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 DistrictSTEM 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 2015STEMFair 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- Science Fair Agreement &
- Research Paper
- Hypothesis
- Science Project Plans (variables, materials, & procedures—all 3 pages)
- Design your trials
- Conduct experiment at least 3times using three variables
- Create a data graph or chart
- Analyze data & draw a conclusion
- Science Project Final Report
- Display Board complete & ready for presentation to class/teacher
- Set up Display Board with logbook
- Science Fair*
- Behavior during Science Fair
- Take project Home
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 Trying to Figure Out / Must be in the form of a question. Not a “yes/no” question.
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?
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
- ______
- ______
- ______
Source Title ______(capitalize properly)
Author’s Name ______(if you can find it)
(If it is a website, write the website address)
Facts
- ______
- ______
- ______
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:Ahypothesis 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“X” on a graph
“ The Cause”
This is the thing that you will change … to see what effect it will have. / DEPENDENT Variable
“Y” on a graph
“The Effect”
This is the thing that will change because of what you did with the independent variable.
THIS MUST BE MEASURABLE!!! / CONTROLLED Variables
Don’t change
These are things which you must be sure to keep the same.
Example – the amount of light
Include 3 things you will change
1—
2—
3— / Example – the growth of the plant
What will be the affect to be measured? / Example – keep the same plants…keep the same amount of soil…keep the same amount of water….same amount of time….
Name at least 4
1—
2—
3—
4—
Name: ______
DUE DATE: Friday, January 8
Materials List
What materials would you need? / Be specific!Don’t leave anything out….use only METRIC measurements (when needed).
Good Examples:
500 mL of deionized water
Stopwatch with 0.1 second accuracy
AA alkaline battery
Nike Spiral Tech 1000 Composite Football
100 grams of uncooked macaroni noodles / Bad Examples:
water
clock
battery
football
noodles
Your List of Materials
How to Write a Procedure
SAMPLE Experimental Procedure
- Number each battery so you can tell them apart.
- Measure each battery's voltage by using the voltmeter.
- Put the same battery into one of the devices and turn it on.
- Let the device run for thirty minutes before measuring its voltage again. (Record the voltage in a table every time it is measured.)
- Repeat step 4 until the battery is at 0.9 volts or until the device stops.
- Do steps 1–5 again, three trials for each brand of battery in each experimental group.
- For the camera flash push the flash button every 30 seconds and measure the voltage every 5 minutes.
- For the flashlights rotate each battery brand so each one has a turn in each flashlight.
- For the CD player repeat the same song at the same volume throughout the tests.
Name: ______
DUE DATE: Friday, January 8
Procedure
Rules:
- Be Specific
- Include that you are doing 3 trials on each of your independent variables
- Before you’re done, read your steps out loud to another person….this should show you where you need to “tweak” your procedure.
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Designing Your Trials
(ROUGH DRAFT) / How long do you think it will take to complete each trial? (Remember you have to test all 3 variables for each trial).______/ How long do you think it will take to complete each trial? (Remember you have to test all 3 variables for each trial).
______/ How long do you think it will take to complete each trial? (Remember you have to test all 3 variables for each trial).
______
TRIAL 1 / TRIAL 2 / TRIAL 3
What is your
1st independentvariable?
______
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 / AverageFull 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 / AverageTransfer 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.
- Cover Page.
- Question
- Research Paper
- Hypothesis
- Variables
- Materials
- Procedures
- Data graph or chart
- 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: