CARNEGIE SCIENCE FAIR
WHAT IS IT? A display of science experiments
WHEN IS IT? Tuesday, February 12, 2008
WHO MAY PARTICIPATE? Any student at Carnegie
WHERE IS IT? All projects will be set up in the Carnegie gym before school, Monday, February 11th. They will be on display Monday, February 11th and Tuesday, February 12th. Children may come with their parents to the PTA meeting, Tuesday night. All ribbon winning projects will remain at school for display in the showcase. All other projects will be taken home after the PTA meeting Tuesday night.
WHEN ARE VIEWING TIMES? Viewing times will be during Monday morning set up,
7:30-7:55 A.M. and Tuesday, 6:30-7:00 P.M., prior to the PTA meeting.
WHAT ARE THE RULES?
1. You must do the experiment yourself.
2. You cannot bring an experiment you have used before, or that you or someone else made for another school.
3. There are NO live animals in the Science Fair. (If you do an experiment with animals, take pictures of the animals and bring the pictures.)
4. You should set up your display ON TIME and take it down ON TIME. During the day Monday and Tuesday, classes may view the Science Fair and pictures can be taken for the yearbook.
5. SIZE LIMITATIONS. Your whole display should not take up more space than this:
120 cm side to side x 150 cm high x 75 cm front to back.
6. DISPLAY. Every experiment MUST have a display board behind it which is SELF-SUPPORTING.
7. Your experiment will be over by the time you show it in the Science Fair. You will NOT be able to demonstrate it. You should have completed your experiment and written what happened on your display board. It is helpful to have photographs of your experiment in progress. Your working notebook should also be displayed with your experiment. It is your proof that you worked through the experiment yourself.
8. NOT ALLOWED. These items are not allowed to be used in the projects: plastic models or kits, live animals, explosives, poisonous or otherwise dangerous materials.
9. Neither your name nor a photo of your face may be displayed on the front of the project.
WHAT IS THE PROCEDURE?
- Select your PROBLEM or research QUESTION.
- RESEARCH your topic. Sources could include science books, library books, encyclopedias, computers, or interviews with people. Make a list of your sources for your bibliography.
- WRITE A RESEARCH PAPER (a one or two page report on your topic followed by your bibliography).
- Create a DATA LOG (This is a journal showing observations, measurements which you record daily during the experiment.
- Write your HYPOTHESIS. (This is your educated guess about the outcome of the experiment.) It may be one sentence.
- Design an EXPERIMENT to test your hypothesis. (Remember to include a control and limit the number of variables.)
- Start the experiment, record the results in the data log , and keep accurate records. (Use metric measurements only.)
- Analyze your results. Make charts, graphs, or tables as needed to show your results clearly.
- From your results, make your conclusions. Was your hypothesis correct? Should you plan any additional experiments to prove your hypothesis?
- Begin work on the display. Have any photographs you took developed. Decide where on the display board you want to put the labels; PROBLEM, HYPOTHESIS, PROCEDURE, RESULTS, and CONCLUSION.
- Bring your project to school and set it up on time.
- Take your project down and take it home on time.
EXPERIMENTS
Experiments are divided into three categories – Biological Science, Earth & Space Science, and Physical Science. Biological Science has to do with topics such as; animals, plants, medicine, heredity, body systems, and habitats. Here are some ideas for research questions dealing with Biological Science:
Do plants grow better in sunlight or artificial light?
How does variation in pH affect plant growth?
Which foods contain the most fat?
What can be done to help plants decompose faster?
Does air pollution affect plant growth?
What is the effect of removing all but one flower on fruit size?
What conditions are best for keeping bananas fresh?
How does microwave radiation affect seed germination?
Will frozen seeds sprout?
Which foods have the most Vitamin C?
What conditions affect how fast roots will grow?
How does overcrowding affect plant growth?
Do plants grow best in certain color light?
Will plants grow better in soil or water?
How does heat affect seed germination?
What is the effect of detergent on plant growth?
What is best for killing bacteria?
Which seeds are preferred by birds wintering in Oklahoma?
Will plants grow better with extra carbon dioxide?
Will vitamins affect the growth of plants?
How do earthworms react to light?
What percentage of an apple is water?
Does the age of fruit affect its content of Vitamin C?
What is the effect of chlorinated water on plant growth?
Do males and females view optical illusions differently?
What conditions help increase mold growth?
How does temperature affect yeast growth?
What kind of life can be found in 1 square meter of land?
Which color light bulb draws the most moths at night?
