayed with your project.

Put the following typed information into one document. It will be several pages long. But relax! You have previously saved your typed work so you can just copy and paste it in order. Each section does not need to be on its own page. Remember to label each section with a heading. Have someone proofread your final report; he or she may have some helpful comments.

Staple or put into a presentation folder in this order.

1. Cover Page. 2. Question 3. Research Paper 4. Hypothesis 5. Variables 6. Materials 7. Procedures 8. Data graph or chart 9. Analyze data & Draw conclusions Name______Final Report Grading Rubric Cover Page

 Title Centered  Name, grade, date included  Picture optional Question

Stated in the form of a testable question __ out of 10 points

Research Paper

 Complete in paragraph form  Cites at least one source __ out of 25 points Hypothesis

Written as an if and then statement

States a complete thought __ out of 15 points

Variables

List independent, dependent, and controlled variables __ out of 5 points

Materials List

Complete list

Only metric units were used

Items listed in detail (amounts and sizes included) __ out of 5 points

Procedure

Written as a list

All steps are included

Three trials are included

Steps follow a logical order and are detailed enough to replicate __ out of 15 points

Tables and/or Graphs and/or Results are used to display Three Trials  Both axes of your graph are labeled  A key is included  Units are labeled  Graph or Chart has a title  All trials are included __ out of 15 points Conclusion

 States if hypothesis was correct or not (it does not need to have been correct)

 Describe mistakes, challenges, and successes

 Provides future questions/suggestions/Applications for real life __ out of 20 points

DUE IN CLASS ON: Monday, January 25 Display Board

Use a tri-fold fair board. These can be purchased from the office at our school. They are also available at a craft store like JoAnn’s or Michaels for around $5-7. Sometimes you can find them at Dollar Tree for $1 if you look early before they sell out. You can also reuse a previously used board by covering it with butcher paper.

Exhibit Size: The Science Fair displays must not be any larger than the following dimensions:

 Height-- 108 inches (274 cm) from floor to top of project

 Width—48 inches (122 cm) wide; about the width of your school desk

 Depth—30 inches (76 cm) deep; about the depth of your school desk

Be creative! Make it neat, attractive, and colorful. It should stand out. Type the headings if possible in large bold letters. Make the title large enough to read from a distance. Place the headings in the following order on your board: