Welcome!

1. Welcome! • Please pick up a handout before you sit down. • If you have time, feel free to look through the science fair project books that are located on the back counter. • We will begin promptly at 6:00. 

2. Science Fair Projects Your child’s science fair project and you!

3. Where do we begin? • Step one: Take a DEEP breath • Step two: Remember this is your child’s project… let them do ALL of the work (with some supervision )! • Step three: Just follow the steps in the packet and try to have some fun together with this!

4. What to expect from the teacher… • A list of rules and regulations • A checklist/timeline to keep your child on track • An opportunity or way to communicate if you have questions or concerns

5. What is expected of your student… • Bring home all of the information given out by the teacher • Make a list of interesting topic ideas • Do any background reading or research • Conduct testing at home • Design and decorate the display board • Be responsible for creating and conducting the investigation as well as staying on top of the timeline

6. What is expected from you? • Help your student create a list of interesting topics • Review the topic once it has been approved • Communicate any questions or concerns with your child’s teacher • Help your child meet all of the timeline requirements • Encourage your child to do his/her best work and take pride in their project

7. Components of the Science Investigation • Title • Purpose • Hypothesis • Procedure • Data Collection/Display • Conclusion • Log • Background Research

8. Title • This should be a catchy title that is written as a question How many licks does it take?

9. Purpose • Make a clear explanation of what you are trying to learn by doing this investigation EXAMPLE: Does the color of the tootsie roll pop affect the number of licks it takes to reach the center?

10. Research/Background paper • This should be a one page paper giving any background information about the topic of the project. • In our example, the paper could be background research on Tootsie Roll Pops, how they are made and what they are made of.

11. Hypothesis • This is a prediction made BEFORE doing the investigation. It is a statement of “expected” results. This should NOT be changed, regardless of the outcome of the investigation. • It is important that the students know that a hypothesis does not have to be correct, it is simply a prediction • EXAMPLE: I believe that the red Tootsie Roll Pop will take longer that the other colors by at least 15 licks.

12. Procedure • There are 3 parts to the procedure section • Materials • Variables • Step-by-step Directions

13. Materials • This should be a DETAILED list of all of the items needed to re-create this investigation • Be specific about the amounts and brands used • All measurements should be written in METRIC units (mm, cm, m, L, ml, etc.)

14. Variables • Controlled Variables- These are the things that you keep the SAME throughout the entire investigation • Manipulated Variable- The ONE thing that you changed on purpose in order to answer the question

15. Step-by-step Directions • A detailed listing of each step taken to perform the investigation. • These should be written in a way so that anyone could re-create your investigation exactly the way it was originally done, just by reading the directions!

16. Data Collection and Display • Create graphs to display the data in a reader friendly way.

17. Conclusion • This is a brief summary of your results. Was your hypothesis supported by the investigation?

18. Log • This should include the purpose, hypothesis, procedure, data graphs, charts, conclusion, and any notes that were taken along the way. • Basically, this log should be a small version of the project. • This contains ALL of the step-by-step directions as well. • Each entry should be dated.

19. CONGRATULATIONS • If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us by email at: • Mrs. Ricardo – ricardoj@leonschools.net • Mrs. Bullington – bullingtonl@leonschools.net