EARTH and SPACE SCIENCE
Earth and Space Science has to do with topics such as; earthquakes, rocks, crystals, soil, sun, weather, moon, planets, oil , storms, soil conservation, and glaciers. Here are some ideas for research questions:
Which type of soil lets water through fastest?
Do all crystals have the same shape?
What is the pH of rainwater in different areas?
Which type of ground surface reflects the most heat?
From which direction does the wind blow most frequently in Tulsa?
How efficient are different types of solar collectors?
What conditions help crystals grow best?
Which type of covering prevents soil erosion best – leaves, grass, etc.?
What is the effect of ocean warming on our weather?
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
Physical Science has to do with such topics as; light, heat, sound, electricity, magnetism, compasses, acids/bases, electronics, temperature, chemistry, time, gravity, and simple machines. Here are some ideas for research questions dealing with Physical Science:
What is the difference in density of various liquids?
Which light bulbs are the most cost-effective?
Which detergents break up oil the best?
Which batteries last the longest?
Does the thickness of wire affect how it conducts electricity?
How does shape affect the lift of an airplane wing?
How does heat affect the rate at which sugar dissolves?
Which material is the best home insulator?
What kinds of metal conduct heat the fastest?
How can an electromagnet be made stronger?
What is the shape of the magnetic field around various magnets?
Which brand of popcorn pops the most kernels?
What kind of fabric can have stains removed from it best?
What shape kit will fly the best in medium winds?
How does the length of a vibrating object affect the sound it makes?
Does sound travel at the same speed through all materials?
What is the acidity of common foods?
Which kind of soap lasts the longest?
How much does heat affect the strength of a magnet?
Which surface causes the least friction?
WRITING A BIBLIOGRAPHY
A bibliography is a list of books and references you used. It shows other people where they can find information about your topic. How the bibliography is written depends on the reference used.
A book with one author Smith, Cindy, How Computers Work, White Pine, N.Y., Parrot Books, 1983
A book with two authors Long, Ted H., and Bow, Patty, Understanding Computers,
Chicago: Astro Books, 1995
Encyclopedia article “Computers.” The Learning Encyclopedia 1994 ed.
Magazine article Richards, Randy, “New Ideas with Computers.” Computer Life, March, 1996, pp. 5-10
PARENT HELP
Parents can help in several ways: making suggestions, getting materials, keeping you on track, helping you bring your experiment to school and take it back home, encouraging you to finish on time, and helping you focus on what is important, rather than getting stuck on little details. If a parent helps with typing or word processing the report, the student’s handwritten copy should be attached behind the typed report. Parents may help with construction of display board.
DISPLAY
All experiments must have a self-supporting display board so viewers will understand your experiment.
PURPOSE: This is your research question – or what you wanted to discover by doing your experiment. State it in simple, brief terms.
HYPOTHESIS This is your prediction about what you think will happen when you do the experiment. It can be one sentence.
PROCERDURE This is a listing, step-by-step of how you carried out the experiment.
RESULTS This is a summary of your observations
CONCLUSION The conclusion is the answer to the hypothesis (“My hypothesis was correct” or “My hypothesis was not correct.”) Follow this with three paragraphs. In the first paragraph, give a summary of the results. The second paragraph should discuss the proof or disproof of the hypothesis. (It is possible that the results will be inconclusive). The last paragraph should tell what you have learned or discuss any practical value your experiment may have. You may also recommend another experiment or suggest ways to change your experiment to find out more about your subject.
TITLE Choose a brief catchy title to get people’s attention. It should be centered in the middle part of the display board in large lettering.
On the table in front of your display board, put your research paper and your log folder. Also,
put any part of your experiment that needs to be displayed (such as plants you raised, or
equipment you used in your experiment).
SCIENCE FAIR JUDGING FOR 5th GRADERS
You will receive a letter grade on your Science Fair project based on these points:
SCIENTIFIC PROCESS Does the exhibit show organized procedures, accurate
Possible points 35 observations, a controlled experiment? Is the purpose,
hypothesis, procedure, results, and conclusion
clearly presented?
Score
CREATIVE ABILITY Is there evidence of originality of approach or
Possible points 20 ingenious use of materials?
Score
RESEARCH PAPER & DATE LOG Are the research paper and data log complete, and
Possible points 15 do they document the actual work that was done?
Score
SKILL & THROUOUGHNESS Is there evidence of good workmanship? Is the
Possible points 10 story of the experiment told completely?
Score
CLARITY & DISPLAY Is the display easy to read, neat, and eye-catching?
Possible points 20 Is there a sensible progression for the spectator across
or through the exhibit? Score
TOTAL POINTS AVAILABLE 100 Your Total Score:
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